Mi Testamento – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the poignant Spanish of José José's "Mi Testamento." This beautiful ballad, a heartfelt final message, offers listeners a deep emotional landscape expressed through classic Spanish romanticism. By studying its lyrics, you can explore vocabulary related to legacy, enduring love, and deep personal reflection, all delivered with the unparalleled vocal mastery of 'El Príncipe de la Canción.'

[English]

You don't know what I suffer

When I write this letter

You'll never know what I feel

When I send it to its destination

But I must do it

So there is no doubt

So you won't be confused

And be at peace with myself

...

Today you will know

What I've kept for so long

You will learn

My true feeling

I can't lie to you

At this moment

Keep a memory of me

And I will live in your thoughts

Even if my ashes

Get confused with the wind

These are my words

They are my testament to you

I was happy with you

With no one else

I lived with you

The reality

...

I learned with you

To suffer and to love

Thus I learned to laugh

...

And to cry

...

It's not perfection

That I was trying to offer you

It was my heart

The one that loved you to death

And so as not to lose you

I had to lie to you sometime

I was happy with you

With no one else

I lived with you

The reality

I learned with you

To suffer and love

Thus I learned to laugh

And to cry

...

[Spanish]

No sabes lo que yo sufro

Al escribir ésta carta

Jamás sabrás lo que siento

Al enviarla a su destino

Pero es preciso hacerlo

Para que no quede duda

Para que no te confundas

Y estar en paz conmigo mismo

Hoy vas a saber

Lo que he guardado tanto tiempo

Vas a conocer

Mi verdadero sentimiento

No puedo mentirte

En éste momento

Guárdame un recuerdo

Y viviré en tu pensamiento

Aunque mis cenizas se

Confundan con el viento

éstas mis palabras

Son mi testamento para ti

Contigo fui feliz

Con nadie más

Contigo yo viví

La realidad

Contigo yo aprendí

A sufrir y amar

Así aprendí a reír

Y a llorar

No es la perfección

Lo que trataba de ofrecerte

Fue mi corazón

El que te quiso hasta la muerte

Y por no perderte

Tuve que mentirte alguna vez

Contigo fui feliz

Con nadie más

Contigo yo viví

La realidad

Contigo yo aprendí

A sufrir y amar

Así aprendí a reír

Y a llorar

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sufro ˈsu.fɾo A2	verb - to suffer
sentimiento sen.tiˈmjen.to A2	noun - feeling
preciso pɾeˈθi.so B1	adjective - necessary, precise
confundir kon.funˈdiɾ B1	verb - to confuse
recuerdo re.ˈkweɾ.do A2	noun - memory, souvenir
cenizas θeˈni.θas B1	noun - ashes
testamento tes.taˈmen.to B2	noun - will
feliz feˈliθ A1	adjective - happy
realidad re.a.liˈðað A2	noun - reality
aprendí a.pɾenˈði A2	verb - to learn
sufrir suˈfɾiɾ A2	verb - to suffer
amar aˈmaɾ A1	verb - to love
reír reˈiɾ A1	verb - to laugh
llorar joˈɾaɾ A1	verb - to cry
perfección pe.fekˈθjon B1	noun - perfection
corazón ko.ɾaˈθon A1	noun - heart

Key Grammar Structures

• No sabes lo que yo sufro

  ➔ Present Indicative, Indirect Object Pronoun

  ➔ The verb "sabes" (know) is in the present indicative, expressing a general truth. "Lo que yo sufro" is the direct object of 'know', and 'yo' is the indirect object, represented by the pronoun "te". The sentence means 'You don't know what I suffer'.

• Hoy vas a saber lo que he guardado tanto tiempo

  ➔ Periphrastic Future (ir + a + infinitive), Present Perfect (haber + past participle)

  ➔ "Vas a saber" is the periphrastic future, meaning 'you are going to know'. "He guardado" is the present perfect, indicating an action completed in the recent past with relevance to the present. The sentence means 'Today you are going to know what I have kept for so long'.

• Contigo fui feliz con nadie más

  ➔ Imperfect Tense, Contrastive Structure

  ➔ "Fui" is the imperfect tense of "ser" (to be), indicating a state of being in the past. The phrase "con nadie más" (with no one else) creates a strong contrast, emphasizing that happiness was *only* with the person being addressed.