Extranjero
Maria Gadú Lyrics

In "Extranjero," Brazilian singer Maria Gadú explores the personal and emotional experience of being a foreigner. The song speaks of the feeling of disconnection and fragmentation that can come with being away from one's home, while acknowledging the strength of love that remains whole even in the midst of such division. The opening lines, "Ahora yo soy para ti/Solamente un extranjero" (Now I am for you/Only a foreigner), encapsulate this sense of being relegated to a position of otherness. The singer describes their life as being divided in two, but their love, at least, is complete.

As the song unfolds, the singer expresses a sense of cultural homelessness, symbolized by the line "Nada bajo de mi bandera" (I bring nothing under my flag). Gadú's music, she says, straddles "the finite lines of the border," much like herself as an artist and individual. Even as she searches for space and connection, she acknowledges the difficulty of finding a home that feels truly hers. The repeated phrase "Buscando los espacios" (Searching for spaces) emphasizes this quest for belonging.

The second half of the song moves into more concrete imagery, showing the singer focused on particular places (Buenos Aires, Lima, Barcelona) as they long for connection with someone specific. "Mirándote mirar" (Watching you look) suggests a sense of longing that is both intense and somewhat removed, while the final line, "Deseando ahora no ser/Extranjero" (Now wishing not to be/A foreigner), brings the song full circle, expressing a deeply-felt desire to belong somewhere and with someone.