Volver – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Estrella Morente

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the soulful world of Spanish language and culture with Estrella Morente's captivating rendition of "Volver." This iconic song, immortalized in Pedro Almodóvar's acclaimed film, offers a powerful emotional journey through its evocative lyrics and the raw passion of flamenco. Learning the Spanish in "Volver" provides an intimate look into expressions of nostalgia, longing, and the profound human experience of returning to the past, making it a special piece for language learners and music enthusiasts alike.

[English]

I sense the flicker

Of the lights in the distance

That mark my return

They are the same that illuminated

With their pale reflections

Deep hours of pain

And although I didn't want to return

You always go back to first love

The old street where the echo said

Yours is its life, yours is its love

Under the mocking gaze of the stars

That indifferently see me return today

Return

With a withered brow

The snow of time

Has grayed my temples

To feel

That life is but a breath

That twenty years is nothing

That feverish gaze, wandering shadow

Seeks you and names you, to live

With the soul clinging

To a sweet memory

That I cry over again

I fear the encounter

With the past that returns

To confront my life

I fear the nights

That filled with memories

Chained my dreaming

But the traveler who flees

Sooner or later stops his walk

And although forgetfulness

That destroys everything

May have killed my old illusion

I keep hidden a humble hope

That is all the fortune of my heart

Return

With a withered brow

The snow of time

Has grayed my temples

To feel

That life is but a breath

That twenty years is nothing

That feverish gaze and wandering shadow

Seeks you and names you, to live

With the soul clinging

To a sweet memory

That I cry over again

...

[Spanish]

Yo adivino el parpadeo

De las luces que a lo lejos

Van marcando mi retorno

Son las mismas que alumbraron

Con sus pálidos reflejos

Hondas horas de dolor

Y aunque no quise el regreso

Siempre se vuelve al primer amor

La vieja calle donde el eco dijo

Tuya es su vida, tuyo es su querer

Bajo el burlón mirar de las estrellas

Que con indiferencia hoy me ven volver

Volver

Con la frente marchita

La nieve del tiempo

Platearon mi sien

Sentir

Que e' un soplo la vida

Que veinte años no es nada

Que febril la mirada, errante la sombra

Te busca y te nombra, vivir

Con el alma aferrada

A un dulce recuerdo

Que lloro otra vez

Tengo miedo del encuentro

Con el pasado que vuelve

A enfrentarse con mi vida

Tengo miedo de las noches

Que poblada de recuerdos

Encadenan mi soñar

Pero el viajero que huye

Tarde o temprano detiene su andar

Y aunque el olvido

Que todo lo destruye

Haya matado mi vieja ilusión

Guardo escondida una esperanza humilde

Que es toda la fortuna de mi corazón

Volver

Con la frente marchita

La nieve del tiempo

Platearon mi sien

Sentir

Que e' un soplo la vida

Que veinte años no es nada

Que febril la mirada y errante la sombra

Te busca y te nombra, vivir

Con el alma aferrada

A un dulce recuerdo

Que lloro otra vez

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
volver /bolˈber/ A2	verb - to return, to come back
luces /ˈluθes/ A1	noun - lights
dolor /doˈloɾ/ A2	noun - pain, sorrow
amor /aˈmoɾ/ A1	noun - love
vieja /ˈbje.xa/ A2	adjective - old
vida /ˈbiða/ A1	noun - life
estrellas /esˈtɾe.ʝas/ A1	noun - stars
frente /ˈfɾen.te/ A2	noun - forehead, front
tiempo /ˈtjem.po/ A1	noun - time
sien /sjen/ B2	noun - temple (of the head)
alma /ˈal.ma/ B1	noun - soul
recuerdo /reˈkwer.ðo/ A2	noun - memory
miedo /ˈmje.ðo/ A2	noun - fear
pasado /paˈsa.ðo/ A2	noun - past
viajero /bjaˈxeɾo/ B1	noun - traveler
olvido /olˈβi.ðo/ B1	noun - oblivion, forgetfulness
ilusión /i.luˈsjon/ B2	noun - illusion, hope
corazón /ko.ɾaˈθon/ A1	noun - heart

Key Grammar Structures

• Yo adivino el parpadeo

  ➔ Present tense used for expressing current actions or states.

  ➔ The phrase "Yo adivino" means "I guess" or "I foresee," indicating a personal insight.

• Siempre se vuelve al primer amor

  ➔ Reflexive verbs used to indicate actions performed on oneself.

  ➔ The phrase "se vuelve" means "one returns," emphasizing the reflexive nature of returning to something personal.

• La nieve del tiempo platearon mi sien

  ➔ Metaphorical language used to convey deeper meanings.

  ➔ The phrase "La nieve del tiempo" translates to "The snow of time," symbolizing aging and the passage of time.

• Que veinte años no es nada

  ➔ Use of negation to express the opposite of a statement.

  ➔ The phrase "no es nada" means "is nothing," emphasizing the insignificance of twenty years.

• Tengo miedo del encuentro

  ➔ Use of the verb 'tener' to express feelings or states.

  ➔ The phrase "Tengo miedo" means "I am afraid," indicating a personal emotional state.

• Que febril la mirada, errante la sombra

  ➔ Use of adjectives to describe states or qualities.

  ➔ The adjectives "febril" and "errante" describe a restless gaze and a wandering shadow, conveying emotional turmoil.

• Guardo escondida una esperanza humilde

  ➔ Use of the verb 'guardar' to indicate possession or keeping.

  ➔ The phrase "Guardo escondida" means "I keep hidden," indicating a personal and secretive possession.