Rock'n Roll – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Espanto
• Album: Rock'n Roll

Lyrics & Translation

Explore Spanish through Espanto's rebellious track 'Rock'n Roll'. This song offers a blend of cultural critique and catchy rhythms, perfect for understanding Spanish perspectives on authenticity and societal norms while enjoying a unique musical experience.

[English]

I can't stand the walls people put up

I can't stand those who treat us like fools

I can't stand the snakes,

Nor the rats,

Nor the shop windows

Who told them life was just crawling through it?

I ran into your old lady again,

And she wasn't that old, I must be about my age

All that doesn't matter

What really matters to me

Is only rock'n roll

...

I can't stand jokes about it

I'm watching you

Don't say a word

I won't accept it

Look deep inside yourself

You’re also wearing a skeleton suit

And it has powers, we can use them

Why did I meet you

Why did you meet me

It might have many names

But we’ll call it rock'n roll

...

What really matters to me is that rock'n roll matters to you

...

[Spanish]

No soporto las corazas que se imponen las personas

No soporto las personas que nos tratan como idiotas

No soporto las serpientes,

Ni las ratas,

Ni los escaparates

Quien les dijo que la vida consistía en arrastrarse por la vida?

Con tu vieja me volví a encontrar,

Y no era tan vieja, que tendría ya mi edad

Todo eso que más da

Sólo me importa de verdad

Sólo me importa el rock'n roll

No soporto las bromitas al respecto

Te estoy viendo

No lo digas

No lo acepto

Busca bien en tu interior

Tu también llevas puesto un traje de esqueleto

Y tiene poderes y podemos recurrir a ellos

Por qué yo te conocí

Por qué tu me conociste a mi

Puede tener muchos nombres

Pero le pondremos rock'n roll

Sólo me importa de verdad que a ti te importe el rock'n roll

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
corazas /koˈraθas/ B2	noun - armor or protective covering
personas /peɾˈso.nas/ A2	noun - people or individuals
tratan /ˈtɾatan/ B1	verb - they treat or handle
serpientes /seɾˈpjesentes/ B2	noun - snakes
ratas /ˈɾa.tas/ A2	noun - rats
escaparates /es.ka.paˈɾa.tes/ B2	noun - shop windows
consistía /konsisˈti.a/ C1	verb - it consisted of
arrastrarse /aɾas.tɾaˈɾaɾ.se/ C1	verb - to crawl or drag oneself
encontrar /en.konˈtɾaɾ/ A2	verb - to find
poder /poˈdeɾ/ A2	verb - to be able to
nombres /ˈnom.bɾes/ A2	noun - names
rock'n roll /rɒk ən roʊl/ A1	noun - a genre of popular music characterized by a strong beat and simple melodies

Key Grammar Structures

• No soporto las corazas que se imponen las personas

  ➔ Subjunctive mood in relative clauses expressing characteristic or inherent quality. 'Que se imponen' implies 'the shells that people impose on themselves' and describes a type of shell, not a specific known one.

  ➔ The use of the subjunctive here emphasizes that the speaker dislikes the general concept of self-imposed barriers, rather than specific instances. The use of 'se' reflects a reflexive action, meaning people impose these shells on themselves. The absence of a definite article before 'corazas' further contributes to this general dislike of such things.

• Quien les dijo que la vida consistía en arrastrarse por la vida?

  ➔ Indirect question with 'quien' (who) as the subject of 'dijo'. The verb 'consistir en' followed by an infinitive (arrastrarse) to express what something is comprised of.

  ➔ 'Quien' acts as a subject pronoun within the indirect question. 'Consistir en + infinitive' is a common structure to express the core nature or essence of something. The rhetorical nature of the question implies disbelief and criticism.

• Con tu vieja me volví a encontrar, Y no era tan vieja, que tendría ya mi edad

  ➔ Periphrastic verb 'volverse a + infinitive' to express 'to do something again'. 'Que tendría ya mi edad' uses 'que' to introduce an approximation or assumption, implying 'she would probably be my age by now'.

  ➔ 'Volverse a encontrar' signifies a re-encounter. The 'que' in 'Que tendría ya mi edad' is not directly translatable to English but is often used colloquially to introduce an estimated age or time, expressing a conjecture.

• Sólo me importa de verdad que a ti te importe el rock'n roll

  ➔ Use of the subjunctive 'importe' after 'importar' expressing subjective viewpoint or desire. The structure 'me importa que...' requires the subjunctive in the subordinate clause.

  ➔ The phrase 'me importa de verdad que...' highlights the importance of the other person's feelings about rock'n roll. The subjunctive indicates the speaker's desire or hope that the other person cares about it.