Preso – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José
• Album: Gracias

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the passionate world of José José's Spanish ballad, "Preso," to explore profound concepts of emotional dependence and romantic sacrifice. Listening to this song is a great way to connect with the depth of Spanish romantic poetry and the expressive power of the bolero genre.

[English]

Look how crazy I am for your love

That instead of running from you

I ask you for help.

Look how much you’ve driven me mad

That instead of hating you

I desire you.

Let’s just tell the truth,

you take advantage of me

and I love you.

Let’s just say it once and for all,

how can you be free

while I am

imprisoned

in the jail of your kisses,

by the way you do that

thing you call love.

Imprisoned

embracing your chains,

condemned to whatever you want

for as long as you want, my love.

Look how truly foolish I’ve become,

I think that if you do wrong

it’s my fault.

Look how much you’ve changed me,

that instead of hurting you

I protect you.

Let’s just tell the truth,

if I could erase you

I would erase you.

Let’s just say it once and for all,

you treat me however you like

because I am

imprisoned

in the jail of your kisses,

by the way you do that

thing you call love.

Imprisoned

embracing your chains,

condemned to whatever you want

for as long as you want, my love.

Imprisoned

in the jail of your kisses,

by the way you do that

thing you call love.

Imprisoned

embracing your chains,

condemned to whatever you want

for as long as you want, my love.

[Spanish]

Mira si estoy loco por tu amor

Que en lugar de huir de ti

te pido ayuda.

Mira si me has hecho enloquecer

Que en lugar de aborrecerte

te deseo.

Vamos a decirnos la verdad,

tú te aprovechas de mí

y yo te amo.

Vamos a decirlo de una vez,

cómo puedes tú ser libre

mientras yo soy

preso

de la cárcel de tus besos,

de tu forma de hacer eso

a lo que llamas amor.

Preso

abrazando tus cadenas,

condenado a lo que quieras

y hasta que quieras, amor.

Mira si estoy tonto de verdad,

que pienso que si obras mal

es culpa mía.

Mira si me has hecho no ser yo,

que en lugar de hacerte daño

te protejo.

Vamos a decirnos la verdad,

si te pudiera borrar

te borraría.

Vamos a decirlo de una vez,

tú me tratas como quieres

porque yo soy

preso

de la cárcel de tus besos,

de tu forma de hacer eso

a lo que llamas amor.

Preso

abrazando tus cadenas,

condenado a lo que quieras

y hasta que quieras, amor.

Preso

de la cárcel de tus besos,

de tu forma de hacer eso

a lo que llamas amor.

Preso

abrazando tus cadenas,

condenado a lo que quieras

y hasta que quieras, amor.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
preso ˈpɾe.so A1	noun - prisoner adjective - captive, trapped
enloquecer en.lo.ke.ˈθeɾ B1	verb - to go crazy
aborrecerte a.βo.rre.ˈθeɾ.te B1	verb - to hate you
aprovechas a.pɾo.ˈβe.tʃas A2	verb - to take advantage of
cadena ka.ˈde.na A1	noun - chain
condenado kon.de.ˈna.ðo A2	adjective - condemned, destined
aborrecer a.βo.rre.ˈθeɾ B1	verb - to hate
deseo de.ˈse.o A1	noun - desire
protejo pɾo.ˈte.xo A2	verb - to protect
borrar bo.ˈrar A2	verb - to erase, to remove
libre ˈli.βɾe A1	adjective - free
obras ˈo.βɾas A2	noun - works, actions
tonto ˈton.to A1	adjective - foolish
daño ˈda.ɲo A1	noun - damage, harm
quieras ˈkje.ɾas A2	verb - to want

Key Grammar Structures

• Mira si estoy loco por tu amor

  ➔ Present Indicative of 'estar'

  ➔ The verb 'estoy' is the present indicative form of 'estar', used to describe a temporary state or condition, here expressing 'I am crazy for your love'.

• Que en lugar de huir de ti te pido ayuda

  ➔ Subjunctive in subordinate clauses

  ➔ The subjunctive mood is used in the clause 'en lugar de huir de ti te pido ayuda' to express a hypothetical or contrary-to-fact situation, meaning 'instead of running away from you, I ask you for help'.

• Vamos a decirnos la verdad

  ➔ Future of 'ir' + infinitive

  ➔ The construction 'vamos a decirnos' uses the future of 'ir' followed by an infinitive to express a future action, meaning 'we are going to tell each other the truth'.

• tú te aprovechas de mí

  ➔ Reflexive pronoun 'te'

  ➔ The reflexive pronoun 'te' is used here to indicate that the action of 'aprovechar' is performed by the subject on themselves, meaning 'you take advantage of me'.

• mientras yo soy preso

  ➔ Present Indicative of 'ser'

  ➔ The verb 'soy' is the present indicative form of 'ser', used to describe a permanent or essential characteristic, here expressing 'I am a prisoner'.