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Tus labios me dirán (1945)

Your Lips Will Tell Me
lyrics by Hector Marcó

You don’t love me anymore, but I can’t blame you—
if you can do this, then I can hide my tears.
But you alone, you and my heart,
shall answer to God one day.

There’s nothing left now, nothing left to say—
you’re preparing to begin
and I’m preparing to leave.
For the sake of my love, don’t say your goodbye—
I ask only for a corner where I can lay down to die.

Living
like a shadow following you,
like a perpetual (thirsty) dreamer,
I tried to win your love
and embrace my faith.

I stumbled
and I drowned in my tears,
the sweet petals of light
that like a tempest your lips
tore from the stem of my suffering.

I gave up my life for them,
I gave in to sorrow for you,
and now that I am on my knees
begging to love your soul
your lips will tell me, “goodbye.”

Note: The first verse opens the Di Sarli version but is not sung in the Biagi version. The verse and word in italics appear in the Biagi version, but not the Di Sarli version.

Orquesta Carlos Di Sarli, singer Jorge Durán

Orquesta Rodolfo Biagi, singer Alberto Amor

(Spanish original after the jump)

Tus labios me dirán

No me quieres más, ni te culparé—
si de esto eres capaz, mi llanto ocultaré.
Pero sólo tú, tú y mi corazón
darán cuentas a Dios alguna vez.

Nada queda ya, nada por decir—
te aprestas tú a empezar
y yo para partir.
Pero por mi amor, cállate el adiós—
te pido ese rincón para morir. 

Vivir
como una sombra tras de ti,
como un eterno (sediento) soñador,
quise alcanzar tu amor
para abrazar mi fe.

Rodé
y entre mis lágrimas ahogué
los dulces pétalos de luz
que desfloraban en mi cruz
como un turbión, tus labios.

Por ellos me negué a la vida
por ti me resigné al dolor,
y hoy que de rodillas
a tu alma quiero amar
tus labios me dirán adiós.

About Derrick Del Pilar

Born and raised in Chicago, I came to the tango while studying at the Universidad de Belgrano in Buenos Aires in 2006. In 2008 I earned my B.A. with majors in Creative Writing and Spanish & Portuguese from the University of Arizona, and in 2009 I earned an M.A. in Latin American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. My specialty is the history & literature of early 20th century Argentina.

Discussion

One thought on “Tus labios me dirán (1945)

  1. Derrick, que placer dar con tu blog. Estoy realizando mi tesina para recibirme de traductora cuyo titulo posible es ” la traduccion del lunfardo en las letras del tango argentino. Me gustaria enviarte mi trabajo y conocer tu opinion. Muchas gracias!

    Posted by patricia arce | 03.22.2014, 11:50 AM

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