Barco a Venus – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Mecano
• Album: ¿Dónde está el país de las hadas?

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the evocative world of Spanish pop with Mecano's 'Barco a Venus.' This classic synth-pop track offers a unique opportunity to learn Spanish by exploring its profound lyrics about illusion and reality, set against a memorable 80s beat. Its clear message and poetic expressions make it an excellent song for grasping Spanish vocabulary related to emotions, struggle, and human experience.

[English]

You say you're always traveling—but you're lying to me.

I know you're alone and that you never leave your room.

The street lights hurt you when you go out.

because your world is different—much darker.

Stop it now, you know you've never gone to Venus on a ship.

You want to float, but all you do is sink.

You know you go through life without leaving your lie.

that many feed it, and it grows day by day.

The mafia haunts you and the police catch you.

they lock you up, release you, and everyone tells you

Stop it now, you know you've never gone to Venus on a ship.

You want to float, but all you do is sink.

Stop it now, you know you've never gone to Venus on a

Stop it now, you know you've never gone to Venus on a

Stop it now, you know you've never gone to Venus on a ship.

Na, na, na, na, na, na...

(I.Cano)

[Spanish]

Dices que siempre estás viajando pero me estás engañando

Yo sé que tú estás solo y que no sales de tu cuarto

Las luces de la calle te hacen daño cuando sales

porque tu mundo es otro mucho más oscuro

Déjalo ya, sabes que nunca has ido a Venus en un barco

Quieres flotar, pero lo único que haces es hundirte

Sabes que pasas por la vida sin salir de tu mentira

que muchos alimentan y que crece día a día

La mafia te atosiga y te coge la policía

te encierran y te sueltan y todos te dicen

Déjalo ya, sabes que nunca has ido a Venus en un barco

Quieres flotar, pero lo único que haces es hundirte

Déjalo ya, sabes que nunca has ido a Venus en un

Déjalo ya, sabes que nunca has ido a Venus en un

Déjalo ya, sabes que nunca has ido a Venus en un barco

Na, na, na, na, na, na...

(I.Cano)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
viajar /bjaˈxaɾ/ A2	verb - to travel from one place to another
engañar /eŋɡaˈɲaɾ/ B1	verb - to deceive or cheat someone
salir /saˈliɾ/ A2	verb - to go out, leave a place
cuarto /ˈkwaɾto/ A1	noun - room; bedroom
luz /luθ/ or /lus/ A2	noun - light
daño /ˈdaɲo/ B1	noun - harm, damage, injury
mundo /ˈmundo/ A2	noun - world; planet; environment
oscuro /osˈkuɾo/ B1	adjective - dark, gloomy, obscure
flotar /floˈtaɾ/ B1	verb - to float, remain on the surface
hundirse /unˈdiɾse/ B2	verb - to sink; to go under water or fail completely
mentira /menˈtiɾa/ A2	noun - lie, falsehood
mafia /ˈmafja/ C1	noun - organized crime group; criminal network
atosigar /at̪osiˈɣaɾ/ C1	verb - to harass, overwhelm, or press someone excessively
coger /koˈxeɾ/ A2	verb - to take, grab, catch
policía /poliˈθia/ or /poliˈsia/ A1	noun - police; law enforcement officer or institution
encerrar /enθeˈraɾ/ or /enseˈraɾ/ B2	verb - to lock up, confine, imprison
suelto /ˈswelto/ B1	adjective - loose, free, released
barco /ˈbaɾko/ A1	noun - boat, ship
Venus /ˈbɛnus/ B2	noun - Venus, the second planet from the Sun

Key Grammar Structures

• Dices que siempre estás viajando

  ➔ present indicative + subordinate clause with "que"

  ➔ The verb "Dices" is in the present indicative and introduces a subordinate clause introduced by "que": "Dices **"que"** siempre estás viajando".

• pero me estás engañando

  ➔ present progressive (estar + gerund)

  ➔ The auxiliary "estás" plus the gerund "engañando" forms the present progressive: "me **estás engañando**".

• Yo sé que tú estás solo y que no sales de tu cuarto

  ➔ present indicative + double subordinate clauses with "que"

  ➔ The main verb "sé" is present indicative; it introduces two subordinate clauses marked by "que": "sé **que** tú estás solo **y que** no sales de tu cuarto".

• porque tu mundo es otro mucho más oscuro

  ➔ comparative with "más" + adjective

  ➔ "más" intensifies the adjective "oscuro": "mucho **más oscuro**" meaning "much darker".

• Déjalo ya, sabes que nunca has ido a Venus en un barco

  ➔ imperative with enclitic pronoun + present perfect with "nunca"

  ➔ "Déjalo" is an imperative formed by the verb "dejar" + enclitic "lo"; "nunca has ido" uses the present perfect with the negative adverb "nunca".

• Quieres flotar, pero lo único que haces es hundirte

  ➔ infinitive as object + correlative construction "lo único que"

  ➔ "flotar" is an infinitive used as the object of "Quieres"; the clause "lo único que haces" employs the correlating phrase "lo único que".

• Sabes que pasas por la vida sin salir de tu mentira

  ➔ present indicative + infinitive of purpose "sin + infinitive"

  ➔ "Sabes" is present indicative; the phrase "sin salir" uses the preposition "sin" followed by the infinitive "salir" to express purpose or condition.

• La mafia te atoriza y te coge la policía

  ➔ twist of pronoun placement (clitic before/after verb) + simple present

  ➔ In "te atoriza" the clitic "te" precedes the verb; in "te coge" the same clitic appears before the verb, showing the typical Spanish clitic placement in the present tense.