Oh Qué Será? – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Willie Colón
• Album: Anthology

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a captivating linguistic journey with Willie Colón's "Oh Qué Será?" This salsa masterpiece, with its poetic and enigmatic lyrics, offers a unique opportunity to explore Spanish through themes of mystery, love, and the unseen forces of life. Its rich vocabulary and thought-provoking questions encourage deep listening and cultural immersion, making it a special song for language learners.

[English]

I believe in many things I haven't seen, and so do you, I know it

You can't deny the existence of something felt

However ethereal it may be

There's no need to show proof of decency

Of that which is so true

The only gesture is to believe or not

Sometimes even believe while crying

It's an incomplete topic because it lacks an answer

An answer that one of you, perhaps, can give

It's a technicolor theme to make something useful out of love

For all of us, amen

Oh, what will it be, what will it be?

That goes sighing through the bedrooms

That is heard whispering in troubadour verses

That is mixing up crazy questions for us

That's in our heads, in our mouths

That goes ascending through many holes

That they are talking loudly about in the bar

And shouts in the market, what is that thing?

It is nature, will it be, what will it be?

That has no certainty and never gives you any

That has no concept, and never will

That has no size

Oh, what will it be, what will it be?

That lives in the ideas of those lovers

That the most delirious poets sing

And the drunken prophets swear

It is in the pilgrimage of the mutilated

It's in the fantasy of the unhappy

It's in the day to day of the prostitutes

And all the bandits and helpless

In all their senses, will it be, what will it be?

That has no decency and never will

That has no censorship and never will

And it lacks sense

Oh, what will it be, what will it be?

That no warning can prevent

That neither can the prisoners defy

That all roads will have to cross

Where all the signs are going to consecrate

And all the little children to investigate

And all the destinies will find

And the same eternal father that never was there

Will bless man again

Extinguishing the final flame of hell

Because there's no point in rolling again

Due to the lack of judgment

Oh, what will it be?

Oh, what will it be?

Oh, what will it be?

That the prophet swears, the poet sings

And they are shouting in the model

Oh, what will it be?

Oh, what will it be?

That wakes me up at night

And makes me tremble, makes me cry

Oh, what will it be?

They are ghosts, we are ghosts

I feel the door knock three times

Oh, what will it be?

Oh, what will it be?

They go sighing through the bedrooms

And whispering troubadour verses

Start listening

Oh, what will it be?

It has no size, and it is nature

It's in our mouths and in our heads

Oh, what will it be?

All the little children will investigate it

And no warning will be able to prevent it

Oh, what will it be?

In every bell, it will chime

And whoever is asleep will wake up

Oh, what will it be?

They are ghosts, we are ghosts

I feel the door knock three times

Oh, what will it be?

Oh, what will it be, they are ghosts

They are ghosts, they are ghosts, they are ghosts

I hear the door knock

Ayyy, the door knock

Oh, what will it be?

The bandit lives it, the helpless live it

The prostitutes, the unhappy

The reverend and the firefighter

The president, the shoemaker

And the teachers and the butcher

The citizen and the foreigner

Also the judge and the celebrity

The nurse, the helmsman

The Santero, the Marxist

The grocer and the masochist

Oh, what will it be?

...

[Spanish]

Yo creo en muchas cosas que no he visto, y ustedes también, lo sé

No se puede negar la existencia de algo palpado

Por mas etéreo que sea

No hace falta exhibir una prueba de decencia

De aquello que es tan verdadero

El único gesto es creer o no

Algunas veces hasta creer llorando

Se trata de un tema incompleto porque le falta respuesta

Respuesta que alguno de ustedes, quizás, le pueda dar

Es un tema en technicolor para hacer algo útil del amor

Para todos nosotros, amén

Oh, qué será, qué será

Que anda suspirando por las alcobas

Que se oye susurrando en versos de trova

Que anda combinandonos preguntas locas

Que anda en las cabezas, anda en las bocas

Que anda ascendiendo por hartos huecos

Que están hablando alto en la bodega

Y grita en el mercado, qué cosa es esa?

