Song guide

Viajando Por El Mundo

Manu Chao, KAROL G

Viajando Por El Mundo by Manu Chao, KAROL G, line by line: what the lyrics mean, 28 expressions explained and 523 words translated with their grammar. Learn Spanish from the song, free.

69 lines translated 523 words explained 28 expressions

Lyrics with English translation, line by line

Each line as sung, what it means, and — where it needs one — why it's said that way.

Salida del vuelo con destino a la felicidad

Departure of the flight bound for happiness

The song opens with airport departure imagery, framing the entire song as a metaphorical flight toward happiness. This sets up the travel-as-life-philosophy theme that runs throughout.
Viajando por el mundo, me encontré

Traveling through the world, I found myself
Cosas hermosas que antes no veía

Beautiful things I didn't see before
Personas que disfrutan un amanecer

People who enjoy a sunrise
Y las cosas sencillas que nos da la vida

And the simple things that life gives us
Es un regalo despertarse

It's a gift to wake up
Andar por ahí diciendo "buenos días"

Going around saying 'good morning'
Y ni pa' qué preocuparse

And there's no point in worrying
Si nada nos llevamos al final del día

If we take nothing with us at the end of the day
De aquí yo no me voy sin haber vivido

I'm not leaving here without having lived
Voy a gozar la vida mientras respiro

I'm going to enjoy life while I breathe
Contar historias y no tiempo perdido

To tell stories and not count lost time
Y no, no es existir, es sentirse vivo

And no, it's not just existing, it's feeling alive
Voy a gozar la vida mientras respiro

I'm going to enjoy life while I breathe
Mi miedo no еs morir, es no haber vivido

My fear is not dying, it's not having lived
Casarnos en Las Vеgas sin papel

Getting married in Las Vegas without paperwork

Las Vegas is famous for its quick, informal wedding chapels where couples can marry with minimal paperwork. 'Sin papel' (without paper) refers to the lack of formal bureaucratic process, playing on Las Vegas's reputation for spontaneous weddings.
En México beber litros de tequila

In Mexico drinking liters of tequila
Mirar las lucecitas de la Torre Eiffel

Watching the little lights of the Eiffel Tower

The Torre Eiffel (Eiffel Tower) in Paris lights up every hour after dark with a sparkling light show. The diminutive 'lucecitas' (little lights) affectionately refers to this famous spectacle.
Sostener pa' una foto la torre Pisa

Holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa for a photo

The Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy is famous for its tilt. Tourists traditionally pose in photos pretending to 'hold up' or 'push' the tower — a classic tourist photo cliché that the song references warmly.
Nadar sin ropa en una playa en Ibiza

Swimming naked on a beach in Ibiza

Ibiza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean known internationally for its beaches, nightlife, and party culture. It is a major destination for European and Latin American tourists.
Bajar las ventanas pa' sentir la brisa

Rolling down the windows to feel the breeze
Correr bajo la lluvia sin camisa

Running in the rain without a shirt
Y con un peso en Nueva York, comer una pizza

And with one peso in New York, eating a pizza

The peso is the currency of several Latin American countries including Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina. Saying 'with one peso in New York' humorously highlights the extreme purchasing power difference — a peso is worth very little in New York, making buying a pizza nearly impossible.
De aquí yo no me voy sin haber vivido

I'm not leaving here without having lived
De aquí yo no me voy sin sentirse vivo

I'm not leaving here without feeling alive
Soñé otro mundo, tan lejos y tan cerca

I dreamed of another world, so far and so close
Soñé otro viaje, cuatro caminos

I dreamed of another journey, four roads
Cinco destinos, soñé la risa

Five destinations, I dreamed of laughter
Soñé la ilusión, soñé otro mundo

I dreamed of hope, I dreamed of another world

la ilusión in Spanish carries a meaning of hopeful excitement or a cherished aspiration, quite different from the English 'illusion'. This is a common source of confusion for English speakers.
Ay, pero qué bonito es

