“She Who Got Away” Lyrics
Album: Album (AlbumTranslation), Year
Style: Ranchera. Regretful song about the one who got away.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube
Translation:
¡Ay, amor, amor mío, uy-ya!
Oh, love, my love, uh-ya!
Tengo dinero en el mundo,
Dinero maldito que nada vale.
Aunque me miren sonriendo,
La pena que traigo
Ni Dios la sabe.
I have money in this world,
Damn money worth nothing.
Though they see me smiling,
The sorrow I carry
Not even God knows it.
Yo conocí la pobreza,
Y allá entre los pobres
Jamás lloré.
I knew poverty,
And there among the poor
I never cried.
¿Yo pa’ qué quiero riqueza
Si voy con el alma
Perdida y sin fe?
What do I need riches for
If I go with my soul
Lost and without faith?
Yo lo que quiero es que vuelva,
Que vuelva conmigo,
La que se fue.
I – what I want is for her to return,
To return to me,
The one who got away.
(¡Vuelve, ingrata mía!
¡Ay, ay, ay amor!)
(Return, my ingrate!
Oh, oh, oh love!)
Si es necesario que llore,
La vida completa por ella lloro,
De qué me sirve el dinero,
Si sufro una pena,
Si estoy tan solo.
If it is necessary that I cry,
I will cry my whole life out for her,
What good is money to me,
If I suffer this sorrow,
If I am so alone.
Puedo comprar mil mujeres
Y darme una vida
De gran placer,
Pero el cariño comprado
Ni sabe querernos
Ni puede ser fiel.
I can buy a thousand women
And give myself a life
Of great pleasure,
But affection that is bought
Does not know how to love us,
Nor can it be faithful.
Yo lo que quiero es que vuelva,
Que vuelva conmigo
La que se fue.
I – what I want is for her to return,
To return to me,
The one who got away.
Translation Notes:
Yo [lo que quiero] {es} <que vuelva>
I – [what I want] {is} <for her to return>>
I [what I want] {is} <that she return>
The initial “yo” is not grammatically required since querer (to want) is conjugated in first person singular (quiero) which is distinct enough that “yo” is implied. The singer adds “yo” at the start for emphasis, so I did it for the translation also. You can achieve a similar effect in English by pausing between “what I want” and “is for her to return”.
¡Vuelve, ingrata mía!
¡Ay, ay, ay amor!
Return, my ingrate!
Oh, oh, oh love!
Ok you mourning broken-hearted visitors, a bit of advice for you: if you want your ex lover to return, maybe don’t call them an ingrate!
Si es necesario que llore,
La vida completa por ella lloro.
If it is necessary that I cry,
I will cry my whole life out for her.
The singer is sad that their lover is gone, but there is also some machismo here saying, “men don’t cry, but if I HAVE to then fine, I will do it for her.”
Puedo comprar mil mujeres
Y darme una vida de gran placer,
Pero…
I can buy a thousand women
And give myself a life of great pleasure,
But…
The singer’s pride and sorrow are fighting in this song. He is saying he has money — and that’s true, José Alfredo Jiménez was a very prolific singer-songwriter and made a lot of money! — but then he explains why money can’t buy him happiness.
Pero el cariño <comprado>
Ni sabe [querernos]
Ni puede <ser fiel>.
But affection <that is bought>
Does not know [how to love us],
Nor can it <be faithful>.
But affection <bought>
Neither knows [how to love us],
Nor can it <be faithful/loyal>.
Ultimately, this song is a lament that, though he has gotten far in life and gained much, he was never able to keep his relationship with la que se fue (she who got away).
“La Que Se Fue” by Jose Alfredo Jimenez
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