Cuando La Vida Sea Trago – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Carin León

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the soulful rhythms of Carin León to master authentic Mexican Spanish expressions. This song is a perfect gateway to learning emotional storytelling and idiomatic metaphors used in Regional Mexican music, making it a special tool for anyone looking to understand the heart and soul of the language.

[English]

I'm the one who gave my mama gray hairs

The one who always dreamed of having her

And from a young age, I always had that ambition

Here I go, the mother-in-laws' headache

I'm the black sheep of the family

As a kid, I always caused trouble and worry

I was rude, but I was well-mannered

I only went to school for the pretty girl in class

There was one who let me down, ever since then I’ve been a scoundrel

Only because mama taught me how to say I'm sorry

And may the one I offended forgive me

For turning out to be a womanizer

Since I was a kid, I liked to raise hell

That’s who I am, I don't deny it

And whoever has the right to judge me

I'll see them later in the cemetery

In the meantime

When life is a drink

I take it seriously

I didn't come here to be a role model, I am who I am

Mama wanted a good man and she got a bad boy

Don't try to change me, I’m fine the way I am

It hurts you because I don't cater to your tastes

One hasn't arrived yet who can straighten me out

One leaves and thirteen write to me

Behaving myself is not in my interests

I hit it and quit it, you'll thank me later

I'm really crazy, and you're right about that

I can love many, I have a big heart

I appreciate the intention, but I’m past fixing

And only because mama taught me how to say I'm sorry

And may the one I offended forgive me

For turning out to be a womanizer

Since I was a kid, I liked to raise hell

That’s who I am, I don't deny it

And whoever has the right to judge me

I'll see them later in the cemetery

In the meantime

When life is a drink

I take it seriously

...

[Spanish]

Soy el que le sacó canas a mami

El que siempre soñó con tenerla

Y desde una edad temprana siempre tuve esa ambición

Dos voy, el dolor de cabeza de las suegras

De la familia soy la oveja negra

De chamaco siempre di problemas y preocupación

Fui un grosero, pero tuve educación

A la escuela solo iba por la linda del salón

Hubo una que me falló, desde ahí soy un cabrón

Solamente porque mami me enseñó a pedir perdón

Y que me disculpe la que ofendí

Por salir mujeriego

Desde morro me gustó el desmadre

Así soy, no lo niego

Y el que tiene derecho a juzgarme

Lo veo después en el cementerio

Mientras tanto

Cuando la vida sea trago

Me la tomo en serio

No vine a ser ejemplo a seguir, yo soy como soy

Mami quería un buen hombre y le salió un bad boy

No me quieran cambiar, yo estoy bien como estoy

Les duele porque gusto no les doy

No ha llegado una que me enderece

Una se va y me escriben 13

Portarme bien no está en mis intereses

Pico y me voy, después me lo agradeces

Soy bien loco, y en eso tienen razón

Puedo querer a muchas, tengo grande el corazón

Agradezco la intención, pero no tengo solución

Y solamente porque mami me enseñó a pedir perdón

Y que me disculpe la que ofendí

Por salir mujeriego

Desde morro me gustó el desmadre

Así soy, no lo niego

Y el que tiene derecho a juzgarme

Lo veo después en el cementerio

Mientras tanto

Cuando la vida sea trago

Me la tomo en serio

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
canas kanas B2	noun - gray hairs
ambición ambisiyon B2	noun - ambition
suegras sweɣɾas A2	noun - mothers-in-law
chamaco tʃamako C1	noun - kid/child (colloquial)
grosero ɡɾoseɾo B1	adjective - rude/vulgar
cabrón kaβɾon C2	noun - bastard/tough guy (slang)
ofendí ofendi B1	verb - I offended
mujeriego muxeɾjeɣo C1	noun/adjective - womanizer
morro moɾo C2	noun - young kid/boy
desmadre desmaðɾe C2	noun - chaos/partying
juzgarme xusɡaɾme B2	verb - to judge me
cementerio sementeɾjo A2	noun - cemetery/graveyard
trago tɾaɣo B1	noun - drink/gulp
enderece endeɾese B2	verb - to straighten
agradeces aɣɾaðeses A2	verb - you thank

Key Grammar Structures

• Soy el que le sacó canas a mami

  ➔ Relative clause with 'el que' (the one who)

  ➔ 'El que' acts as a subject pronoun combining the article and relative pronoun, meaning 'the one who'.

• Hubo una que me falló, desde ahí soy un cabrón

  ➔ Preterite tense vs. Present indicative

  ➔ 'Falló' is in the Preterite (completed past action), while 'soy' is in the Present (current state).

• Solamente porque mami me enseñó a pedir perdón

  ➔ Direct object pronoun placement

  ➔ 'Me' is an indirect object pronoun placed before the conjugated verb 'enseñó'.

• Cuando la vida sea trago

  ➔ Subjunctive mood after 'cuando' (future sense)

  ➔ Use of the subjunctive 'sea' because the event is hypothetical or in the future.

• Mami quería un buen hombre y le salió un bad boy

  ➔ Imperfect tense for description

  ➔ 'Quería' is in the Imperfect to describe a past state or desire.

• No me quieran cambiar

  ➔ Negative imperative (formal/plural)

  ➔ The negative command 'no quieran' uses the subjunctive form for negation.

• Les duele porque gusto no les doy

  ➔ Indirect object pronoun 'les'

  ➔ 'Les' refers to the people being hurt or annoyed, functioning as an indirect object.

• No ha llegado una que me enderece

  ➔ Present perfect tense

  ➔ 'Ha llegado' uses 'haber' + past participle to describe an action that has not occurred yet.