Coplas del querer – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Miguel Poveda
• Album: Coplas del querer

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful and enjoyable experience, and Miguel Poveda's 'Coplas del querer' offers a beautiful entry point into the world of Spanish popular song. Through its passionate lyrics and emotive melodies, you can learn about the deep-seated themes of love, loss, and longing that are central to the 'copla' tradition. The song's rich vocabulary and poetic expressions provide a unique way to understand the nuances of the Spanish language and its cultural heart.

[English]

Tell me you love me

Tell me, for God's sake

Even if you don't feel it, even if it's a lie

But tell me

Tell me softly

It will be easier for you to tell me like that

And your "I love you" will be for my sorrow

Like rain in May and April

Have mercy on my heart

Tell me you love me, oh, tell me

Tell me you love me

Tell me, for God's sake

...

I love you more than my life

I love you more than my eyes

Or more than the air I breathe

And more than my own mother

May my pulses stop

If I ever stop loving you

May the bells toll for me

If I ever fail you

And you are my life and my death

I swear to you, my love

I shouldn't love you, I shouldn't love you

And yet I love you

...

Bitter wine that brings no joy

Even if I get drunk, I can't forget her

Because I remember her

Give me, give me, give me bitter wine

To embitter, to embitter, to embitter

So I love her more

This sorrow of mine

Is stabbing me night and day

This sorrow of mine

If I am alone, it gives me company

If it sees I'm sad, it turns into joy

If it sees me lost, it guides me

I know it torments me and it is an agony

But I'm happy, but I'm happy with my sorrow

With my sorrow

...

[Spanish]

Dime que me quieres

Dímelo por Dios

Aunque no lo sientas, aunque sea mentira

Pero dímelo

Dímelo bajito

Se te hará más fácil decírmelo así

Y el "te quiero" tuyo será pa mi pena

Lo mismo que lluvia de mayo y abril

Ten misericordia de mi corazón

Dime que me quieres, ay, dime

Dime que me quieres

Dímelo por Dios

Te quiero más que a mi vida

Te quiero más que a mis ojos

O más que al aire que respiro

Y más que a la madre mía

Que se me paren los pulsos

Si te dejo de querer

Que las campanas me doblen

Si te falto alguna vez

Y eres mi vida y mi muerte

Te lo juro, compañera

No debía de quererte, yo no debía de quererte

Y sin embargo te quiero

Vino amargo que no da alegría

Aunque me emborrache no la puedo olvidar

Porque la recuerdo

Dame, dame, dame vino amargo

Que amargue, que amargue, que amargue

Pa quererla más

Esta pena mía

Me está apuñalando de noche y de día

Esta pena mía

Si me encuentro solo me da compañía

Si ve que estoy triste se vuelve alegría

Si ve que me pierdo me sirve de guía

Sé que me atormenta y es una agonía

Pero estoy contento, pero estoy contento con la pena mía

Con la pena mía

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
quieres /ˈkje.ɾes/ A2	verb - to want
mentira /menˈti.ɾa/ B1	noun - lie, falsehood
lluvia /ˈʎu.βja/ A2	noun - rain
penal /peˈnaɾa/ B2	noun - penalty, punishment
corazón /ko.ɾaˈson/ A2	noun - heart
pena /ˈpe.na/ A2	noun - pain, sorrow
misericordia /mi.se.ɾiˈkoɾ.ðja/ B2	noun - mercy, compassion
campos /ˈkam.pos/ A2	noun - fields, countryside
triste /ˈtris.te/ A2	adjective - sad
alegría /a.leˈɣɾi.a/ A2	noun - happiness
guía /ˈɡi.a/ B2	noun - guide, leading
contento /konˈtento/ A2	adjective - happy, content

Key Grammar Structures

• Dime que me quieres

  ➔ Imperative mood for requests or commands.

  ➔ The phrase "Dime" is the imperative form of "decir" (to say), used to ask someone to tell you something.

• Te quiero más que a mi vida

  ➔ Comparative structure to express preference.

  ➔ The phrase "más que" indicates a comparison, showing that the speaker loves the person more than their own life.

• Que se me paren los pulsos

  ➔ Subjunctive mood to express a wish or hypothetical situation.

  ➔ The phrase "se me paren" uses the subjunctive to express a strong wish that the speaker's heart stops if they stop loving.

• Si te dejo de querer

  ➔ Conditional clause to express a condition.

  ➔ The phrase "Si te dejo" introduces a condition, indicating what will happen if the speaker stops loving.

• Aunque no lo sientas, aunque sea mentira

  ➔ Concessive clauses to express contrast.

  ➔ The phrases "aunque no lo sientas" and "aunque sea mentira" introduce contrasting ideas, suggesting that the speaker wants to hear the words regardless of their truth.

• Esta pena mía

  ➔ Possessive adjectives to indicate ownership.

  ➔ The phrase "pena mía" uses the possessive adjective "mía" to indicate that the pain belongs to the speaker.