Libre – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Nino Bravo

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the heart of Spanish music with Nino Bravo's iconic song "Libre." This powerful ballad, with its soaring vocals and evocative lyrics, offers a unique window into the Spanish language and its capacity to express profound human emotions like the yearning for freedom and the pain of oppression. Through its compelling narrative and historical resonance, you can explore rich vocabulary related to liberty, struggle, and dreams, making it a special piece for language learners and music enthusiasts alike.

[English]

He's almost 20 years old

And he's already

Tired of dreaming

But beyond the border lies his home

His world and his city

He thinks the barbed wire is just

A piece of metal

Something that can never stop

His desire to fly

Free!

Like the sun when it dawns, I am free

Like the sea

Free!

Like the bird that escaped from its prison

And can finally fly

Free!

Like the wind that carries my lament and my sorrow

I walk without ceasing

Behind the truth

And I'll know what freedom is at last

...

With his love as a flag he left

Singing a song

He was walking so happy

That he didn't hear

The voice that called him

And he remained lying on the ground

Smiling and without speaking

On his chest, crimson flowers

Were sprouting without ceasing

Free!

Like the sun when it dawns, I am free

Like the sea

Free!

Like the bird that escaped from its prison

And can finally fly

Free!

Like the wind that carries my lament and my sorrow

I walk without ceasing

Behind the truth

And I'll know what freedom is at last

Free!

Like the sun when it dawns, I am free

Like the sea

Free!

Like the bird that escaped from its prison

And can finally fly

Free!

Like the wind that carries my lament and my sorrow

I walk without ceasing

Behind the truth

And I'll know what freedom is at last

...

[Spanish]

Tiene casi 20 años

Y ya está

Cansado de soñar

Pero tras la frontera está su hogar

Su mundo y su ciudad

Piensa que la alambrada solo es

Un trozo de metal

Algo que nunca puede detener

Sus ansias de volar

¡Libre!

Como el sol cuando amanece, yo soy libre

Como el mar

¡Libre!

Como el ave que escapó de su prisión

Y puede al fin volar

¡Libre!

Como el viento que recoge mi lamento y mi pesar

Camino sin cesar

Detrás de la verdad

Y sabré lo que es al fin la libertad

Con su amor por bandera se marchó

Cantando una canción

Marchaba tan feliz

Que no escuchó

La voz que le llamó

Y tendido en el suelo se quedó

Sonriendo y sin hablar

Sobre su pecho, flores carmesí

Brotaban sin cesar

¡Libre!

Como el sol cuando amanece, yo soy libre

Como el mar

¡Libre!

Como el ave que escapó de su prisión

Y puede al fin volar

¡Libre!

Como el viento que recoge mi lamento y mi pesar

Camino sin cesar

Detrás de la verdad

Y sabré lo que es al fin la libertad

¡Libre!

Como el sol cuando amanece, yo soy libre

Como el mar

¡Libre!

Como el ave que escapó de su prisión

Y puede al fin volar

¡Libre!

Como el viento que recoge mi lamento y mi pesar

Camino sin cesar

Detrás de la verdad

Y sabré lo que es al fin la libertad

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
soñar /soˈɲaɾ/ A2	verb - to dream
hogar /oˈɣaɾ/ A2	noun - home
mundo /ˈmun.do/ A1	noun - world
ciudad /θjuˈdad/ A1	noun - city
metal /meˈtal/ A1	noun - metal
detener /de.teˈneɾ/ B1	verb - to stop, to detain
ansias /ˈan.sjas/ B2	noun - yearning, longing
volar /boˈlaɾ/ A2	verb - to fly
libre /ˈli.βɾe/ A2	adjective - free
sol /sol/ A1	noun - sun
mar /maɾ/ A1	noun - sea
ave /ˈa.βe/ A2	noun - bird
prisión /pɾiˈsjon/ B1	noun - prison
viento /ˈbjen.to/ A1	noun - wind
lamento /laˈmen.to/ B2	noun - lament, wail
pesar /peˈsaɾ/ B2	noun - sorrow, regret
verdad /beɾˈdad/ A2	noun - truth
libertad /li.βeɾˈtad/ B1	noun - freedom
amor /aˈmoɾ/ A1	noun - love
canción /kanˈθjon/ A1	noun - song
suelo /ˈswe.lo/ A1	noun - ground, floor
flores /ˈflo.ɾes/ A1	noun - flowers

Key Grammar Structures

• Tiene casi 20 años

  ➔ Present tense to express current state.

  ➔ The phrase "tiene" indicates possession or state in the present.

• Cansado de soñar

  ➔ Past participle used as an adjective.

  ➔ The word "cansado" describes a state resulting from dreaming.

• Piensa que la alambrada solo es un trozo de metal

  ➔ Subjunctive mood to express doubt or belief.

  ➔ The phrase "piensa que" introduces a belief about the fence.

• Sus ansias de volar

  ➔ Possessive adjectives to indicate ownership.

  ➔ The word "sus" indicates that the desires belong to someone.

• Como el sol cuando amanece

  ➔ Simile to compare two different things.

  ➔ The phrase "como el sol" compares the speaker's freedom to the sun.

• Camino sin cesar

  ➔ Present continuous to indicate ongoing action.

  ➔ The phrase "camino" indicates that the speaker is continuously walking.

• Y sabré lo que es al fin la libertad

  ➔ Future tense to express a future action.

  ➔ The word "sabré" indicates that the speaker will know about freedom in the future.