José y Manuel – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José, Manuel Alejandro

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the sophisticated Spanish of a musical conversation with “José y Manuel.” This unique duet is a masterclass in classic Latin American romantic expression, featuring the poignant vocabulary of enduring love and philosophical resignation. You can learn conversational Spanish and the dramatic, emotional language of the *balada* genre by following the dialogue between the singer José José and the renowned songwriter Manuel Alejandro.

[English]

José, you see,

that man is

the only animal

that keeps stumbling

in the same place,

a thousand times.

Manuel, you see,

knowing that love

is fragile, like crystal

it is snow that, in the end,

the sun will melt it one day.

We keep on, time and again

loving, loving, loving,

knowing that you'll end up

crying, crying, crying.

But they are so beautiful

and indeed they are so beautiful

like clear water

that would be a sin,

that would be a sin,

that would be a sin,

not to love them.

But they are so beautiful

and indeed they are so beautiful

like clear water

that would be a sin,

that would be a sin,

that would be a sin,

not to love them.

José, you see,

you still haven't learned

the timely lesson,

I think it would be a mistake

to give your heart

to an adventure.

Manuel, you see,

just yesterday I swore,

never to fall in love,

knowing that love,

is without reason,

a madness.

We keep on, over and over again

loving, loving, loving,

knowing that you'll end up

crying, crying, crying.

But they are so beautiful

and indeed they are so beautiful

like clear water

that would be a sin,

that would be a sin,

that would be a sin,

not to love them.

But they are so beautiful

and indeed they are so beautiful

like clear water

that would be a sin,

that would be a sin,

that would be a sin,

not to love them.

What would be a sin,

that would be a sin,

that would be a sin,

not to love them.

...

[Spanish]

José, ya ves,

que el hombre es

el único animal

que vuelve a tropezar

en el mismo lugar,

mil veces.

Manuel, ya ves,

sabiendo que el amor

es frágil es cristal

es nieve que al final,

el sol derretirá un día.

Seguimos una y otra vez

amando, amando, amando,

sabiendo que terminarás

llorando, llorando, llorando.

Pero son tan bellas

y es que son tan bellas

como agüita clara

que sería pecado,

que sería pecado,

que sería pecado,

no amarlas.

Pero son tan bellas

y es que son tan bellas

como agüita clara

que sería pecado,

que sería pecado,

que sería pecado,

no amarlas.

José, ya ves,

no acabas de aprender

la lección oportuna,

yo creo que sería un error

ponerte corazón

a una aventura.

Manuel, ya ves,

ayer mismo juré,

jamás enamorarme,

sabiendo que el amor,

es una sin razón,

una locura.

Seguimos una y otra vez

amando, amando, amando,

sabiendo que terminarás

llorando, llorando, llorando.

Pero son tan bellas

y es que son tan bellas

como agüita clara

que sería pecado,

que sería pecado,

que sería pecado,

no amarlas.

Pero son tan bellas

y es que son tan bellas

como agüita clara

que sería pecado,

que sería pecado,

que sería pecado,

no amarlas.

Que sería pecado,

que sería pecado,

que sería pecado,

no amarlas.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
tropezar tro.pe.ˈθar B1	verb - to trip or stumble
frágil ˈfra.xil A2	adjective - fragile
cristal kris.ˈtal A1	noun - crystal
nieve ˈnje.βe A1	noun - snow
derretirá dere.ti.ˈɾa B1	verb - will melt
amando a.ˈman.do A2	verb - loving
llorando λjo.ˈɾan.do A2	verb - crying
bellas ˈbe.ʎas A1	adjective - beautiful
agüita a.ˈɣwi.ta A2	noun - little water
pecado pe.ˈka.do A2	noun - sin
aprender a.pren.ˈder A2	verb - to learn
lección lek.ˈθjon A1	noun - lesson
aventura a.βen.ˈtu.ɾa A2	noun - adventure
juré xu.ˈre B1	verb - swore
enamorarme ena.mo.ˈɾar.me B1	verb - to fall in love with me
locura lo.ˈku.ɾa A2	noun - madness

Key Grammar Structures

• José, ya ves, que el hombre es el único animal que vuelve a tropezar en el mismo lugar, mil veces.

  ➔ Present tense of 'volver' (to return) used to express repeated actions.

  ➔ The verb 'vuelve' highlights the repetitive nature of the action, emphasizing that humans repeatedly make the same mistakes.

• Manuel, ya ves, sabiendo que el amor es frágil es cristal, es nieve que al final, el sol derretirá un día.

  ➔ Use of 'es' for comparison and 'que' to introduce a subordinate clause.

  ➔ The repeated 'es' compares love to fragile things like glass and snow, while 'que' introduces the idea that love will eventually end.

• Seguimos una y otra vez amando, amando, amando, sabiendo que terminarás llorando, llorando, llorando.

  ➔ Use of the present tense 'seguimos' and gerund '-ando' to emphasize continuous action.

  ➔ The repetition of 'amando' and 'llorando' with the gerund form emphasizes the ongoing nature of loving and crying.

• Pero son tan bellas y es que son tan bellas como agüita clara que sería pecado, que sería pecado, que sería pecado, no amarlas.

  ➔ Use of conditional 'sería' and repetition for emphasis.

  ➔ The repetition of 'que sería pecado' and the use of the conditional tense emphasize the idea that not loving them would be a sin.