Fairytale – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Alexander Rybak

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Alexander Rybak's enchanting 'Fairytale,' the song that brought a record-breaking victory to Norway at Eurovision 2009! Written entirely by Rybak and featuring a captivating violin melody inspired by Norwegian folk music, this English-language track is an excellent way to connect with themes of love, folklore, and vibrant musical storytelling. Learning this song will give you insight into modern European pop infused with rich cultural sounds.

[English]

Years ago, when I was young,

I had a crush on a girl I knew.

She was mine, my sweetheart true,

That was then, but it’s still true.

I’m in love with a fairytale,

Even though it hurts so much.

’Cause I don’t care if I lose my mind,

I’m already cursed.

Every day, we’d start to fight (tarara),

Every night, we’d fall in love (tarara, tara, tarara).

No one else could make me sadder (tarara),

But no one else could lift me higher above.

I don’t know what I was thinking,

When suddenly, we drifted apart.

Nowadays, I can’t find her,

But when I do, we’ll get a brand-new start.

I’m in love with a fairytale,

Even though it hurts so much.

’Cause I don’t care if I lose my mind,

I’m already cursed.

She’s a fairytale, yeah,

Even though it hurts so much.

’Cause I don’t care if I lose my mind,

I’m already cursed.

[Spanish]

Years ago, when I was younger

I kinda liked a girl I knew

She was mine and we were sweethearts

That was then, but then it's true

I'm in love with a fairytale

Even though it hurts

'Cause I don't care if I lose my mind

I'm already cursed

Every day, we started fighting (tarara)

Every night, we fell in love (tarara, tara, tarara)

No one else could make me sadder (tarara)

But no one else could lift me high above

I don't know what I was doing

When suddenly, we fell apart

Nowadays, I cannot find her

But when I do, we'll get a brand-new start

I'm in love with a fairytale

Even though it hurts

'Cause I don't care if I lose my mind

I'm already cursed

She's a fairytale, yeah

Even though it hurts

'Cause I don't care if I lose my mind

I'm already cursed

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Fairytale ˈfeəˌteɪl A1	noun - fairy tale
love lʌv A1	verb - to love
hurt hɜːrt A1	verb - to hurt
care kɛər A1	verb - to care
lose luːz A1	verb - to lose
mind maɪnd A1	noun - mind
cursed kɜːrst A2	adjective - cursed
fighting ˈfaɪtɪŋ A1	verb - to fight
sadder ˈsædər A1	adjective - sadder
lift lɪft A1	verb - to lift
high haɪ A1	adjective - high
suddenly ˈsʌdənli A1	adverb - suddenly
find faɪnd A1	verb - to find
start stɑːrt A1	verb - to start
sweethearts ˈswiːthɑːrts A2	noun - sweethearts

Key Grammar Structures

• Years ago, when I was younger

  ➔ Past Simple (was)

  ➔ The verb **"was"** shows a completed state in the past.

• I kinda liked a girl I knew

  ➔ Past Simple (liked, knew)

  ➔ Both **"liked"** and **"knew"** are regular past‑tense verbs describing past actions.

• I'm in love with a fairytale

  ➔ Present Simple (be) + prepositional phrase

  ➔ The contraction **"I'm"** (= I am) expresses a current state; **"with a fairytale"** is a prepositional phrase.

• Even though it hurts

  ➔ Concessive clause with "though"

  ➔ The phrase **"Even though"** introduces a contrast: despite the fact that **"it hurts"**.

• I don't care if I lose my mind

  ➔ Zero conditional (present + present)

  ➔ The clause **"if I lose my mind"** uses present simple after **"if"**, showing a general truth or attitude.

• Every day, we started fighting

  ➔ "start + -ing" (gerund) for beginning an action

  ➔ The verb **"started"** followed by the gerund **"fighting"** shows the initiation of an ongoing activity.

• No one else could make me sadder

  ➔ Modal verb "could" + base verb (ability/possibility)

  ➔ The modal **"could"** expresses potential ability: **"could make"** = was able to make.

• I don't know what I was doing

  ➔ Indirect question + past continuous

  ➔ The clause **"what I was doing"** is an embedded question using **"was doing"** (past continuous) to describe an ongoing past activity.

• But when I do, we'll get a brand‑new start

  ➔ Future simple with "will" after a time clause

  ➔ The **"when"** clause uses present simple (**"do"**) to refer to a future moment; the result clause uses **"will"** to express a future prediction (**"we'll get"**).