No Soy Un Extraño – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Charly García
• Album: Clics Modernos

Lyrics & Translation

"No Soy Un Extraño" by Charly García is a vibrant synth-pop anthem that encapsulates a pivotal moment in Argentine history and Charly's personal journey. Its direct yet poetic Spanish lyrics, rich with cultural observations and themes of freedom and identity, offer a compelling way to engage with the language and explore the nuances of a society in transition. Listen for its unique blend of electronic sounds and tango rhythms, and discover how García's experiences in New York shaped a message of acceptance and breaking free from prejudice, making it a powerful and special song for language learners.

[English]

I just arrived

I'm not a stranger

I know this city

It's not like the newspapers back there

Two guys in a bar

They shake hands

They turn on a recorder

And they really dance a tango

And I watch them without meaning to

I light a joint to distract myself

I stay chill and start thinking

That you shouldn't cast the same net twice

I just looked

At the passing lights

I just crossed

The plaza, the races and the color

And I sense a familiar smoke

Someone comes close and starts talking

I stay chill and say: "Hey, how's it going? Let's fish

Twice with the same net

The unprejudiced are the ones who will come

And the ones who are already here no longer matter to me

The jailers of humanity won't catch me

Twice with the same net

...

[Spanish]

Acabo de llegar

No soy un extraño

Conozco esta ciudad

No es como en los diarios desde allá

Dos tipos en un bar

Se toman las manos

Prenden un grabador

Y bailan un tango, de verdad

Y yo los miro sin querer mirar

Enciendo un faso para despistar

Me quedo piola y empiezo a pensar

Que no hay que pescar dos veces con la misma red

Acabo de mirar

Las luces que pasan

Acabo de cruzar

La plaza, las razas y el color

Y siento un humo como familiar

Alguien se acerca y comienza a hablar

Me quedo piola y digo: "¿qué tal? Vamos a pescar

Dos veces con la misma red"

Desprejuiciados son los que vendrán

Y los que están, ya no me importan más

Los carceleros de la humanidad no me atraparán

Dos veces con la misma red

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
llegar jeˈɣaɾ A1	verb - to arrive
extraño eksˈtraɲo A1	adjective - strange noun - stranger
conozco koˈnoθko A1	verb - to know
diarios ˈðjaɾjos A1	noun - newspapers
tomar toˈmaɾ A1	verb - to take, to drink
prender pɾenˈdeɾ A2	verb - to turn on
grabador ɡɾaβaˈðoɾ A2	noun - tape recorder
bailar baiˈlaɾ A1	verb - to dance
tango ˈtaŋɡo A2	noun - Argentine dance
piola ˈpjola B1	adjective - calm, discreet
pescar pesˈkaɾ A2	verb - to fish
red reð A1	noun - net
desprejuiciados despɾeˈxwiθjaðos B2	adjective - unprejudiced
carceleros kaɾθeˈleɾos B1	noun - jailers
humanidad umaniˈðað A2	noun - humanity

Key Grammar Structures

• Acabo de llegar

  ➔ Present perfect

  ➔ The phrase uses the present perfect tense with 'acabar de' to indicate an action that has just been completed.

• No soy un extraño

  ➔ Present tense of 'ser'

  ➔ The verb 'soy' is the present tense of 'ser', used to describe a permanent characteristic.

• Se toman las manos

  ➔ Present tense of reflexive verb

  ➔ The verb 'toman' is in the present tense and is reflexive, indicating an action done by the subject to themselves.

• Me quedo piola y empiezo a pensar

  ➔ Present tense with conjunction

  ➔ The sentence uses the present tense with the conjunction 'y' to connect two actions happening simultaneously.

• Que no hay que pescar dos veces con la misma red

  ➔ Negative imperative

  ➔ The phrase uses a negative imperative structure to express a prohibition or advice.

• Desprejuiciados son los que vendrán

  ➔ Future tense with 'vendrán'

  ➔ The verb 'vendrán' is in the future tense, indicating a future action.