Definición del amor - Versión Tango
Tango - contradiction holds the tension with elegance and control
Introducción
Las versiones de Tango llevan las letras al territorio del tango de la época dorada: un toque de nostalgia, fatalismo, sufrimiento romántico y esa melancolía elegante que se escucha en las antiguas grabaciones de Buenos Aires. He ajustado el fraseo para que evoque imágenes clásicas del tango (destino, memoria, sombras, noche, anhelo).
English Translation
The Tango versions pushing the lyrics into the proper golden-age tango territory: a bit more nostalgia, fatalism, romantic suffering, and that elegant melancholy you’d hear in old Buenos Aires recordings. I’ve nudged the phrasing toward classic tango imagery (fate, memory, shadows, night, longing).
Poema español / English Poem
The Spanish lyrics sit left and the English translation sits right of the centred cover, with further explanations about the song continuing full width below.
Letras de canciones
Quise adorarte en la vida
con fe de loco y de fiel,
sabiendo que en la partida
yo mismo te iba a perder.
Fuiste promesa y herida,
verdad vestida de error;
te di mi alma encendida
mientras negaba el amor.
Quereme… aunque sea mentira,
dejame… si así ha de ser.
Este amor vive en la herida
de no poder renacer.
Te alcé como a una estrella
para después no alcanzar;
fui santo besando tu huella
y hereje al verte llorar.
Porque amarte era salvarme,
pero también traicionarte;
cuanto más quise quedarme,
más tuve que abandonarte.
Quereme… aunque sea mentira,
dejame… si así ha de ser.
Este amor vive en la herida
de no poder renacer.
Y hoy bailo solo este tango
con tu fantasma en la voz:
amor que muere al nombrarlo…
y vive muriendo en los dos
Lyrics
I wanted to adore you in life
with the faith of a madman and a faithful one,
knowing that in the end
I myself would lose you.
You were promise and wound,
truth dressed in error;
I gave you my burning soul
while denying love.
Love me… even if it's a lie,
leave me… if that's how it has to be.
This love lives in the wound
of not being able to be reborn.
I raised you up like a star
only to never reach you;
I was a saint kissing your footprints
and a heretic seeing you cry.
Because loving you was saving myself,
but also betraying you;
the more I wanted to stay,
the more I had to abandon you.
Love me… even if it's a lie,
leave me… if that's how it has to be.
This love lives in the wound
of not being able to be reborn.
And today I dance this tango alone
with your ghost in my voice:
love that dies when it is named…
and lives dying in both of us.
Tango
Argentine tango songs are a passionate, dramatic musical style originating in late 19th-century Buenos Aires, characterized by complex rhythms (2x4 or 4/4), the dominant sound of the bandoneón, and themes of love, loss, and nostalgia.
Interaction Between Music & Lyrics
The lyrics for this version have changed a bit. It nudged the phrasing toward classic tango imagery: loving someone absolutely while knowing the love itself contains betrayal, distance, or impossibility. The song explores the painful complexity of a love that is both a source of salvation and a cause of betrayal. The lyrics reflect on the paradox of loving someone while knowing the relationship is doomed, leading to a sense of loss and resignation. The lyrics depict a struggle between the desire to hold on and the necessity of letting go, ultimately resulting in a solitary existence. The emotional tone is one of melancholy, longing, and the acceptance of an unchangeable, tragic reality, symbolized by the act of dancing alone.
Technical Snapshot (Concise)
- Tempo & groove: BPM: 136. Moderate tempo with a defined, syncopated tango rhythm, marked by sharp accents and controlled forward momentum.
- Harmony: Minor-key centred with strong, directional progressions, supporting tension and release within a clear formal structure.
- Instrumentation & texture: Traditional tango ensemble (bandoneon, piano, violin, bass), creating a tight, expressive, and rhythmically precise texture.
- Dynamics & production: Dynamic and articulated, with clear contrasts and accents, emphasising phrasing, drama, and structural clarity.