Uno Mismo – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the powerful world of the Latin American ballad with "Uno Mismo." This José José track is an excellent choice for language learners, offering a masterclass in Spanish vocabulary for philosophical concepts and emotional depth. You'll learn to articulate themes of self-discovery, destiny, and personal accountability through the voice of "The Prince of Song," whose crystal-clear enunciation makes complex poetry incredibly accessible.

[English]

Because I’ve walked the paths

And I know the challenge,

I’ve proven that everything passes

Because it has a reason.

When sometimes we’re blinded,

It’s because we didn’t want to see.

And the reason for our mistakes

Is almost always to learn.

Like madmen, we spin around

On the wheel of life,

Without even realizing

That we ourselves are the ones turning it.

We ourselves get tangled up,

We ourselves sort it out,

We ourselves sink,

We ourselves rise.

We ourselves lock up,

And clip our own wings.

We ourselves get sick,

We ourselves heal.

We ourselves hate,

We ourselves love.

...

Only very rarely

Do we discover the truth.

Each time, it’s harder

To tear off a mask.

We become puppets

In the hands of fate,

Out of fear of confronting ourselves,

We prefer to be dolls.

We ourselves yearn,

We ourselves return,

We ourselves get lost,

We ourselves find.

We ourselves are our fate,

And beyond death,

We ourselves are the mist,

We ourselves are the flame.

We ourselves ignite,

Or we ourselves fade away.

...

[Spanish]

Porque andado los caminos

Y conozco el desafio,

Comprobé que todo pasa

Porque tiene una razón

Cuando a veces nos cegamos

Fue que no quisimos ver

Y el porque de equivocarnos

Casi siempre es aprender

Como locos damos vueltas

En la rueda de la vida

Sin siquiera darnos cuenta

Que uno mismo es quien la gira

Uno mismo se enreda

Uno mismo se ordena

Uno mismo se hunde

Uno mismo se eleva

Uno mismo se encierra

Y se corta las alas

Uno mismo se enferma

Uno mismo se sana

Uno mismo se odia

Uno mismo se ama

Sólo muy de vez en cuando

Descubrimos la verdad

Cada vez es mas dificil

Arrancar un antifaz

Nos volvemos marionetas

En las manos del destino

Por temor a confrontarnos

Ser muñecos preferimos

Uno mismo se anhela

Uno mismo regresa

Uno mismo se pierde

Uno mismo se encuentra

Uno mismo es su suerte

Y más allá de la muerte

Uno mismo es la niebla

Uno mismo es la llama

Uno mismo se enciende

O uno mismo se apaga

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
caminos caminos A1	noun - roads, paths
desafío desafío B1	noun - challenge
razón razón A2	noun - reason, cause
vida vida A1	noun - life
rueda rueda A1	noun - wheel
verdad verdad A1	noun - truth
destino destino B1	noun - destiny, fate
muerte muerte A2	noun - death
niebla niebla B1	noun - fog, mist
llama llama A2	noun - flame
aprender aprender A1	verb - to learn
equivocarse equivocarse B2	verb - to make a mistake, to err
girar girar A2	verb - to turn, to spin
enredar enredar B2	verb - to tangle, to entangle
elevar elevar B2	verb - to raise, to lift
cortar cortar A1	verb - to cut
enfermar enfermar B1	verb - to become ill
odiar odiar A2	verb - to hate

Key Grammar Structures

• Porque andado los caminos

  ➔ Past Participle used as an adjective

  ➔ The word 'andado' is the past participle of 'andar' and is used here to describe 'los caminos', functioning as an adjective.

• Comprobé que todo pasa

  ➔ Preterite tense

  ➔ The verb 'comprobé' is in the preterite tense, indicating a completed action in the past.

• Cuando a veces nos cegamos

  ➔ Imperfect tense

  ➔ The verb 'cegamos' is in the imperfect tense, used to describe a past habitual action or a state of being.

• Uno mismo se enreda

  ➔ Reflexive verb

  ➔ The verb 'enreda' is reflexive, indicated by 'se', meaning the subject performs the action on itself.

• Sólo muy de vez en cuando

  ➔ Adverbial phrase of frequency

  ➔ The phrase 'muy de vez en cuando' is an adverbial phrase indicating how often something happens.

• Nos volvemos marionetas

  ➔ Present tense with reflexive pronoun

  ➔ The verb 'volvemos' is in the present tense and uses the reflexive pronoun 'nos', indicating the subject is performing the action on itself.

• Uno mismo es su suerte

  ➔ Subject pronoun as object

  ➔ The pronoun 'su' is used as an object, referring back to 'uno mismo', even though it is typically a possessive pronoun.

• Uno mismo se apaga

  ➔ Reflexive pronoun with verb

  ➔ The reflexive pronoun 'se' is used with the verb 'apaga' to indicate that the subject is performing the action on itself.