“Como Quien Pierde Una Estrella” (Like How One Loses a Star) by Alejandro Fernández, English translation

“Like How One Loses a Star”
Album: Que Seas Muy Feliz (May You Be Very Happy), 1995
Style: Wailing prayer and mourning after the loss of a lover (likely by breakup), with orchestral mariachi.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Te quiero,
Lo digo como un lamento,
Como un quejido que el viento
Se lleva por donde quiera.

I love you,
I say it like a lament,
Like a howl that the wind
Takes away wherever it goes.

Te quiero,
Que pena haberte perdido,
Como quien pierde una estrella
Que se le va al infinito.

I love you,
What a shame having lost you,
Like how one loses a star
That escapes from them to the infinite.

Ay a a a a a y~
Ay a a a a a y~

Quiero que se oiga mi llanto,
Como me dolió perderte
Después de quererte tanto.

I want for my cry to be heard,
How it hurt me to lose you
After loving you so much.

Ay, después de quererla tanto,
Diosito dame consuelo
Para sacarme de adentro
Esto que me esta matando.
Ay ya ya ay~

Ay, after loving her so much,
Sweet God, give me solace
To take out from inside me
This thing that is killing me.
Ay ya ya ay~

Te quiero,
Lo digo como un lamento,
Como un quejido que el viento
Se lleva por donde quiera.

I love you,
I say it like a lament,
Like a howl that the wind
Takes away wherever it goes.

Te quiero,
Que pena haberte perdido,
Como quien pierde una estrella
Que se le va al infinito.

I love you,
What a shame having lost you,
Like how one loses a star
That escapes from them to the infinite.

Ay a a a a a a a ay~
A a a a a a a a ay~

Quiero que se oiga mi llanto
Como me dolió perderte
Después de quererte tanto.

I want for my cry to be heard,
How it hurt me to lose you
After loving you so much.

Ay, después de quererla tanto,
Diosito dame consuelo
Para sacarme de adentro
Esto que me esta matando.
Ay ya ya ay~

Ay, after loving her so much,
Sweet God, give me solace
To take out from inside me
This thing that is killing me.
Ay ay ya ya~

Ay a a a a a a a ay~
A a a a a a a a ay~
Te quiero.

I love you.

Translation Notes:

Lo digo… Como un quejido que el viento
{Se lleva} [por donde quiera].

I say it… Like a howl that the wind
{Takes away} [wherever it goes].

I say it… Like a moan that the wind
{Takes} [by wherever it wants].

Un quejido is a howl, moan, or growl made by animals or the wind or monsters. The word itself is somewhat onomatopoeic, starting with a sharp sound (que-) and fading away (-jido…).

---

[Como quien] {pierde} una estrella
Que <se le va> al infinito.

[Like how one] {loses} a star
That <escapes from them> to the infinite.

[Like how one] {loses} a star
That <runs from them> to the infinite expanse of space.

The word va is a conjugation of the verb ir (to go), but here it is se va (it goes away) and more specifically se le va (it goes away from them).

---

Después de quererte tanto.
Ay, después de quererla tanto
Diosito, dame consuelo…

After loving you so much.
Ay, after loving her so much,
Sweet God, give me solace…

Here, the verb conjugations change with the recipient of the song. The singer first he sings to his lover, with –te referring to “you”, then switches to sing to God about his lost romantic love, with –la referring to “her” (his lover).

Diosito is Dios (God) + suffix ito which is here used affectionately. He is begging God for solace, for relief.

---

…Para [sacarme] {de adentro}
Esto que me esta matando.
Ay ya ya ay~

…To [take out] {from inside} [me]
This thing that is killing me.
Ay ya ya ay~

The final line is vocal sounds but also ya means “enough” or “already” or “now” in Spanish. In between the vocal ay (oh), Alejandro Fernández is mixing in some ya (enough). He can’t take it anymore.

---

“Como Quien Pierde Una Estrella” by Alejandro Fernandez