Mediterráneo
Joan Manuel Serrat; Juan Alberto Amargos; OBC Lyrics
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Sigue jugando en tu playa
Y escondido tras las cañas
Duerme mi primer amor
Llevo tu luz y tu olor
Por dondequiera que vaya
Y amontonado en tu arena
Guardo amor, juegos y penas
Yo, que en la piel tengo el sabor
Amargo del llanto eterno
Que han vertido en ti cien pueblos
De Algeciras a Estambul
Para que pintes de azul
Sus largas noches de invierno
A fuerza de desventuras
Tu alma es profunda y oscura
A tus atardeceres rojos
Se acostumbraron mis ojos
Como el recodo al camino
Soy cantor, soy embustero
Me gusta el juego y el vino
Tengo alma de marinero
Qué le voy a hacer, si yo
Nací en el Mediterráneo
Nací en el Mediterráneo
Y te acercas, y te vas
Después de besar mi aldea
Jugando con la marea
Te vas, pensando en volver
Eres como una mujer
Perfumadita de brea
Que se añora y que se quiere
Que se conoce y se teme
Ay, si un día para mi mal
Viene a buscarme la parca
Empujad al mar mi barca
Con un levante otoñal
Y dejad que el temporal
Desguace sus alas blancas
Y a mí enterradme sin duelo
Entre la playa y el cielo
En la ladera de un monte
Más alto que el horizonte
Quiero tener buena vista
Mi cuerpo será camino
Le daré verde a los pinos
Y amarillo a la genista
Cerca del mar, porque yo
Nací en el Mediterráneo
Nací en el Mediterráneo
Nací en el Mediterráneo
The Joan Manuel Serrat song "Mediterráneo" is a beautiful ode to the Mediterranean Sea, which symbolizes both the beauty of the region and the pain its people have endured throughout history. In the first verse, Serrat talks about how his childhood memories of playing on the beach and falling in love for the first time still live on in his mind. He also mentions carrying the scent and the light of the Mediterranean with him wherever he goes, and keeping within himself all the love, joy, and sadness that he has experienced there over time.
In the second verse, Serrat highlights the many struggles and hardships that have taken place in the Mediterranean region over the centuries. He speaks of the tears of countless peoples being poured into the sea, from Algeciras to Estambul, and how the sea has come to be a source of solace and comfort for them. Despite the depths of sorrow that exist beneath the surface, however, the sea remains full of beauty and a powerful symbol of resilience.
Finally, in the third verse, the singer imagines himself passing away, expressing his desire to be buried near the sea that has been such an important part of his life. He specifies that he wants his body to become part of the landscape, with his bones becoming a road, and his spirit infusing the pine trees and wildflowers. The song concludes with the line "I was born in the Mediterranean," tying together all the different themes and emotions that have been explored throughout the course of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Quizás porque mi niñez
Perhaps because my childhood
Sigue jugando en tu playa
continues to play on your beach
Y escondido tras las cañas
And hidden behind the reeds
Duerme mi primer amor
Lies my first love asleep
Llevo tu luz y tu olor
I carry your light and your scent
Por dondequiera que vaya
Wherever I go
Y amontonado en tu arena
And piled up in your sand
Guardo amor, juegos y penas
I keep love, games, and sorrows
Yo, que en la piel tengo el sabor
I, who in my skin have the taste
Amargo del llanto eterno
Bitter of eternal tears
Que han vertido en ti cien pueblos
That one hundred towns have shed on you
De Algeciras a Estambul
From Algeciras to Istanbul
Para que pintes de azul
So that you paint in blue
Sus largas noches de invierno
Their long winter nights
A fuerza de desventuras
Through force of misfortune
Tu alma es profunda y oscura
Your soul is deep and dark
A tus atardeceres rojos
To your red sunsets
Se acostumbraron mis ojos
My eyes got used to them
Como el recodo al camino
Like the bend in the road
Soy cantor, soy embustero
I am a singer, I am a liar
Me gusta el juego y el vino
I like games and wine
Tengo alma de marinero
I have a sailor's soul
Qué le voy a hacer, si yo
What am I going to do if I
Nací en el Mediterráneo
Am born in the Mediterranean
Y te acercas, y te vas
And you come closer, and you go away
Después de besar mi aldea
After kissing my village
Jugando con la marea
Playing with the tide
Te vas, pensando en volver
You leave, thinking about returning
Eres como una mujer
You are like a woman
Perfumadita de brea
Perfumed with tar
Que se añora y que se quiere
That is missed and that is loved
Que se conoce y se teme
That is known and feared
Ay, si un día para mi mal
Oh, if one day to my misfortune
Viene a buscarme la parca
The Grim Reaper comes to find me
Empujad al mar mi barca
Push my boat out to sea
Con un levante otoñal
With an autumnal easterly wind
Y dejad que el temporal
And let the storm
Desguace sus alas blancas
Break apart its white wings
Y a mí enterradme sin duelo
And bury me without sorrow
Entre la playa y el cielo
Between the beach and the sky
En la ladera de un monte
On the slope of a mountain
Más alto que el horizonte
Higher than the horizon
Quiero tener buena vista
I want to have a good view
Mi cuerpo será camino
My body will become a path
Le daré verde a los pinos
I will give green to the pines
Y amarillo a la genista
And yellow to the broom
Cerca del mar, porque yo
Near the sea, because I
Nací en el Mediterráneo
Was born in the Mediterranean
Nací en el Mediterráneo
Was born in the Mediterranean
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Juan Manuel Serrat Teresa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind