Madre Sólo Hay una – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José

Lyrics & Translation

Immerse yourself in the heartfelt Spanish of José José's "Madre Sólo Hay una." This iconic ballad offers a beautiful opportunity to learn Spanish by exploring expressions of deep familial love and seeking comfort, revealing how language can convey universal emotions with profound tenderness and cultural resonance. The song's simple yet powerful narrative makes it special and accessible for language learners.

[English]

Mom, hug me

With all your love

I shouldn't have grown up

I should have always been a child

Yesterday she left me

And I did nothing to her

Mom, why is it like this

If I never said anything to her

Mom, what am I going to do

She is ungrateful to me

I treat her very well, Mom

But she treats me very badly

Oh, Mom

What am I going to do with her

Oh, Mom

She weighs more than my star

Mom, hug me

And give me some good advice

Mom, you who are a woman

Tell me if I should leave her

When the heart gets tired

From giving so much

There's no sense or reason

To stay

Here in my heart

I feel the pain

What is that reason

That can't do any good

Now I understand

That there's none like you

There are many like her, Mom

And a mother, there's only one

[Spanish]

Mamá abrazeme

Con todo su cariño

Yo no debí crecer

Debí ser siempre un niño

Ayer se fué de mí

Y yo nada le hice

Mamá porqué es así

Si yo nada le dije

Mamá qué voy a hacer

Conmigo es una ingrata

Yo la trato muy bien, mamá

Y ella muy mal me trata

Ay mamá

Qué voy a hacer con ella

Ay mamá

Pesa más que mi estrella

Mamá abrazeme

Y deme un buen consejo

Mamá usted que es mujer

Digame si la dejo

Cuando se cansa el corazón

De tanto darse

Ya no hay sentido ni razón

Para quedarse

Aquí en mi corazón

Yo siento que me duele

Cual es esa razón

Que buen hacer no puede

Ahora comprendo yo

Que como usted ninguna

Como ella hay un montón, mamá

Y madre solo hay una

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
abrazeme a.βɾa.ˈse.me A2	verb - to hug
cariño ka.ˈri.ɲo A1	noun - affection, love
debí de.ˈbi B1	verb - should have
ingrata in.ˈɡɾa.ta B1	adjective - ungrateful
consejo kon.ˈse.xo A2	noun - advice
dejar de.ˈxaɾ A2	verb - to leave
corazón ko.ɾa.ˈθon A1	noun - heart
razón ra.ˈθon A2	noun - reason
quedarse ke.ˈðaɾ.se A2	verb - to stay
comprendo kom.ˈpɾen.do A2	verb - to understand
montón mon.ˈton A2	noun - heap, lot
madre ˈma.ðɾe A1	noun - mother
trato ˈtɾa.to A2	noun - treatment verb - to treat
estrella es.ˈtre.xa A1	noun - star
pesa ˈpe.sa A2	verb - to weigh

Key Grammar Structures

• Mamá abrazeme

  ➔ Imperative Mood

  ➔ The verb 'abrazeme' is in the imperative mood, used to give a direct command or request.

• Yo no debí crecer

  ➔ Past Perfect Tense

  ➔ 'Debí' is the past perfect tense of 'deber', indicating an action that should have occurred in the past.

• Si yo nada le dije

  ➔ Conditional Clause

  ➔ The clause 'si yo nada le dije' is a conditional statement, expressing a hypothetical situation.

• Mamá usted que es mujer

  ➔ Formal Pronoun 'usted'

  ➔ 'Usted' is a formal pronoun used to address someone with respect.

• Como ella hay un montón

  ➔ Indefinite Pronoun 'un montón'

  ➔ 'Un montón' is an indefinite pronoun used to refer to an unspecified large quantity.

• Madre solo hay una

  ➔ Present Tense with Universal Truth

  ➔ The present tense 'hay' is used here to express a universal truth, emphasizing that there is only one mother.