“On My Side of the Sofa” Lyrics
Album: Guapa (Good Looking), 2006
Style: Pop/rock song about devoted love, except it goes slightly too far and sounds like a stalker song. I find it funny. She says she will wait for him in the shadows!
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube, Amazon
Translation:
Te esperaré, no importa quien te bese.
Yo te esperaré, no importa que me quieras.
Yo te escucharé, si tú me has dado tanto,
Yo te esperaré y te daré mi vida entera.
I will wait for you, no matter who kisses you.
I will wait for you, it doesn’t matter if you want me.
I will listen to you, (how could I not) if you have given me so much,
I will wait for you and I will give you my whole life.
Te esperaré,
Te esperaré en las sombras,
Siempre allí estaré.
I will wait for you,
I will wait for you in the shadows,
I will be there always.
No importa que tus ojos no me quieran ver,
No importa quien te abrase,
Yo a ti te amaré y te daré mi vida entera.
It does not matter that your eyes don’t want to see me,
It does not matter who hugs you,
I will love you and I will give you my whole life.
Chorus:
Porque mi amor está por encima de tanta traición,
De tanto desprecio, de toda razón.
Porque el dolor que llevo dentro es todo tuyo y mio.
Because my love is above so much betrayal,
(Above) so much contempt, (above) all reason.
Because the pain I carry inside is all yours and mine.
¿Dondé estarán los besos que aún nos quedan por contar?
Lo sabes tú y nadie más
Y al despertar, me sentaré en mi lado del sofá
Para esperarte una vez más.
Where could they be, the kisses that we have yet to count?
You know, and no one else (does).
And on waking up, I will sit on my side of the couch
To wait for you once more.
Te esperaré, mi pena contenida la conoces bien,
También que si me dejas moriré de pie,
No lloraré tu ausencia,
Sólo esperaré y te daré mi vida entera.
I will wait for you, my restrained sorrow you know it well,
(You know) also that if you let me, I will die standing (lit. on my feet),
I will not cry over your absence,
I will only wait and give you my whole life.
[Chorus: “Porque mi amor está por encima de tanta traición…” (Because my love is…)]
¿Dondé estarán los besos que aún nos quedan por contar?
Lo sabes tú y nadie más.
Where could the kisses that we have yet to count be?
You know, and no one else (does).
Yo sin tu amor,
Soy un montón de cosas menos yo.
Me duele tanto el corazón.
Without your love,
I am all sorts of things but not myself.
My heart hurts so much.
Translation Notes:
Yo te esperaré, no importa {que} me quieras.
I will wait for you, it doesn’t matter {if} you want me
I will wait for you, it doesn’t matter {if} you love me
I will wait for you, it doesn’t matter {whether} you want me
Although que is typically translated as “that”, here she is saying that she will wait for the other person no matter their feelings toward her. The verb querer (to love, to want) is typically translated as “to love” when referring to a person, but here the disregard for their feelings makes “to want” seem more appropriate. At no point in the song is there any indication that the singer’s love is reciprocated by feelings of the same intensity, so “if/whether you love me” sounds wrong.
Additionally, “to want” works better with this other line:
No importa que tus ojos no me quieran ver
It does not matter that your eyes don’t want to see me
Here, “to want” is the unambiguous translation of “querer“.
I really like a lot of La Oreja de Van Gogh’s songs. This one always struck me as funny because I don’t think the stalkery vibes were intentional.
—
Yo te escucharé, si tú me has dado tanto
I will listen to you, (how could I not) if you have given me so much
I will listen to you, after all, you have give me so much [*alternative]
I will listen to you, for you have given me so much [*alternative]
si = if, but it is used here the way English uses “after all” in front of a reason for something
tanto = so much
—
Yo a ti te amaré
I will love you
By itself, te amaré = I will love you
Yo a ti (lit. I to you) is added for emphasis, similar to pointing to oneself and then to the other person. I *point* will love you *point*.
—
Porque mi amor está por encima de tanta traición
Because my love is above so much betrayal
encima (de) = on top (of), upon. [Usually right on top, with little or no space in between.]
por encima (de) = over, above. [This sounds higher, with more space in between.]
For example:
1) Ella brincó en la silla. = She jumped on the chair.
2) Ella brincó encima de la silla. = She jumped onto the chair.
3) Ella brincó por encima de la silla. = She jumped over the chair.
Sometimes when you hear #1, it is short for #2. You would have to tell from context if she is jumping repeatedly or if she just jumped once.
—
¿Dondé estarán los besos que {aún} nos quedan por contar?
Where could the kisses that we have {yet} to count be?
Where will the kisses that we have {yet} to count be? [*literal]
1) ¿Dondé estarán (los besos)…? = Where will (the kisses) be…?
2) ¿Dondé podrían estar (los besos)…? = Where could (the kisses) be…?
Spanish often uses #1 and #2 interchangeably, assuming, I think, that they must be somewhere.
quedar [verb] = to remain, to stay
que aún nos quedan = that still/yet remain for us
por contar = [literally] for counting, in order to count
—
Soy un montón de cosas menos yo
I am all sorts of things but not myself
I am a pile of things not including myself
menos = minus (like in math, e.g. three minus one is two); less
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