“Desvelado” (Sleepless) by Bobby Pulido, English translation

“Sleepless”
Album: Puro Tejano Gold (Pure Texan Gold), 2008
Style: Texan ranchera with a very slight cumbia influence. Bobby Pulido is a Mexican-American singer. This song is about unrequited and unknown love. The poor guy falls in love with a voice he heard on the radio. Listen to his sleepless tale below.
Country: USA (Texas)
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Será fe que yo encontré… una voz de ternura
Que me llena de placer, cuando la oigo hablar.
Con ella me enamoré, aunque nunca la conoci.
Sueño en su querer y en sus brazos quiero dormir.

It must be fate that I found… a tender voice
Who fills me with pleasure, when I hear it speak.
I fell in love with her, even though I never met her.
I dream about her love and I want to sleep in her arms.

Escucho cada día la radio
Seguro que la vuelvo a oír.
Por el cielo busco mi estrella;
A la luna quiero subir.

I listen to the radio every day
Sure that I will hear her again.
Among the heavens I search for my star;
I want to rise to the moon.

Voy desvelado
Por estas calles esperando encontrar
A esa voz de angel que quiero amar.
¿Donde andara?

I walk sleepless
Through these streets hoping to find
That angel voice I want to love.
Where can it be?

Voy desvelado
Y mi deseo no me deja descansar.
Porque despierto y no me pongo a llorar,
Yo seguiré desvelado y sin amor.

I walk sleepless
And my wish does not allow me to rest.
Because I wake up and cannot cry,
I will continue sleepless and without love.

[Repeat]

Translation Notes:

Voy desvelado

I walk sleepless
I go sleepless

Poor guy! I hope he finds love.

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desvelado/desvelada [adj.] = sleepless; awake (not having slept and not sleeping)

desvelar [verb] = to keep up, to keep awake past the time when one should be sleeping

desvelarse [verb] = to keep oneself up/awake past the time when one should be sleeping

velar [verb] = to keep vigil; to stay awake. The verb velar has a more positive (and less unhealthy) connotation than desvelar.

vela [f. noun] = candle

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Por el cielo busco mi estrella

Among the heavens I search for my star
Among the sky I search for my star

“El cielo” means both the sky and the heavens. I translated to “heavens” due to the romance and the later reference to an angel voice.

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A esa voz de angel que quiero amar.
¿Donde andara?

That angel voice that I want to love.
Where can it be?

That angel voice that I want to love.
Where can she be?

Here, “andara” can refer to both the voice and the person behind the voice. Either interpretation is correct.