Es la naturaleza, será, que será

Que no tiene certeza y nunca te da

Que no tiene concepto, y nunca tendrá

Que no tiene tamaño

Oh, qué será, qué será

Que vive en las ideas de esos amantes

Que cantan los poetas mas delirantes

Y juran los profetas emborrachados

Está en la romería de los mutilados

Está en la fantasía de los infelices

Está en el día a día de las meretrices

Y todos los bandidos y desvalidos

En todos sus sentidos, será qué será

Que no tiene decencia y nunca tendrá

Que no tiene censura y nunca tendrá

Y le falta sentido

Oh, qué será, qué será

Que ningún aviso podrá evitar

Que tampoco los presos puedan desafiar

Que todos los caminos tendrán que cruzar

Donde todos los signos van a consagrar

Y todos los niñitos a investigar

Y todos los destinos van a encontrar

Y el mismo padre eterno que nunca fue allá

Al hombre nuevamente lo bendecirán

Apagando al infierno su llama final

Porque no tiene caso volver a rodar

Por la falta de juicio

Oh, qué será

Oh, qué será

Oh, qué será

Que jura el profeta, canta el poeta

Y están gritando en la maqueta

Oh, qué será

Oh, qué será

Que me despierta por la noche

Y me hace temblar, me hace llorar

Oh, qué será

Son fantasmas, somos fantasmas

Siento la puerta tocar tres veces

Oh, qué será

Oh, qué sera

Van suspirando por las alcobas

Y susurrando versos de trova

Ponte a escuchar

Oh, qué será

No tiene tamaño, y es naturaleza

Anda en las bocas y en las cabezas

Oh, qué será

Todos los niñitos lo investigarán

Y ningún aviso lo podrá evitar

Oh, qué será

En toda campana repicará

Y el que esta dormido despertará

Oh, qué será

Son fantasmas, somos fantasmas

Siento la puerta tocar tres veces

Oh qué será

Oh, qué será son fastasmas

Son fantasmas, son fantasmas, son fantasmas

Oigo la puerta tocar

Ayyy la puerta tocar

Oh, qué será

Lo vive el bandido, el desvalido

Las meretrices, los infelices

El reverendo y el bombero

El presidente, el zapatero

Y las maestras y el carnicero

La ciudadana y el extranjero

También el juez y el farandulero

La enfermera, el timonero

El santero, el marxista

El bodeguero y el masoquista

Oh, qué será

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
naturaleza /nat̪uɾaˈleθa/ B1	noun - nature; the natural world or essence of something
fantasma /fanˈtasma/ B2	noun - ghost; imaginary spirit of a dead person
amor /aˈmoɾ/ A2	noun - love; affection or strong feeling of care
poeta /poˈeta/ B1	noun - poet; person who writes poetry
profeta /pɾoˈfeta/ B2	noun - prophet; person believed to speak for a deity
idea /iˈðe.a/ A2	noun - idea; thought or concept
pregunta /pɾeˈɣunta/ A2	noun - question; expression seeking information
respuesta /resˈpwesta/ A2	noun - answer; reply to a question or situation
decencia /deˈθensja/ C1	noun - decency; behavior respecting social or moral standards
certeza /θeɾˈteθa/ B2	noun - certainty; being sure or confident about something
reverendo /reβeˈɾendo/ C1	noun/adjective - reverend; respectful title for a clergyman
bandido /banˈdiðo/ B1	noun - bandit; criminal who robs or steals
infeliz /infeˈlis/ B2	adjective - unhappy; miserable or unfortunate
decir /deˈθiɾ/ A2	verb - to say; to express in words
creer /kɾeˈeɾ/ A2	verb - to believe; to have faith or conviction
llorar /ʎoˈɾaɾ/ A2	verb - to cry; to shed tears
temblar /temˈblaɾ/ B1	verb - to tremble; to shake from cold, fear, or emotion
susurrar /susurˈraɾ/ B2	verb - to whisper; to speak softly
preguntar /pɾeɣunˈtaɾ/ A2	verb - to ask; to request information
andar /anˈdaɾ/ A2	verb - to walk; to move around
idea /iˈðe.a/ A2	noun - idea; mental impression or plan
llama /ˈʎama/ B1	noun - flame; visible part of fire

Key Grammar Structures

• Yo creo en muchas cosas que no he visto, y ustedes también, lo sé

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood (Present Perfect Subjunctive)

  ➔ The phrase "que no he visto" uses the subjunctive mood because it refers to things the speaker believes in, but hasn't personally seen. The present perfect subjunctive ("he visto") implies that the seeing hasn't happened yet.

• No se puede negar la existencia de algo palpado

  ➔ Impersonal 'se' + Passive Voice

  ➔ The 'se' here is impersonal, making it an impersonal construction. "Palpado" is a past participle used passively; "algo palpado" means something that has been felt or touched. Impersonal "se" indicates that there's no specific subject performing the action of denying.

• Por mas etéreo que sea

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood (Present Subjunctive) after 'por más/aunque'

  ➔ 'Por más' (no matter how much/even if) introduces a clause that requires the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive "sea" expresses doubt or uncertainty about how ethereal something actually is.

• Que anda suspirando por las alcobas

  ➔ Present Continuous (periphrastic form)

  ➔ The structure "anda + gerund" (anda suspirando) is a periphrastic form of the present continuous. It emphasizes the ongoing action of sighing.

• Que no tiene concepto, y nunca tendrá

  ➔ Future Tense (Simple Future)

  ➔ "Tendrá" is the future simple tense of the verb "tener" (to have). It indicates that something will not have a concept in the future.

• Que ningún aviso podrá evitar

  ➔ Future Tense (periphrastic future) + modal verb

  ➔ "'Podrá evitar' is a combination of the modal verb 'poder' (to be able to) in future tense and the main verb 'evitar' (to avoid). It indicates ability or possibility in the future.

• Y el mismo padre eterno que nunca fue allá

  ➔ Relative Clause with Preterite Perfect (Past Perfect/Pluperfect)

  ➔ The phrase "que nunca fue allá" is a relative clause describing "el mismo padre eterno". "Fue" in the preterite perfect (also called past perfect or pluperfect) suggests that the action of going "allá" (there) never happened *before* some other point in the past (implied or understood).

• Son fantasmas, somos fantasmas

  ➔ Simple Present Tense (ser)

  ➔ "Son" and "somos" are forms of the verb "ser" (to be) in the simple present tense. They state a current state of being: being ghosts.