Cuando un Amor Se Muere – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the dramatic language of Latin *Balada Romántica* with this timeless track by the 'Prince of Song,' José José. You will learn evocative vocabulary and powerful emotional expressions in Spanish, as the song masterfully explores the heartbreak of a love that simply withers away like a flower, making it a perfect piece for understanding nuanced romantic Spanish.

[English]

Just like a flower withers away

Because its fragrance has faded

Our love slowly fell apart

Losing its sweet, salty scent

I don’t know why love dies

But ours died before its time

And though there are still caresses and kisses

I don’t know what to do with them

When a love dies, life goes on

With a bitter taste of goodbye

And we keep walking, eyes on the ground

Because we no longer know how to look up at the sky

When a love dies, life goes on

With a bitter taste of goodbye

And we keep walking, eyes on the ground

Because we no longer know how to look up at the sky

Our love died little by little

Like a patient with an incurable illness

Sometimes defeated by the cause

And sometimes feeling guilty

What’s the point of stirring up ashes?

And searching for reasons why

When a love dies, it burns even more

And explanations are useless

When a love dies, life goes on

With a bitter taste of goodbye

And we keep walking, eyes on the ground

Because we no longer know how to look up at the sky

When a love dies, life goes on

With a bitter taste of goodbye

And we keep walking, eyes on the ground

Because we no longer know how to look up at the sky

...

[Spanish]

Al igual que una flor se marchita

Porque ya no le queda fragancia

Nuestro amor se nos fue deshojando

Arrancándole aroma salada

El amor yo no sé por qué muere

Pero el nuestro murió antes de tiempo

Y aunque quedan caricias y besos

Y no sé ni lo qué hacer con ello

Cuando un amor se muere queda la vida

Con un sabor amargo de despedida

Y seguimos andando, mirando al suelo

Porque ya no sabemos mirar al cielo

Cuando un amor se muere queda la vida

Con un sabor amargo de despedida

Y seguimos andando, mirando al suelo

Porque ya no sabemos mirar al cielo

Nuestro amor se murió poco a poco

Como enfermo de un mal incurable

Derrotándose a veces la causa

Y sintiéndose a veces culpable

¿Para qué remover las cenizas?

Y buscar al por qué las razones

Cuando muere un amor más te quema

Y no sirven las explicaciones

Cuando un amor se muere queda la vida

Con un sabor amargo de despedida

Y seguimos andando, mirando al suelo

Porque ya no sabemos mirar al cielo

Cuando un amor se muere queda la vida

Con un sabor amargo de despedida

Y seguimos andando, mirando al suelo

Porque ya no sabemos mirar al cielo

Key Grammar Structures

• Al igual que una flor se marchita

  ➔ Comparative structure with 'al igual que'

  ➔ The phrase "al igual que" is used to compare the withering of a flower to the fading of love, highlighting similarity.

• Nuestro amor se nos fue deshojando

  ➔ Use of reflexive pronoun 'se' with 'deshojando'

  ➔ The reflexive pronoun 'se' indicates that the action of 'deshojando' (falling apart) is happening to the subject itself, emphasizing the passive nature of the process.

• El amor yo no sé por qué muere

  ➔ Inversion of subject and verb for emphasis

  ➔ The inversion of 'yo no sé' before 'por qué muere' places emphasis on the uncertainty and confusion surrounding the death of love.

• Cuando un amor se muere queda la vida

  ➔ Use of present tense in a conditional statement

  ➔ The present tense 'queda' is used to describe the result of the conditional statement 'Cuando un amor se muere', indicating a general truth or consequence.

• Porque ya no sabemos mirar al cielo

  ➔ Use of 'ya no' to express 'no longer'

  ➔ The phrase 'ya no' is used to indicate that the ability or habit of looking at the sky is lost, emphasizing the finality of the change.