“God Knows” Lyrics Translation
Style: Bolero song about a person doubting their partner, suspecting infidelity but not having proof, and being worried that the suspicion itself could end the relationship if they are wrong.
Country: Mexico
Listen: Álvaro Carrillo; Eydie Gormé and Los Panchos; Vicente Fernández; Tania Libertad
Translation:
Sabrá Dios, si tú me quieres o me engañas.
Como no adivino seguiré pensando
Que me quieres solamente a mí.
God knows, if you love me or you deceive me.
Since I can’t guess I will continue thinking
That you love only me.
No tengo derecho en realidad para dudar de ti
Y para no vivir feliz pero yo presiento
Que no estas conmigo aunque estas aquí.
I have no right, really, to doubt you
And to not live happily, but I foretell
That you are not with me though you are here.
Sabrá Dios, uno no sabe nunca nada.
Moriré de pena si este amor fracasa
Nada más por mi equivocación.
God knows, one never knows anything.
I will die of shame if this love fails
Because of nothing more than my mistake.
Y debo estar loco
Para atormentarme sin haber razón
Pero voy a luchar
Hasta arrancar esta ingrata mentira
De mi corazón.
And I must be crazy
To torment myself without reason
But I will fight
Until I uproot this ungrateful lie
From my heart.
[Interlude]
No tengo derecho en realidad para dudar de ti
Y para no vivir feliz pero yo presiento
Que no estas conmigo aunque estas aquí.
I have no right, really, to doubt you
And to not live happily, but I foretell
That you are not with me though you are here.
Sabrá Dios, uno no sabe nunca nada.
Me dará vergüenza si este amor fracasa
Nada más por mi equivocación.
God knows, one never knows anything.
I will be embarrassed if this love fails
Because of nothing more than my mistake.
Y debo estar loco
Para atormentarme sin haber razón
Pero voy a luchar
Hasta arrancar esta ingrata mentira
De mi corazón.
And I must be crazy
To torment myself without reason
But I will fight
Until I unroot this ungrateful lie
From my heart.
Translation Notes:
Sabrá Dios = God knows; lit. God will know
—
Pero yo presiento que
But I foretell/feel that
presentir literally means “to prefeel.”
It means to feel something before knowing it.
I’ve been having some trouble finding English equivalents verbs that people actually use. I’ve found a noun that is exactly right (presentiment), but no verb. The closest verb is presage, but since it’s not commonly heard, it would make for an awkward translation.
—
Y debo estar loco
And I must be crazy
The songwriter was a man. Tania Libertad sings loca instead of loco since she’s a woman.
—
Para atormentarme sin haber razón
To torment myself without reason
lit. To torment myself withoutthere being reason
Here, sin haber precedes a noun. When preceding a past tense verb, sin haber can also mean “without having.”
e.g.
sin haber vistó = without having seen
sin haber lloradó = without having cried
sin haber comidó = without having eaten
—
“Sabra Dios” by Alvaro Carrillo, covered by Los Panchos
Songlations 