Regresar al Ayer – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a heartfelt journey through the Spanish language with José José's "Regresar al Ayer." This classic ballad offers a rich vocabulary for expressing deep emotions like regret, longing, and nostalgia. Its clear pronunciation and emotional delivery make it an excellent resource for understanding romantic Spanish idioms and common expressions of heartbreak and past love, making your language learning both engaging and memorable.

[English]

I, who when I wake up look for another voice

That at night I will long for another warmth

I don’t know tomorrow what I’ll do, I don’t know

I know that my thirst made me err

That fear tangled me in my ambition

And today, today I would like to go back to yesterday for my own sake

It’s not that I don’t love my wife, it’s not that I don’t appreciate her love

It’s because years ago I chained myself to another, and I don’t know

It’s not that her nights aren’t sweet, it’s not that they don’t sweeten my dawn

It’s that years ago I fell in love with another

I, who gained nothing from my thirst

That being weak, I ruined my life

I don’t know tomorrow what I’ll do, I don’t know

I know that if I leave, I will hurt her

That if I stay, she will never know

And today, today I would like to go back to yesterday for my own sake

It’s not that I don’t love my wife, it’s not that I don’t appreciate her love

It’s because years ago I chained myself to another, and I don’t know

It’s not that her nights aren’t sweet, it’s not that they don’t sweeten my dawn

It’s that years ago I fell in love with another

It’s not that I don’t love my wife, it’s not that I don’t appreciate her love

It’s because years ago I chained myself to another, and I don’t know

It’s not that her nights aren’t sweet, it’s not that they don’t sweeten my dawn

It’s that years ago I fell in love with another

...

[Spanish]

Yo que al despertar busco otra voz

Que por las noches desearé otro calor

No sé mañana lo que voy a hacer, no lo sé

Sé que por mi sed me equivoqué

Que por temor en mi ambición me enrredé

Y hoy, hoy quisiera regresar al ayer por mi bien

No es que no quiera a mi mujer, no es que no aprecie yo su querer

Es que años atras a otra me encadené y no sé

No es que sus noches no sean miel, no es que no endulce mi amanecer

Esque años atras de otra me enamoré

Yo que con mi sed nada gané

Que por ser débil con mi vida acabé

No sé mañana lo que voy a hacer, no lo sé

Sé que si me voy daño le haré

Que si me quedo nunca podrá saber

Que hoy, hoy quisiera regresar al ayer por mi bien

No es que no quiera a mi mujer, no es que no aprecie yo su querer

Es que años atras a otra me encadené y no sé

No es que sus noches no sean miel, no es que no endulce mi amanecer

Es que años atras de otra me enamoré

No es que no quiera a mi mujer, no es que no aprecie yo su querer

Es que años atras a otra me encadené y no sé

No es que sus noches no sean miel, no es que no endulce mi amanecer

Es que años atras de otra me enamoré

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
despertar des.peɾ.ˈtaɾ A2	verb - to wake up
desear de.se.ˈaɾ A2	verb - to desire
calor ka.ˈloɾ A1	noun - heat
equivocar e.ki.bo.ˈkaɾ B1	verb - to make a mistake
temor te.ˈmoɾ A2	noun - fear
ambición am.bi.ˈθjon B1	noun - ambition
enredar en.re.ˈðaɾ B1	verb - to confuse, to entangle
quisiera ki.ˈsje.ɾa A2	verb - I would like
apreciar a.pɾe.ˈθjaɾ A2	verb - to appreciate
encadenar en.ka.ðe.ˈnaɾ B1	verb - to chain, to bind
miel mjel A1	noun - honey
endulzar en.dul.ˈθaɾ B1	verb - to sweeten
enamorar ena.mo.ˈɾaɾ A2	verb - to fall in love
daño ˈda.ɲo A2	noun - damage, harm
debil de.ˈbil A1	adjective - weak

Key Grammar Structures

• Yo que al despertar busco otra voz

  ➔ Relative Pronoun ('que')

  ➔ The word 'que' is used as a relative pronoun to introduce a clause that describes 'Yo'. It means 'who' or 'that' in this context.

• No sé mañana lo que voy a hacer, no lo sé

  ➔ Future Tense ('voy a hacer')

  ➔ The phrase 'voy a hacer' is in the future tense, indicating an action that will occur in the future. It translates to 'I am going to do'.

• Sé que por mi sed me equivoqué

  ➔ Past Tense ('equivoqué')

  ➔ The verb 'equivoqué' is in the past tense, indicating a completed action in the past. It means 'I made a mistake'.

• Y hoy, hoy quisiera regresar al ayer por mi bien

  ➔ Conditional Tense ('quisiera')

  ➔ The verb 'quisiera' is in the conditional tense, expressing a wish or desire. It translates to 'I would like'.

• No es que no quiera a mi mujer, no es que no aprecie yo su querer

  ➔ Double Negative ('no es que no')

  ➔ The phrase 'no es que no' is a double negative, which in Spanish can emphasize a positive statement. Here, it means 'It's not that I don't'.