Cuando Nadie Me Ve – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Alejandro Sanz

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a journey into its soul, and 'Cuando Nadie Me Ve' by Alejandro Sanz is a perfect gateway to the heart of Spanish emotion. This song is special because its beautiful, poetic lyrics about vulnerability and identity can help you learn to express complex feelings in Spanish. The clear, emotive vocals of Sanz make it easier to follow along and appreciate the nuances of the language, all while being carried away by its powerful melody.

[English]

Sometimes I soar, I do a thousand flips

Sometimes I shut myself in, behind open doors

Sometimes I tell you why this silence exists

And it's that sometimes I'm yours and sometimes I belong to the wind

Sometimes by a thread, and sometimes by a hundred

And there are times, my love, I swear I think

Why it's so hard to feel the way I feel

For feeling the way I feel to be difficult

Sometimes I look at you and sometimes you let me

You lend me your wings, you check your traces

Sometimes for everything, even though you never fail me

Sometimes I'm yours and sometimes I belong to no one

There are times, I truly swear to you, that I feel

Not giving you my whole life, giving you only those moments

Why is it so difficult? Living is just that

To live, it's just that, why is it so difficult?

When no one sees me

I can be or not be

When no one sees me

I turn the world upside down

When no one sees me

My skin doesn't limit me

When no one sees me

I can be or not be

When no one sees me

Sometimes I soar, I do a thousand flips

Sometimes I shut myself in behind open doors

Sometimes I tell you why this silence exists

And it's that sometimes I'm yours and sometimes

I belong to the wind

I write to you from the core of my own existence

Where desires are born, the infinite essence

There are things very much yours that I don't understand

And there are things so much mine, but I just don't see them

I guess I think that I don't have them

I understand, my love, the verses light up

That in the dark I can be with you, I'm sorry I don't get it right

Don't turn on the lights, for I have bare

My soul and body

When no one sees me

I can be or not be

When no one sees me

I resemble your skin

When no one sees me

I think of her too

When no one sees me

I can be or not be

When no one sees me

I can be or not be

When no one sees me

My skin doesn't limit me

When no one sees me

I can be or not be

When no one sees me

My skin doesn't limit me

I can be, I can be or not be

When no one sees me

Sometimes I soar, I do a thousand flips

I enclose you in my eyes, behind open doors

Sometimes I tell you why this silence exists

It's that sometimes I'm yours

And sometimes I belong to the wind

Sometimes I belong to the wind

And sometimes I belong to time

...

[Spanish]

A veces me elevo, doy mil volteretas

A veces me encierro, tras puertas abiertas

A veces te cuento, por qué este silencio

Y es que a veces soy tuyo y a veces del viento

A veces de un hilo y a veces de un ciento

Y hay veces, mi vida, te juro que pienso

Por qué es tan difícil sentir como siento

Sentir como siento que sea difícil

A veces te miro y a veces te dejas

Me prestas tus alas, revisas tus huellas

A veces por todo, aunque nunca me falles

A veces soy tuyo y a veces de nadie

Hay veces te juro, de veras, que siento

No darte la vida entera, darte solo esos momentos

¿Por qué es tan difícil?, vivir solo es eso

Vivir, solo es eso, ¿por qué es tan difícil?

