La Ternura Lyrics English Translation by Zahara
What do beauty and youth really matter,
Even sex, the thing you’ve chased so much,
That you’ve wanted to keep, that you’ve protected?
What does it matter when the only thing
That has truly moved you
Is tenderness?
What does it matter now, the times you starved yourself,
Went to bed with an empty stomach,
Stayed home because you felt like nothing,
Like your body was just a size, a prison, a trap?
Nothing lasts forever—
Not even the sadness that won’t let you live,
Not your lifted chest,
Not the knot in your stomach,
Not the stolen kisses,
Not your favorite song,
Or the summer of your life,
Not your grandmother’s homemade stew,
Not the walk on the sand,
Not the sleepless night,
Not the toothache,
Not the thrill in their mouth,
Not feeling like you’re losing your mind,
Or when they leave you shattered,
Not even defeat.
Not the vertigo or the nausea,
Not the panic or the tears,
Not your idol or the pity, not the crowd or the lines,
Not the money in your account,
Not the fear of losing it,
Not the urge to die because they won’t answer.
What do beauty and youth really matter, even sex,
The thing you’ve chased so much,
That you’ve wanted to keep, that you’ve protected?
What does it matter when the only thing
That has truly moved you
Is tenderness?
Tenderness.