Payaso – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José
• Album: El Príncipe de la Canción

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vocabulary of heartbreak with 'Payaso.' This classic *balada romántica* offers a rich source of intermediate and advanced Spanish, teaching you emotional expressions, poetic metaphors, and the use of the word 'payaso' (clown) as a metaphor for a person mocked for their devotion. José José’s deeply resonant and dramatic vocal style makes the Spanish emotion crystal clear, transforming a common insult into a statement of resigned self-acceptance.

[English]

They say I'm a clown

That I'm dying for you

And you don't even notice me

They say I'm a clown

Because all my hope

Is to have you in my arms

They say I'm a clown

That because of your love

I go from failure to failure

They say I'm a clown

Who keeps looking for courage

Deep in every step

And it's true, I'm a clown

But, what can I do?

One is not what one wants

But what one can be

They say I'm a clown

That I'm dying for you

And you don't even notice me

They say I'm a clown

Who follows you around

With a soul shattered into pieces

They say I'm a clown

Who would even ask for love

That you're dragging as you walk

They say I'm a clown

That I have no courage

To pull the trigger on myself

And it's true, I'm a clown

But, what can I do?

One is not what one wants

But what one can be

And it's true, I'm a clown

But, what can I do?

One is not what one wants

But what one can be

And it's true, I'm a clown

[Spanish]

Dicen que soy un payaso

Que estoy muriendo por ti

Y tú no me haces ni caso

Dicen que soy un payaso

Porque toda mi ilusión

Es tenerte entre mis brazos

Dicen que soy un payaso

Que por culpa de tu amor

Voy de fracaso en fracaso

Dicen que soy un payaso

Que va buscando valor

En el fondo de los pasos

Y es verdad, soy un payaso

Pero, ¿qué le voy a hacer?

Uno no es lo que quiere

Sino lo que puede ser

Dicen que soy payaso

Que estoy muriendo por ti

Y tú no me haces ni caso

Dicen que soy un payaso

Que te sigue por ahí

Con el alma hecha pedazos

Dicen que soy un payaso

Que querría hasta el amor

Que vas tirando a tu paso

Dicen que soy un payaso

Que no tengo ni valor

Para pegarme un balazo

Y es verdad, soy un payaso

Pero, ¿qué le voy a hacer?

Uno no es lo que quiere

Sino lo que puede ser

Y es verdad, soy un payaso

Pero, ¿qué le voy a hacer?

Uno no es lo que quiere

Sino lo que puede ser

Y es verdad, soy un payaso

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
payaso paˈʝaso A1	noun - clown
muriendo muˈɾjen̪do A2	verb - dying
caso ˈkaso A1	noun - case
ilusión ilusiˈon A2	noun - illusion
abrazo aˈβɾaθo A1	noun - hug
fracaso fɾaˈkaso A2	noun - failure
buscando busˈkando A1	verb - searching
valor baˈloɾ A2	noun - value
pasos ˈpasos A1	noun - steps
verdad beɾˈðað A1	noun - truth
querer keˈɾeɾ A1	verb - to want
alma ˈalma A2	noun - soul
pedazos peˈðaθos A2	noun - pieces
tirando tiˈɾan̪do B1	verb - throwing
balazo baˈlaθo B1	noun - bullet

Key Grammar Structures

• Dicen que soy un payaso

  ➔ Present tense of 'decir' (to say)

  ➔ The verb 'dicen' is the third-person plural present tense of 'decir', indicating that people are saying something about the subject.

• Que estoy muriendo por ti

  ➔ Present progressive with 'estar' + gerund

  ➔ The phrase uses 'estoy muriendo' to express an ongoing action, emphasizing the continuous nature of the emotion.

• Y tú no me haces ni caso

  ➔ Negative construction with 'ni'

  ➔ The use of 'ni caso' emphasizes a stronger negation, meaning 'not even a bit of attention'.

• Es tenerte entre mis brazos

  ➔ Infinitive used as a subject

  ➔ The infinitive 'tenerte' functions as the subject of the sentence, which is a common construction in Spanish.

• Uno no es lo que quiere / Sino lo que puede ser

  ➔ Use of 'sino' for contrast

  ➔ The conjunction 'sino' is used to contrast two ideas, replacing 'no... sino' (not... but).