Oh, but how beautiful it is
Gritar "pura vida" en Costa Rica

To shout 'pura vida' in Costa Rica

'Pura vida' is Costa Rica's national motto and most iconic expression. It is used as a greeting, farewell, expression of thanks, and general affirmation that life is good. It reflects the country's philosophy of simple, joyful living.
Tomarnos en Colombia un buen café

To have a good coffee with us in Colombia

Colombia is world-renowned for its coffee, particularly from the Andean regions. Colombian coffee culture is a point of national pride, and offering or sharing a 'tinto' (black coffee) is a deeply social act.
Y un agua panelita en una noche fría

And a panela drink on a cold night

Agua panelita (also called agua de panela) is a traditional Colombian hot drink made by dissolving panela (unrefined whole cane sugar) in water. It is a beloved comfort drink, especially on cold nights in the Andean highlands.
Hacer amigos en cualquier esquina

Making friends on any street corner
Coger una nota y morir de risa

Getting a buzz and dying of laughter

coger una nota is Colombian slang for getting a buzz from alcohol. The word 'nota' (literally 'note') is used in Colombian slang to mean a state of mild intoxication or a good mood.
El lujo no son diamantes en un Cartier

Luxury is not diamonds in a Cartier

Cartier is a French luxury jewelry and watch brand, one of the most prestigious in the world. Mentioning 'diamantes en un Cartier' evokes the pinnacle of material luxury, which the song then contrasts with the 'true luxury' of living without rush.
El verdadero lujo es vivir sin prisa

True luxury is living without rush
Soñé otro mundo, tan lejos y tan cerca

I dreamed of another world, so far and so close
Lo conseguí soñando, lo conseguí luchando

I achieved it by dreaming, I achieved it by fighting
Soñé al despertar

I dreamed upon waking
Soñé otro mundo, soñé otro mundo

I dreamed of another world, I dreamed of another world
De aquí yo no me voy sin haber vivido

I'm not leaving here without having lived
Voy a gozar la vida mientras respiro

I'm going to enjoy life while I breathe
Contar historias y no tiempo perdido (Soñé otro mundo)

To tell stories and not count lost time (I dreamed of another world)
Y no, no es existir, es sentirse vivo

And no, it's not just existing, it's feeling alive
Voy a gozar la vida mientras respiro

I'm going to enjoy life while I breathe
Mi miedo no es morir, es no haber vivido

My fear is not dying, it's not having lived
Soñé de un amor, de noche y de día

I dreamed of a love, by night and by day
Soñé de mi luna que no se rendía

I dreamed of my moon that never gave up
Y que a mi gato le decía: "Soñé otro mundo

And that to my cat I said: 'I dreamed of another world
Tan lejos y tan cerca, soñé otro viaje"

So far and so close, I dreamed of another journey'
(Señores, pasajeros, embarque)

(Ladies and gentlemen, passengers, boarding)

This line mimics an actual airport boarding announcement, reinforcing the song's travel metaphor. The mix of Spanish and English in the announcement reflects the bilingual reality of international airports.
Tan lejos y tan cerca (Embarque)

So far and so close (Boarding)
Pacífico, soñé tus olas (Please passengers, proceed)

Pacific, I dreamed of your waves (Please passengers, proceed)

El Pacífico (the Pacific Ocean) holds deep cultural significance for many Latin Americans, particularly Colombians from the Pacific coast region. Addressing it directly ('soñé tus olas' — I dreamed of your waves) personifies the ocean as a beloved entity.
Siempre toca llegar, todo llegará

It always comes time to arrive, everything will come
De aquí yo no me voy sin haber vivido (Todo llegará)

I'm not leaving here without having lived (Everything will come)
De aquí yo no me voy sin sentirse vivo (Todo llegará)

I'm not leaving here without feeling alive (Everything will come)
Tengo mi casa en un zapato, y así yo vivo donde quiero