Cuando nadie me ve

Puedo ser o no ser

Cuando nadie me ve

Pongo el mundo al revés

Cuando nadie me ve

No me limita la piel

Cuando nadie me ve

Puedo ser o no ser

Cuando nadie me ve

A veces me elevo, doy mil volteretas

A veces me encierro tras puertas abiertas

A veces te cuento por qué este silencio

Y es que a veces soy tuyo y a veces

Del viento

Te escribo desde los centros de mi propia existencia

Donde nacen las ansias, la infinita esencia

Hay cosas muy tuyas que yo no comprendo

Y hay cosas tan mías, pero es que yo no las veo

Supongo que pienso que yo no las tengo

Lo entiendo mi vida, se encienden los versos

Que a oscuras te puedo, lo siento no acierto

No enciendas las luces que tengo desnudos

El alma y el cuerpo

Cuando nadie me ve

Puedo ser o no ser

Cuando nadie me ve

Me parezco a tu piel

Cuando nadie me ve

Yo pienso en ella también

Cuando nadie me ve

Puedo ser o no ser

Cuando nadie me ve

Puedo ser o no ser

Cuando nadie me ve

No me limita la piel

Cuando nadie me ve

Puedo ser o no ser

Cuando nadie me ve

No me limita la piel

Puedo ser, puedo ser o no ser

Cuando nadie me ve

A veces me elevo, doy mil volteretas

Te encierro en mis ojos, tras puertas abiertas

A veces te cuento por qué este silencio

Es que a veces soy tuyo

Y a veces del viento

A veces del viento

Y a veces del tiempo

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ver /beɾ/ A1	verb - to see; to look at; to watch
ser /seɾ/ A1	verb - to be (essential quality or identity)
silencio /siˈlenθjo/ A2	noun - silence; quietness
difícil /diˈfiθil/ A1	adjective - difficult; hard; challenging
sentir /senˈtiɾ/ A2	verb - to feel; to sense; to perceive verb - to regret; to be sorry
vida /ˈbiða/ A1	noun - life; existence
mundo /ˈmundo/ A1	noun - world; Earth
piel /pjel/ B1	noun - skin; hide (animal)
alma /ˈalma/ B1	noun - soul; spirit; essence
cuerpo /ˈkweɾpo/ A2	noun - body; physical being
existencia /eksisˈtenθja/ B2	noun - existence; being; life
ansia /ˈansja/ B2	noun - longing; yearning; craving noun - anxiety; anguish
comprender /kompɾenˈdeɾ/ A2	verb - to understand; to comprehend; to grasp verb - to include; to comprise
oscuro /osˈkuɾo/ A2	adjective - dark; gloomy; dim adjective - obscure; hidden; unclear
elevar /eleˈβaɾ/ B1	verb - to raise; to lift; to elevate verb - to increase; to enhance
encerrar /enθeˈraɾ/ B1	verb - to lock up; to shut in; to confine verb - to contain; to enclose; to comprise
abierto /aˈβjeɾto/ A2	adjective - open; uncovered adjective - frank; sincere; outspoken
viento /ˈbjento/ A2	noun - wind; air current
luz /luθ/ A2	noun - light; illumination
tiempo /ˈtjempʊ/ A1	noun - time; duration noun - weather

Key Grammar Structures

• A veces me elevo, doy mil volteretas

  ➔ Reflexive Verbs & Simple Present

  ➔ The verb "me elevo" is a reflexive verb (elevarse - to rise/lift oneself). The pronoun "me" indicates the action is performed by the subject upon itself. "doy" is the simple present tense of the verb "dar" (to give), often used in idiomatic expressions like 'dar volteretas' (to do somersaults).

• Y es que a veces soy tuyo y a veces del viento

  ➔ Emphatic 'Es que' & Possessive Adjectives/Pronouns

  ➔ "Es que" is a common Spanish expression used to provide an explanation, justification, or add emphasis. Here, it emphasizes the reason for the previous statement. "tuyo" is a possessive adjective/pronoun meaning 'yours', and "del viento" (de + el viento) indicates belonging or origin, 'of the wind'.

• Por qué es tan difícil sentir como siento

  ➔ Interrogative 'Por qué', Infinitive after Adjective, 'Como' for comparison

  ➔ "Por qué" (two words) means 'why' and introduces a question. "sentir" is an infinitive verb used as the subject or complement of the adjective "difícil" (difficult). "como siento" uses "como" to mean 'as' or 'the way' I feel, indicating comparison.

• No darte la vida entera, darte solo esos momentos

  ➔ Infinitive with Attached Pronoun & Negation

  ➔ In Spanish, object pronouns (like "te" for 'to you') can be attached directly to the end of infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands. "No darte" is the negation of this structure, meaning 'not to give you'. The "no" precedes the entire infinitive phrase.

• Cuando nadie me ve, puedo ser o no ser

  ➔ Temporal Clause with 'Cuando', Indefinite Pronoun 'Nadie', Modal Verb 'Poder'

  ➔ "Cuando" introduces a temporal clause, meaning 'when'. "nadie" is an indefinite pronoun meaning 'nobody' or 'no one'. When "nadie" comes before the verb, no additional negation (like 'no') is needed. "puedo ser o no ser" uses the modal verb "poder" (to be able to/can) followed by infinitives, indicating possibility or choice, 'to be or not to be'.

• No me limita la piel

  ➔ Negation, Direct Object Pronoun & Subject-Verb Inversion

  ➔ "No" indicates negation. "me" is a direct object pronoun meaning 'me'. The word order is common in Spanish where the direct object pronoun (me) comes before the conjugated verb ("limita"), and the actual subject ("la piel") comes after the verb. This is known as subject-verb inversion for emphasis or natural flow.

• Te escribo desde los centros de mi propia existencia

  ➔ Indirect Object Pronoun, Preposition 'Desde', Possessive Adjective

  ➔ "Te" is an indirect object pronoun meaning 'to you' or 'for you'. It precedes the conjugated verb "escribo" (I write). "Desde" is a preposition meaning 'from' or 'since', indicating origin. "mi propia" combines the possessive adjective "mi" (my) with "propia" (own) for emphasis, meaning 'my very own'.

• Me parezco a tu piel

  ➔ Reflexive Verb 'Parecerse a' & Possessive Adjective

  ➔ "Parecerse a" is a reflexive verb phrase meaning 'to look like' or 'to resemble'. The reflexive pronoun "me" matches the subject "yo" (implied). The preposition "a" is necessary after "parecerse" when followed by a noun or pronoun indicating what one resembles. "tu piel" uses the possessive adjective "tu" (your).

• No enciendas las luces que tengo desnudos el alma y el cuerpo

  ➔ Negative Imperative, Relative Pronoun 'Que', 'Tener' with Adjective

  ➔ "No enciendas" is a negative command in the tú (informal 'you') form of the verb "encender" (to turn on/light). "que" is a relative pronoun linking the clause to "las luces". "tengo desnudos el alma y el cuerpo" is an idiomatic construction where "tener" (to have) is followed by an adjective (desnudos) and then the nouns it describes, meaning 'I have my soul and body bare/exposed'.