Afuera – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Caifanes
• Album: El nervio del Volcán

Lyrics & Translation

[Spanish]

[English]

Muchos años uno cree

For many years, one believes

Que el caer es levantarse y de repente

That falling is getting up, and suddenly

Ya no te paras

You can't get up anymore

Que el amor es temporal

That love is temporary

Que todo te puede pasar y de repente

That anything can happen to you, and suddenly

Estás muy solo

You're all alone

Afuera

Outside

Afuera tú no existes, sólo adentro

Outside you don't exist, only inside

Afuera

Outside

Afuera no te cuido, sólo adentro

Outside I don't take care of you, only inside

Afuera

Outside

Te desbarata el viento sin dudarlo

The wind tears you apart without hesitation

Afuera

Outside

Nadie es nada, sólo adentro

Nobody is anything, only inside

Ah-ah-ah

Ah-ah-ah

Siguen los años y uno está

The years go by, and one is still

Creyendo que puede rezar y de repente

Believing that you can pray, and suddenly

Ya te perdiste

You're already lost

...

...

Y uno cree que puede creer

And one believes that you can believe

Y tener todo el poder y de repente

And have all the power, and suddenly

No tienes nada

You have nothing

Afuera

Outside

Afuera tú no existes, sólo adentro

Outside you don't exist, only inside

Afuera

Outside

Afuera no te cuido, sólo adentro

Outside I don't take care of you, only inside

Afuera

Outside

Te desbarata el viento sin dudarlo

The wind tears you apart without hesitation

Afuera

Outside

Nadie es nada, sólo adentro

Nobody is anything, only inside

Ah-ah-ah ah-ah (Ah-ah-ah)

Ah-ah-ah ah-ah (Ah-ah-ah)

...

...

Afuera

Outside

Afuera tú no existes, sólo adentro

Outside you don't exist, only inside

Afuera

Outside

Afuera no te cuido, sólo adentro

Outside I don't take care of you, only inside

Afuera

Outside

Te desbarata el viento sin dudarlo

The wind tears you apart without hesitation

Afuera

Outside

Nadie es nada, sólo adentro

Nobody is anything, only inside

Ah-ah

Ah-ah

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
años /ˈaɲos/ A1	noun - years
creer /kɾeˈeɾ/ A2	verb - to believe
caer /kaˈeɾ/ A2	verb - to fall
levantarse /leβanˈtaɾse/ A2	verb - to get up
amor /aˈmoɾ/ A1	noun - love
solo /ˈsolo/ A2	adjective - alone
adentro /aˈdentɾo/ B1	noun - inside
afuera /aˈfweɾa/ B1	noun - outside
viento /ˈbjento/ A2	noun - wind
dudar /duˈðaɾ/ B1	verb - to doubt
nada /ˈnada/ A1	noun - nothing
rezar /reˈθaɾ/ B1	verb - to pray
perderse /peɾˈðeɾse/ B1	verb - to get lost
poder /poˈðeɾ/ A2	noun - power
temporal /tempoˈɾal/ B2	adjective - temporary

Key Grammar Structures

• Muchos años uno cree

  ➔ Impersonal 'uno'

  ➔ Here, "uno" means "one" or "a person" but is used to express a general truth or common belief. It's similar to saying "people believe".

• Que el caer es levantarse

  ➔ Subjunctive in noun clauses expressing definition or characteristic

  ➔ The phrase "Que el caer es levantarse" describes a characteristic or definition of the idea of falling. While the indicative could be used, the subjunctive creates a more abstract, generalized sense.

• Ya no te paras

  ➔ Use of "ya" to indicate a change in state

  ➔ "Ya" combined with "no" emphasizes that the person is no longer able to get up, implying a shift from being able to get up to not being able to.

• Que el amor es temporal

  ➔ Subjunctive/Indicative with "Que" depending on certainty. Indicative used when stating as fact

  ➔ Because the speaker is presenting this as something "one believes," it is stated as fact, so the indicative mood is used. If the speaker were doubting or expressing a wish, the subjunctive would be used.

• Afuera tú no existes, sólo adentro

  ➔ Contrasting Adverbs: "Afuera" vs. "Adentro"

  ➔ The contrasting adverbs emphasize the dichotomy between the external world ("afuera") and the internal world ("adentro"). The sentence is asserting that your true existence is only found within.

• Te desbarata el viento sin dudarlo

  ➔ Indirect Object Pronoun "Te"

  ➔ The pronoun "te" indicates that the wind "disintegrates *you*". It is an indirect object pronoun, showing to whom the action of disintegrating is directed.

• Siguen los años y uno está

  ➔ Present tense to express a continuing action or state

  ➔ The use of the present tense ("Siguen" and "está") suggests that the years continue to pass and the person continues to be in a certain state of mind, implying an ongoing and habitual situation.

• Creyendo que puede rezar

  ➔ Gerund phrase expressing a manner or a means

  ➔ "Creyendo que puede rezar" indicates the way the person is while the years continue. The gerund shows how the person is existing in that moment. They exist *believing* that they can pray.