“I Am Not For You” Lyrics
Album: 1940 Carmen, 2021
Style: Rock song about a relationship ending due to a loss of feelings from shared sadness (possibly infertility), and breaking up so they can find happiness somewhere else.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube
Translation:
¿Cuánto amor desaparecerá?
¿Cuánto tiempo más tendremos que llorar?
Mejor que acabe aquí, mejor dejarte ir.
Si nos queremos tanto, ¿para qué sufrir?
How much love will disappear?
How much more time will we need to cry?
Better to end it here, better to let you go.
If we love each other so much, why suffer?
Si eras tan feliz, tan feliz,
Ya no pierdas tiempo, da vuelta atrás.
If you were so happy, so happy,
Don’t waste time, turn back now.
No soy para ti, no soy para ti,
No seré siempre joven, mi amor.
Así es mejor.
I am not for you, I am not for you,
I will not always be young, my love.
It is better this way.
Sabes bien que te lo advertí,
¿Cuántas veces más tendremos que morir?
Debemos controlar la sensibilidad.
Tienes tanta vida, ¿para qué llorar?
You know very well that I warned you,
How many more times will we need to die?
We have to control our sensibilities.
You have so much life, why cry?
Si eras tan feliz, tan feliz,
Ya no pierdas tiempo, da vuelta atrás.
No soy para ti, no soy para ti,
No seré siempre joven, amor.
(x2)
If you were so happy, so happy,
Don’t waste time, turn back now.
I am not for you, I am not for you,
I will not always be young, my love.
(x2)
Qué tonta manera de amar,
Y yo que he vivido tanto,
En serie desaparecer, [*No vale la pena apostar, (live version)]
Por favor, no más, ya no.
What a dumb way to love,
And I who have lived so much…!
To disappear by dilution, [*There is no point in betting, (live version)]
Please, no more, not anymore.
Qué tonta manera de amar,
El miedo se vuelve magnético,
No vale la pena apostar,
Por favor, por favor.
What a dumb way to love,
The fear becomes magnetic,
There is no point in betting,
Please, please.
Si eras tan feliz, tan feliz,
Ya no pierdas tiempo, da vuelta atrás.
No soy para ti, no soy para ti,
No seré siempre joven, mi amor.
If you were so happy, so happy,
Don’t waste time, turn back now.
I am not for you, I am not for you,
I will not always be young, my love.
Si eras tan feliz, tan feliz,
Ya no pierdas tiempo, da vuelta atrás.
No soy para ti, no soy para ti,
Sé que así es mejor.
No seré siempre joven, mi amor.
If you were so happy, so happy,
Don’t waste time, turn back now.
I am not for you, I am not for you,
I know that it is better this way.
I will not always be young, my love.
Así es mejor,
Así es mejor,
Así es mejor.
It is better this way,
It is better this way,
It is better this way.
Translation Notes:
No soy para ti, no soy para ti,
No seré siempre joven, mi amor.
I am not for you, I am not for you,
I will not always be young, my love.
The singer is in relationship that is fizzling out for whatever reason, but they are still holding on to it, and the singer has had enough. She says they are not meant for each other. Time is wasting. She will not be young forever.
Sabes bien que te lo advertí,
¿Cuántas veces más tendremos que morir?
Debemos controlar la sensibilidad.
Tienes tanta vida, ¿para qué llorar?
You know very well that I warned you,
How many more times will we need to die?
We have to control our sensibilities.
You have so much life, why cry?
This stanza makes me wonder if the relationship is ending due to miscarriages or infertility. They have suffered events that made them figuratively “die” together. The singer talks about how it is time to think rationally about this (control sensibilities/feelings). The singer talks about how she is aging (won’t be young forever), but talks about her lover having so much life and how they shouldn’t cry over this.
Mejor que acabe aquí, mejor dejarte ir.
Si nos queremos tanto, ¿para qué sufrir?
Better to end it here, better to let you go.
If we love each other so much, why suffer?
Y yo que he vivido tanto,
And I who have lived so much…!
This part refers to the singer’s realization that the relationship is over, and how it snuck up on her. She has life experience and presumably the wisdom that comes with that, so why did this happen? It is an expression of regret.
Qué tonta manera de amar,
Y yo que he vivido tanto,
En serie desaparecer,
Por favor, no más, ya no.
What a dumb way to love,
And I who have lived so much…!
To disappear by dilution, [*my interpretation]
Please, no more, not anymore.
What a dumb way to love,
And I who have lived so much,
To disappear in series, [*word-for-word literal]
Please, no more, not anymore.
The bolded line refers to serial dilutions (like in chemistry class) where you dilute the compound more and more until the concentration is so low that effectively you don’t have anything left. This is what the couple is doing to their love, which started strong and has been slowly diluted over time, diminished to the point where it feels gone. At that point, the singer says it is better to break up.
This bold line doesn’t appear in the live recording. It is replaced by a repetition of the line “No vale la pena apostar” (There is no point in betting) which appears in the next stanza. Here she means the odds are low that the relationship will flourish. It could also be another hint that the couple is suffering from infertility and she is admitting that the odds of a baby are low. This second interpretation is more relevant for the next stanza:
El miedo se vuelve magnético,
No vale la pena apostar.
The fear becomes magnetic,
There is no point in betting.
[Si eras] tan feliz, tan feliz,
<Ya> no pierdas tiempo, da vuelta atrás.
No soy para ti…
[If you were] so happy, so happy,
Don’t waste <any more> time, turn back now.
I am not for you…
[For you were] so happy, so happy,
Don’t waste <any more> time, turn back now.
I am not for you…
On my first listen of this song, before I paid too much attention, I thought this stanza was the common breakup song bitterness, “you’re always telling me you were happy before me… well then no point staying together, bye!”
But actually I think the singer loves her partner and is suffering, seeing them suffer also, seeing how neither of them is happy anymore, and wants to end their relationship so her lover can find happiness again somewhere else. She is telling them not to waste time, that happiness is out there, but not with her.
Así es mejor.
It is better this way.
This song is much more melancholy and sad than I first realized. If anyone out there is suffering from infertility or other relationship-ending pain, my best wishes to you and your future.
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