“I Ask God”
Album: Un Día Normal (A Normal Day), 2003
Style: Rock, hopeful for the future, love song
Country: Colombia
Listen: YouTube
Translation:
Que mis ojos se despierten
Con la luz de tu mirada, yo…
A Dios le pido.
That my eyes wake up
With the light of your gaze, I…
Ask God.
Que mi madre no se muera y
Que mi padre me recuerde,
A Dios le pido.
That my mother not die and
That my father remember me,
I ask God.
Que te quedes a mi lado y
Que más nunca te me vayas, mi vida
…A Dios le pido.
That you stay by my side and
That you never leave me, my life
…I ask God.
Que mi alma no descanse
Cuando de amarte se trate, mi cielo,
…A Dios le pido.
That my soul not rest
When it comes to loving you, my heaven
…I ask God.
Por los días que me quedan y
Las noches que aún no llegan yo…
A Dios le pido.
For the days that I have left and
The nights that don’t yet come I…
Ask God.
Por los hijos de mis hijos
Y los hijos de tus hijos,
A Dios le pido.
For the children of my children
And the children of your children,
I ask God.
Que mi pueblo no derrame tanta sangre
Y se levante mi gente,
A Dios le pido.
That my village not shed so much blood
And that my people rise,
I ask God.
Que mi alma no descanse
Cuando de amarte se trate mi cielo,
A Dios le pido.
That my soul never rest
When loving you is what my heaven is about,
I ask God.
Un segundo más de vida para darte
Y mi corazón entero entregarte.
Un segundo más de vida para darte
Y a tu lado para siempre yo quedarme.
One more second of my life to give you
And my entire heart to entrust to you.
One more second of my life to give you
And by your side forever stay.
Un segundo más de vida, yo…
A Dios le pido.
A second more of life, I…
Ask God.
Y que si me muero sea de amor,
Y si me enamoro sea de vos,
Y que de tu voz sea este corazón.
Todos los días a Dios le pido.
(x2)
And that if I die, it be for love,
And if I fall in love, it (my love) be for you,
And that of your voice this heart belong.
Every day, I ask God.
(x2)
[Repeat from top]
Translation Notes:
This song was translated sometime in 2004-2007. It was posted at my Geocities, then moved to my LiveJournal, then moved to Songlations.com with minor edits in September 2022.
Mi vida (my life) and mi cielo (my heaven) are used in Spanish the way one would use “sweatheart,” “love,” and “honey” in English. Other terms of endearment used in Spanish are corazón (heart), mi amor (my love), and mi luz (my light).
Y que si me muero sea de amor,
Y si me enamoro sea de vos,
Y que de tu voz sea este corazón.
And that if I die, it be for love,
And if I fall in love, it (my love) be for you,
And that of your voice this heart belong.
Note that vos (you) sounds like voz, which means “voice.” The ambiguity is intentional and adds another level of meaning to this line, implying that he hopes for love that is not shallow.
A Dios le pido.
I ask God.
The verb pedirle means to request something of someone. It breaks down to the simpler form pedir, which means to request (to ask). This song is a prayer in Latin rock form.
Juanes tends to make references to the on-going violence and conflict in Colombia in his songs.
This song does not have as many references, but a few lines (“That my mother not die and
that my father remember me” and “That my village not shed so much blood”) do make oblique references to the conflict.
Songlations 