He was born in the rural mountain village of Songo La Maya, Cuba on June 11, 1946 and was a child of his father's second marriage. One of six siblings, he was the oldest boy. He began playing the guitar when he was six and in 1978 he joined Cuarteto Patria, a band that has played since 1940.
Volver
Eliades Ochoa & El Cuarteto Patria Lyrics
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De las luces que a lo lejos
Van marcando mi retorno
Son las mismas que alumbraron
Con sus pálidos reflejos
Hondas horas de dolor
Y aunque no quise el regreso
Siempre se vuelve al primer amor
"tuya es su vida, tuyo es su querer"
Bajo el burlón mirar de las estrellas
Que con indiferencia hoy me ven volver
Volver
Con la frente marchita
Las nieves del tiempo
Platearon mi sien
Sentir, que es un soplo la vida
Que veinte años no es nada
Que febril la mirada
Errante en las sombras
Te busca y te nombra
Vivir
Con el alma aferrada
A un dulce recuerdo
Que lloro otra vez
Tengo miedo del encuentro
Con el pasado que vuelve
A enfrentarse con mi vida
Tengo miedo de las noches
Que, pobladas de recuerdos
Encadenen mi soñar
Pero el viajero que huye
Tarde o temprano detiene su andar
Y aunque el olvido que todo destruye
Haya matado mi vieja ilusión
Guarda escondida una esperanza humilde
Que es toda la fortuna de mi corazón
The lyrics of Eliades Ochoa's song "Volver" beautifully evoke the bittersweet emotions that come with returning to a place or person from the past. The first two lines of the song set the scene for the rest of the lyrics - the singer sees the blinking lights in the distance, which mark their returning journey. They recognize these same lights as the ones that illuminated their previous struggles, pains, and sorrows. Although the singer did not intend to come back, they find themselves inevitably drawn to their first love - the place or person who holds a special place in their heart.
The next few lines describe how the singer walks through a quiet street, where the echoes remind them that their past life belonged to someone else - and yet, the stars above see them with a mocking indifference. The chorus "Volver" reinforces the idea of returning, with a poignant reflection on the passage of time. The singer sings about how time has silvered their hair and how they now understand that twenty years is nothing in the grand scheme of things. They still long for their first love, and even though they wander erratically through the shadows, they continue to seek and call out that person's name.
The final verses confront the singer's fears about their past and memories. They worry about facing the past and how it might interrupt their present life. However, they also acknowledge that no matter how far one travels, the past will always catch up with them eventually. Thus, the song ends on a hopeful note that even though everything changes with time, one can always hold on to the simple hope of reconnecting with the past and rediscovering the love that was lost.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo adivino el parpadeo
I foresee the flicker
De las luces que a lo lejos
of the lights in the distance
Van marcando mi retorno
marking my return
Son las mismas que alumbraron
They are the same ones that illuminated
Con sus pálidos reflejos
with their pale reflections
Hondas horas de dolor
deep hours of pain
Y aunque no quise el regreso
And although I didn't want to come back
Siempre se vuelve al primer amor
you always return to your first love
La quieta calle donde el eco dijo
the quiet street where the echo said
"tuya es su vida, tuyo es su querer"
"their life is yours, their love is yours"
Bajo el burlón mirar de las estrellas
under the mocking gaze of the stars
Que con indiferencia hoy me ven volver
who today see me return with indifference
Volver
To return
Con la frente marchita
With a withered face
Las nieves del tiempo
the snows of time
Platearon mi sien
turned my temples silver
Sentir, que es un soplo la vida
to feel that life is but a breath
Que veinte años no es nada
that twenty years is nothing
Que febril la mirada
that the gaze is feverish
Errante en las sombras
wandering in the shadows
Te busca y te nombra
it seeks and names you
Vivir
to live
Con el alma aferrada
with the soul clinging
A un dulce recuerdo
to a sweet memory
Que lloro otra vez
that I cry again
Tengo miedo del encuentro
I am afraid of the encounter
Con el pasado que vuelve
with the past that returns
A enfrentarse con mi vida
to confront my life
Tengo miedo de las noches
I am afraid of the nights
Que, pobladas de recuerdos
that, filled with memories
Encadenen mi soñar
chain my dreams
Pero el viajero que huye
But the traveler who flees
Tarde o temprano detiene su andar
sooner or later stops walking
Y aunque el olvido que todo destruye
And although forgetting destroys everything
Haya matado mi vieja ilusión
it has killed my old illusion
Guarda escondida una esperanza humilde
a humble hope is hidden
Que es toda la fortuna de mi corazón
that's all the treasure of my heart
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Carlos Gardel, Alfredo Le Pera
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind