La paloma
Ana Belén y Víctor Manuel Lyrics
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Se equivocaba;
Por ir al norte fue al sur
Creyó que el trigo era agua,
Se equivocaba.
Creyó que el mar era el cielo
Que la noche la mañana;
Que las estrellas eran rocío
Que la calor, la nevada;
Se equivocaba, se equivocaba.
Que tu falda era tu blusa
Que tu corazón su casa;
Se equivocaba, se equivocaba.
Ella se durmió en la orilla
Tú en la cumbre de una rama.
Se equivocaba, se equivocaba.
Que tu falda era tu blusa
Que tu corazón su casa;
Se equivocaba, se equivocaba.
Se equivocaba, se equivocaba.
The lyrics of Ana Belén y Víctor Manuel's song La Paloma tell a story of a dove that gets lost, confused and misinterprets everything in its journey. The first verse says "Se equivocó la paloma, se equivocaba; por ir al norte fue al sur, creyó que el trigo era agua, se equivocaba" which means "The dove was mistaken, she was mistaken; by going north she went south, she thought the wheat was water, she was wrong." The dove is metaphorical for someone who makes a mistake by choosing the wrong path, sometimes due to misinterpretation of situations. The second verse continues with this theme, giving us examples of the dove misunderstanding the world, mistaking the sea as the sky and the night as the morning, mistaking stars for dew and heat for cold, and even mistaking a skirt for a blouse and a heart for a house.
The recurring line "Se equivocaba, se equivocaba" emphasizes the repetition of the same mistake and the frustration that comes with it. The chorus of the song describes the dove falling asleep on the shoreline while the listener is high up in a branch, also emphasizing the contrast between making the right choices and being lost.
The song is a beautiful reminder to pay attention to our surroundings and to be careful when choosing our paths as our interpretations of situations might lead us the wrong way.
Line by Line Meaning
Se equivocó la paloma,
The dove made a mistake,
Se equivocaba;
It was mistaken;
Por ir al norte fue al sur
By going north, it went south
Creyó que el trigo era agua,
It thought wheat was water,
Se equivocaba.
It was mistaken.
Creyó que el mar era el cielo
It thought the sea was the sky,
Que la noche la mañana;
That night was morning;
Se equivocaba, se equivocaba.
It was mistaken, it was mistaken.
Que las estrellas eran rocío
That stars were dew,
Que la calor, la nevada;
That heat was snowfall;
Se equivocaba, se equivocaba.
It was mistaken, it was mistaken.
Que tu falda era tu blusa
That your skirt was your blouse,
Que tu corazón su casa;
That your heart was its house;
Se equivocaba, se equivocaba.
It was mistaken, it was mistaken.
Ella se durmió en la orilla
She fell asleep on the shore,
Tú en la cumbre de una rama
You on the top of a branch.
Se equivocaba, se equivocaba.
It was mistaken, it was mistaken.
Que tu falda era tu blusa
That your skirt was your blouse,
Que tu corazón su casa;
That your heart was its house;
Se equivocaba, se equivocaba.
It was mistaken, it was mistaken.
Se equivocaba, se equivocaba.
It was mistaken, it was mistaken.
Contributed by Joshua F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.