La Tortura – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Shakira, Alejandro Sanz
• Album: Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran

Lyrics & Translation

Discover "La Tortura," a captivating Spanish-language song by Shakira and Alejandro Sanz that blends pop, reggaeton, and other Latin rhythms. Through its poignant lyrics about love, betrayal, and forgiveness, you can immerse yourself in the nuances of the Spanish language and explore themes of resilience and emotional recovery.

[English]

Oh, my darling, keep the poetry, keep the joy for yourself

...

I don't ask for every day to be sunny

I don't ask for every Friday to be a party

Nor do I ask you to come back begging for forgiveness

If you cry with dry eyes, and talking about her

Oh, love, it hurts me so much

It hurts me so much

That you left without saying where

Oh, love, it was torture to lose you

I know I haven't been a saint, but I can fix it, love

Man does not live by bread alone, and I don't live on excuses

We only learn from mistakes, and today I know my heart is yours

You better save all that for another dog with that bone, and we say goodbye

I can't ask winter to forgive a rose bush

I can't ask the elms to give pears

I can't ask for eternity from a simple mortal

And go throwing thousands of pearls to the pigs

Oh, love, it hurts me so much

It hurts me so much

That you no longer believe in my promises

Oh, love

It's torture

To lose you

I know I haven't been a saint, but I can fix it, love

Man does not live by bread alone, and I don't live on excuses

We only learn from mistakes, and today I know my heart is yours

You better save all that for another dog with that bone, and we say goodbye

Don't back down, don't back down

Hey, my girl, look, don't give up

From Monday to Friday you have my love

Leave me Saturday, it's better

Hey, my love, don't punish me anymore

Because out there without you I have no peace

I am just a repentant man

I am like the bird that returns to its nest

I know I haven't been a saint, and I'm not made of cardboard

Man does not live by bread alone, and I don't live on excuses

We only learn from mistakes, and today I know my heart is yours

Oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh

Oh, everything I've done for you

It was torture to lose you

It hurts me so much that it's like this

Keep crying for forgiveness

I, I won't cry for you today

...

[Spanish]

Ay, payita mía, guárdate la poesía, guárdate la alegría pa' ti

No pido que todos los días sean de sol

No pido que todos los viernes sean de fiesta

Tampoco te pido que vuelvas rogando perdón

Si lloras con los ojos secos, y hablando de ella

Ay, amor, me duele tanto

Me duele tanto

Que te fueras sin decir a donde

Ay, amor, fue una tortura perderte

Yo sé que no he sido un santo, pero lo puedo arreglar, amor

No solo de pan vive el hombre, y no de excusas vivo yo

Solo de errores se aprende, y hoy sé que es tuyo mi corazón

Mejor te guardas todo eso a otro perro con ese hueso, y nos decimos adiós

No puedo pedir que el invierno perdone a un rosal

No puedo pedir a los olmos que entreguen peras

No puedo pedirle lo eterno a un simple mortal

Y andar arrojando a los cerdos miles de perlas

Ay, amor, me duele tanto

Me duele tanto

Que no creas más en mis promesas

Ay, amor

Es una tortura

Perderte

Yo sé que no he sido un santo, pero lo puedo arreglar, amor

No solo de pan vive el hombre, y no de excusas vivo yo

Solo de errores se aprende, y hoy sé que es tuyo mi corazón

Mejor te guardas todo eso a otro perro con ese hueso, y nos decimos adiós

No te bajes, no te bajes

Oye, negrita, mira, no te rajes

De lunes a viernes tienes mi amor

Déjame el sábado a mí que es mejor

Oye, mi negra, no me castigues más

Porque allá afuera sin ti no tengo paz

Yo solo soy un hombre arrepentido

Soy como el ave que vuelve a su nido

Yo sé que no he sido un santo, y es que no estoy hecho de cartón

No solo de pan vive el hombre, y no de excusas vivo yo

Solo de errores se aprende, y hoy sé que es tuyo mi corazón

Ay, ay

Ay, ay, ay

Ay, todo lo que he hecho por ti

Fue una tortura perderte

Me duele tanto que sea así

Sigue llorando perdón

Yo, yo no voy a llorar hoy por ti

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
tortura /torˈtuɾa/ B2	noun - torture
amor /aˈmoɾ/ A1	noun - love
corazón /koɾaˈθon/ A2	noun - heart
perder /peɾˈðeɾ/ B1	verb - to lose
llorar /ʝoˈɾaɾ/ A2	verb - to cry
perdón /peɾˈðon/ B1	noun - forgiveness
errores /eˈroɾes/ B2	noun - mistakes
invierno /inˈbjeɾno/ B1	noun - winter
fiesta /ˈfjesta/ A2	noun - party
santo /ˈsanto/ B1	noun - saint
hueso /ˈwe.so/ B2	noun - bone
paz /pas/ A2	noun - peace
errores /eˈroɾes/ B2	noun - mistakes
mortal /moɾˈtal/ B2	adjective - mortal
arreglar /a.reˈɣlaɾ/ B1	verb - to fix

Key Grammar Structures

• Ay, payita mía, guárdate la poesía, guárdate la alegría pa' ti

  ➔ Imperative mood with reflexive pronouns

  ➔ The verb "guárdate" (keep for yourself) is in the imperative mood. The reflexive pronoun "te" is attached to the verb, indicating that the action is done to the subject itself. It means "keep the poetry for yourself".

• No pido que todos los días sean de sol

  ➔ Subjunctive mood after expressions of wishing/requesting

  ➔ The phrase "No pido que" (I don't ask that) triggers the subjunctive mood in the dependent clause. "Sean" (be) is the subjunctive form of "ser".

• Si lloras con los ojos secos, y hablando de ella

  ➔ Present participle (gerund) expressing simultaneous action

  ➔ "Hablando" (speaking) is a present participle/gerund, showing an action happening at the same time as the main verb "lloras" (you cry). It means "while speaking about her".

• Que te fueras sin decir a donde

  ➔ Subjunctive in noun clause after expressing emotion/feeling

  ➔ The phrase "Me duele tanto que" (It hurts me so much that) expresses emotion. Because of this, the verb "fueras" (you went) is in the subjunctive mood.

• Yo sé que no he sido un santo, pero lo puedo arreglar, amor

  ➔ Use of "pero" to contrast two statements.

  ➔ "Pero" (but) is a conjunction used to introduce a contrasting statement. Here, it contrasts the speaker's admission of not being a saint with his belief that he can fix things.

• Mejor te guardas todo eso a otro perro con ese hueso, y nos decimos adiós

  ➔ Use of "Mejor" + Conditional sentence implying advice/suggestion

  ➔ "Mejor" (better) implies a piece of advice. The entire sentence gives advice implying that it would be better to offer these words/promises to someone else.

• No puedo pedir que el invierno perdone a un rosal

  ➔ Subjunctive mood after expressions of impossibility/denial

  ➔ The phrase "No puedo pedir que" (I cannot ask that) triggers the subjunctive mood in the dependent clause. "Perdone" (forgive) is the subjunctive form of "perdonar".

• Oye, negrita, mira, no te rajes

  ➔ Informal command with reflexive pronoun; Use of the Subjunctive (albeit avoided in informal settings)

  ➔ "No te rajes" is a command. In standard formal spanish it would be "No se raje (usted)" using the formal pronoun and subjunctive, but in an informal setting it changes. The "te" indicates it is being said to someone addressed informally. "Rajarse" is reflexive, meaning literally to crack oneself, idiomatically, to back down or quit.