Mediterráneo – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Joan Manuel Serrat

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the timeless beauty of "Mediterráneo" by Joan Manuel Serrat. This iconic Spanish folk song offers a poetic journey through memories, emotions, and the profound connection to the Mediterranean Sea. Through its evocative lyrics and melodies, you can explore themes of identity, longing, and the enduring spirit of a culture, making it a special piece to connect with the Spanish language and its rich artistic heritage.

[English]

Perhaps because my childhood

Keeps playing on your beach

And hidden behind the reeds

Sleeps my first love

I carry your light and your scent

Wherever I go

And piled up in your sand

I keep love, games, and sorrows, I

That in my skin have the taste

Bitter of eternal weeping

That a hundred towns have poured into you

From Algeciras to Istanbul

So that you paint blue

Their long winter nights

By force of misadventures

Your soul is deep and dark

To your red sunsets

My eyes have grown accustomed

Like the bend to the road

I am a singer, I am a liar

I like games and wine

I have the soul of a sailor

...

What can I do if I

Was born in the Mediterranean?

I was born in the Mediterranean

...

And you come close and you go

After kissing my village

Playing with the tide

You leave, thinking of returning

You are like a woman

Scented with tar

That is longed for and loved

That is known and feared, oh

If one day for my misfortune

The grim reaper comes to seek me

Push my boat to the sea

With an autumn breeze

And let the storm

Dismantle its white wings

And to me, bury me without mourning

Between the beach and the sky

On the slope of a mountain

Higher than the horizon

I want to have a good view

My body will be a path

I will give green to the pines

And yellow to the broom

...

Close to the sea, because I

Was born in the Mediterranean

I was born in the Mediterranean

I was born in the Mediterranean

Lalarailara

Lalarailara

Lalarailara

Lalarailara

Lalarailara

...

[Spanish]

Quizá porque mi niñez

Sigue jugando en tu playa

Y escondido tras las cañas

Duerme mi primer amor

Llevo tu luz y tu olor

Por dondequiera que vaya

Y amontonado en tu arena

Guardo amor, juegos y penas, yo

Que en la piel tengo el sabor

Amargo del llanto eterno

Que han vertido en ti cien pueblos

De Algeciras a Estambul

Para que pintes de azul

Sus largas noches de invierno

A fuerza de desventuras

Tu alma es profunda y oscura

A tus atardeceres rojos

Se acostumbraron mis ojos

Como el recodo al camino

Soy cantor, soy embustero

Me gusta el juego y el vino

Tengo alma de marinero

¿Qué le voy a hacer si yo

Nací en el Mediterráneo?

Nací en el Mediterráneo

Y te acercas y te vas

Después de besar mi aldea

Jugando con la marea

Te vas, pensando en volver

Eres como una mujer

Perfumadita de brea

Que se añora y que se quiere

Que se conoce y se teme, ay

Si un día para mi mal

Viene a buscarme la parca

Empujad al mar mi barca

Con un levante otoñal

Y dejad que el temporal

Desguace sus alas blancas

Y a mí, enterradme sin duelo

Entre la playa y el cielo

En la ladera de un monte

Más alto que el horizonte

Quiero tener buena vista

Mi cuerpo será camino

Le daré verde a los pinos

Y amarillo a la genista

Cerca del mar, porque yo

Nací en el Mediterráneo

Nací en el Mediterráneo

Nací en el Mediterráneo

Lalarailara

Lalarailara

Lalarailara

Lalarailara

Lalarailara

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
niñez /niˈɲeθ/ A2	noun - childhood
amor /aˈmor/ A1	noun - love
luz /luθ/ A1	noun - light
sabor /saˈβor/ B1	noun - flavor
mar /maɾ/ A1	noun - sea
cielo /ˈθjelo/ A2	noun - sky
juego /ˈxweɣo/ A2	noun - game
viento /ˈbjen̪to/ B1	noun - wind
cuerpo /ˈkweɾpo/ B1	noun - body
alma /ˈalma/ B2	noun - soul
mujer /muˈxeɾ/ A2	noun - woman
caminos /kaˈminos/ B1	noun - paths
pueblo /ˈpweβlo/ B1	noun - town
temporal /tempoˈɾal/ B2	adjective - temporary
marinero /maɾiˈneɾo/ B2	noun - sailor
arena /aˈɾena/ B1	noun - sand