Tocando Fondo – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Kalimba

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the depths of emotion with Kalimba's iconic ballad, "Tocando Fondo." This powerful song offers a window into the Spanish language through its poignant lyrics, exploring universal feelings of heartbreak, longing, and the struggle to move on. Its clear storytelling and soulful delivery make it an excellent choice for language learners to grasp emotional vocabulary and cultural expressions while appreciating a significant piece of Latin American pop music history.

[English]

The anguish passes

so close to me

When from here

you walk away

I know insomnia

is still out there

waiting for me to try to sleep

I’ve been left alone, and this

wasn’t how I planned to live

I’ve been left alone and without you

it’s so easy to go crazy

I’m Hitting Rock Bottom

I refuse to be without you

I have to win you back

or let you go for good

I’m Hitting Rock Bottom

it hurts to talk about you

I don’t want to pretend

for the rest of my life, oh-oh-oh

The anguish returns

to speak to me of you

when from here

you walk away

I know insomnia

is still out there

waiting for me to try to sleep

I’ve been left alone, and this

wasn’t how I planned to live

I’ve been left alone and without you

it’s so easy to go crazy

I’m Hitting Rock Bottom

I refuse to be without you

I have to win you back

or let you go for good

I’m Hitting Rock Bottom

it hurts to talk about you

I don’t want to pretend

for the rest of my life

that you don’t matter to me anymore

I’m Hitting Rock Bottom

I refuse to be without you

I have to win you back

or let you go for good

I’m Hitting Rock Bottom

it hurts to talk about you

I don’t want to pretend

for the rest of my life, oh-oh-oh

[Spanish]

Pasa la angustia

tan cerca de mí

Cuando de aquí

te alejas

Sé que el insomnio

sigue por ahí

esperando que intente dormir

me he quedado solo, y así

no planeaba vivir

me he quedado solo y sin ti

es tan fácil volverse loco

Estoy Tocando Fondo

me niego a estar sin ti

te tengo que recuperar

o de una vez dejarte ir

Estoy Tocando Fondo

me duele hablar de ti

no quiero disimular

el resto de mi vida, oh-oh-oh

vuelve la angustia

a hablarme de ti

cuando de aquí

te alejas

sé que el insomnio

sigue por ahí

esperando que intente dormir

me he quedado solo, y así

no planeaba vivir

me he quedado solo y sin ti

es tan fácil volverse loco

Estoy Tocando Fondo

me niego a estar sin ti

te tengo que recuperar

o de una vez dejarte ir

Estoy Tocando Fondo

me duele hablar de ti

no quiero disimular

el resto de mi vida

que no me importas más

Estoy Tocando Fondo

me niego a estar sin ti

te tengo que recuperar

o de una vez dejarte ir

Estoy Tocando Fondo

me duele hablar de ti

no quiero disimular

el resto de mi vida, oh-oh-oh

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
angustia angustia B1	noun - anguish, deep anxiety
alejar alejar B1	verb - to move away, to distance
insomnio insomnio B2	noun - insomnia, inability to sleep
esperar esperar A2	verb - to wait, to hope
intentar intentar A2	verb - to try, to attempt
dormir dormir A1	verb - to sleep
quedarse quedarse A2	verb (reflexive) - to stay, to remain
solo solo A1	adjective - alone, solitary
planear planear B1	verb - to plan, to devise
vivir vivir A1	verb - to live
fácil fácil A1	adjective - easy, simple
volverse volverse B2	verb (reflexive) - to become, to turn into
loco loco A2	adjective - crazy, mad
tocar tocar A1	verb - to touch, to play (an instrument)
fondo fondo B1	noun - bottom, depth
negar negar B1	verb - to deny, to refuse
recuperar recuperar B2	verb - to recover, to get back
disimular disimular C1	verb - to conceal, to hide one's true feelings

Key Grammar Structures

• Pasa la angustia tan cerca de mí

  ➔ Present tense

  ➔ The verb 'pasa' is in the present tense, indicating an action happening now or regularly.

• Sé que el insomnio sigue por ahí

  ➔ Present tense with 'sé' (know)

  ➔ The verb 'sé' is used to express knowledge, and 'sigue' is in the present tense, describing a continuous action.

• me he quedado solo, y así no planeaba vivir

  ➔ Present perfect ('he quedado') and simple past ('planeaba')

  ➔ 'He quedado' is present perfect, indicating a past action with present relevance. 'Planeaba' is simple past, describing a past habit or plan.

• Estoy Tocando Fondo

  ➔ Present progressive

  ➔ 'Estoy' is a present progressive form, indicating an action happening now.

• te tengo que recuperar o de una vez dejarte ir

  ➔ Present tense with modal 'tengo que' (have to)

  ➔ 'Tengo que' expresses necessity, and both verbs 'recuperar' and 'dejarte ir' are in the present tense, indicating immediate actions.

• no quiero disimular el resto de mi vida

  ➔ Present tense with 'quiero' (want) and infinitive

  ➔ 'Quiero' is in the present tense, and 'disimular' is an infinitive, describing an action the subject does not want to perform.