Los Caminos de la Vida – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Vicentico
• Album: Los Rayos

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the emotional depth of "Los Caminos de la Vida" by Vicentico. This song offers a profound look at life's unpredictable journey and the enduring strength of family bonds. Learn about the blend of personal reflection and universal experiences that make this song a touching piece of Spanish-language music.

[English]

The paths of life

Are not what I thought

Are not what I believed

Are not what I imagined

The paths of life

Are very difficult to walk

Difficult to tread

And I can't find a way out

I thought life was different

When I was little I believed

That things were easy like yesterday

That my worried mother strived

To give me everything I needed

And today I realize that it's not that way

Because I see my mother tired

Of working for my brother and me

And now I really want to help her

And for her I fight to the end

For her I will fight until I die

And for her I don't want to die

Nor do I want my old lady to die

But I know that destiny is like that

...

The paths of life

Are not what I expected

Are not what I believed

Are not what I imagined

The paths of life

Are very difficult to walk

Difficult to tread

And I can't find a way out

I thought life was different

And when I was little I believed

That things were easy like yesterday

That my worried mother strived

To give me everything I needed

And today I realize that it's not that way

Because I see my mother tired

Of working for my brother and me

And now I really want to help her

And for her I fight to the end

For her I will fight until I die

And for her I don't want to die

Nor do I want my old lady to die

But I know that destiny is like that

...

The paths of life

Are not what I expected

Are not what I believed

Are not what I imagined

The paths of life

Are very difficult to walk

Difficult to tread

And I can't find a way out

The paths of life

Are not what I expected

Are not what I believed

Are not what I imagined

The paths of life

Are very difficult to walk

Difficult to tread

And I can't find a way out

...

[Spanish]

Los caminos de la vida

No son lo que yo pensaba

No son lo que yo creía

No son lo que imaginaba

Los caminos de la vida

Son muy difícil de andarlos

Difícil de caminarlos

Y no encuentro la salida

Yo pensaba que la vida era distinta

Cuando era chiquitito yo creía

Que las cosas eran fácil como ayer

Que mi madre preocupada se esmeraba

Por darme todo lo que necesitaba

Y hoy me doy cuenta que tanto así no es

Porque a mi madre la veo cansada

De trabajar por mi hermano y por mí

Y ahora con ganas quisiera ayudarla

Y por ella la peleo hasta el fin

Por ella lucharé hasta que me muera

Y por ella no me quiero morir

Tampoco que se me muera mi vieja

Pero yo sé que el destino es así

Los caminos de la vida

No son lo que yo esperaba

No son lo que yo creía

No son lo que imaginaba

Los caminos de la vida

Son muy difícil de andarlos

Difícil de caminarlos

Y no encuentro la salida

Yo pensaba que la vida era distinta

Y cuando era chiquitito yo creía

Que las cosas eran fácil como ayer

Que mi madre preocupada se esmeraba

Por darme todo lo que necesitaba

Y hoy me doy cuenta que tanto así no es

Porque a mi madre la veo cansada

De trabajar por mi hermano y por mí

Y ahora con ganas quisiera ayudarla

Y por ella la peleo hasta el fin

Por ella lucharé hasta que me muera

Y por ella no me quiero morir

Tampoco que se me muera mi vieja

Pero yo sé que el destino es así

Los caminos de la vida

No son lo que yo esperaba

No son lo que yo creía

No son lo que imaginaba

Los caminos de la vida

Son muy difícil de andarlos

Difícil de caminarlos

Y no encuentro la salida

Los caminos de la vida

No son lo que yo esperaba

No son lo que yo creía

No son lo que imaginaba

Los caminos de la vida

Son muy difícil de andarlos

Difícil de caminarlos

Y no encuentro la salida

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
caminos /kaˈmi.nos/ A2	noun - paths, roads, ways
vida /ˈbi.ða/ A1	noun - life
pensaba /penˈsa.βa/ A2	verb - thought, used to think
creía /kɾeˈi.a/ A2	verb - believed, used to believe
imaginaba /ima.xiˈna.βa/ B1	verb - imagined, used to imagine
difícil /diˈfi.θil/ A2	adjective - difficult, hard
andarlos /anˈdaɾ.los/ B2	verb - to walk them, to go through them
caminarlos /ka.miˈnaɾ.los/ B2	verb - to walk them
salida /saˈli.ða/ A2	noun - exit, way out
distinta /disˈtin.ta/ A2	adjective - different
chiquitito /t͡ʃi.kiˈti.to/ A1	adjective - very small, little
fácil /ˈfa.θil/ A1	adjective - easy
madre /ˈma.ðɾe/ A1	noun - mother
preocupada /pɾe.o.kuˈpa.ða/ B1	adjective - worried
cansada /kanˈsa.ða/ A2	adjective - tired
hermano /eɾˈma.no/ A1	noun - brother
ganas /ˈga.nas/ B1	noun - desire, eagerness
destino /desˈti.no/ B1	noun - destiny, fate
vieja /ˈbje.xa/ A2	noun - old woman, mother (affectionate) adjective - old

Key Grammar Structures

• Los caminos de la vida No son lo que yo pensaba

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood in Noun Clauses (Indirect Statements)

  ➔ The phrase "No son lo que yo "pensaba"" uses the imperfect subjunctive because it expresses a past belief or thought that is different from the reality. "Pensaba" triggers the subjunctive in the subordinate clause.

• Son muy difícil de andarlos, Difícil de caminarlos

  ➔ Infinitive as Noun + Preposition + Pronoun

  ➔ Here, "andarlos" and "caminarlos" are infinitives acting as nouns, modified by the adjective "difícil" and attached pronoun object. "De + infinitive" expresses the difficulty or manner to do something.

• Y ahora con ganas quisiera ayudarla

  ➔ Conditional Tense - "Quisiera"

  ➔ "Quisiera" is the conditional form of "querer" (to want), expressing a polite desire or a hypothetical situation. It indicates what the speaker would like to do.

• Y por ella la peleo hasta el fin

  ➔ Pronoun + Verb + Adverbial Phrase of Time

  ➔ This sentence uses the pronoun "ella" (her), the verb "peleo" (I fight), and the adverbial phrase "hasta el fin" (until the end) to express a strong commitment or determination to fight for someone.

• Por ella lucharé hasta que me muera

  ➔ Future Subjunctive in Adverbial Clauses of Time introduced by 'hasta que'

  ➔ The use of the subjunctive "muera" (die) after "hasta que" is grammatically correct, although it's common to find the present subjunctive used. "Hasta que" introduces a time clause expressing duration up to a certain point in the future. It expresses something that continues until something else happens.