I have my home in a shoe, and that's how I live wherever I want

The image of 'having a home in a shoe' references the classic nursery rhyme 'There was an old woman who lived in a shoe'. In the song it is reimagined as a symbol of freedom and nomadic living — your home is wherever your feet take you.
Tengo mi casa en un zapato, me lleva por el mundo entero

I have my home in a shoe, it takes me all around the world
Tengo mi casa por el camino, que me lo dijo un caminero

I have my home along the road, as a road worker told me
Tengo mi casa en un zapato, que me la hizo un zapatero (Todo llegará)

I have my home in a shoe, made for me by a shoemaker (Everything will come)
De aquí yo no me voy sin haber vivido (Todo llegará)

I'm not leaving here without having lived (Everything will come)
De aquí yo no me voy sin sentirse vivo (Todo llegará)

I'm not leaving here without feeling alive (Everything will come)
De aquí

From here
Tengo mi casa de suela ruina (Aquí), que cuando llueve (Aquí), se me patina (Aquí)

I have my home of worn-out sole (Here), when it rains (Here), it slips on me (Here)
Y va, camina por el sendero (Aquí), quiero más a mi zapato viejo (Aquí)

And it goes, walks along the path (Here), I love my old shoe more (Here)
Costeño, paisa, rolo, caleño

Costeño, paisa, rolo, caleño

This line lists four Colombian regional identities: costeño (from the Caribbean coast), paisa (from the Antioquia/coffee region, especially Medellín), rolo (from Bogotá), and caleño (from Cali). Each group has distinct cultural traits, accents, and traditions. The line celebrates Colombia's regional diversity.
Y cada día me rio, porque si no, me muero

And every day I laugh, because if I don't, I'll die
Todo llegará

Everything will come

Expressions and idioms in “Viajando Por El Mundo”

The lines that don't mean what the dictionary says.

con destino a bound for / headed to: con destino a is a fixed prepositional phrase meaning 'bound for' or 'headed to', commonly used in travel contexts. It cannot be deduced word-by-word from con (with) + destino (destination) + a (to).
me encontré I found myself: encontrarse (reflexive) means 'to find oneself' or 'to come across'; plain encontrar means 'to find (something/someone)'. The reflexive shifts the meaning to an internal or unexpected discovery.
Es un regalo despertarse It is a gift to wake up: despertarse is the reflexive form of despertar. While despertar (non-reflexive) means 'to wake someone up', despertarse means 'to wake up oneself'. The infinitive here functions as the subject of the sentence.
Andar por ahí to go around / to wander about: andar por ahí is a common idiomatic expression meaning 'to go around' or 'to be out and about'. It implies casual, aimless movement and is not deducible from the individual words alone.
ni pa' qué there's no point / no reason to: ni pa' qué (from ni para qué) is a colloquial fixed expression meaning 'there's no point in' or 'no reason to'. pa' is a contracted form of para typical of informal speech and song lyrics.
nada nos llevamos we take nothing with us: This is a poetic inversion of 'no nos llevamos nada'. In Spanish, nada can be placed before the verb for emphasis, replacing the need for no. The double negative structure (no...nada) is standard, but leading with nada is a stylistic choice common in song lyrics.
al final del día at the end of the day: al final del día is a fixed expression (both literal and figurative) meaning 'at the end of the day'. al is the contraction of a + el, and del is the contraction of de + el.
sin haber vivido without having lived: sin + haber (infinitive) + past participle forms a perfect infinitive construction expressing 'without having done something'. This pattern (sin haber + past participle) is very common in Spanish to express an action that did not occur before another.
no me voy I am not leaving: irse (reflexive) means 'to leave / to go away'; plain ir means 'to go'. me voy = 'I am leaving'; no me voy = 'I am not leaving'. The reflexive completely changes the meaning from simple movement to departure.
Voy a gozar I am going to enjoy: ir a + infinitive is the standard periphrastic future in Spanish, equivalent to 'going to + verb' in English. It expresses near-future intention. Voy a gozar = 'I am going to enjoy'.
Mi miedo no es morir, es no haber vivido My fear is not dying, it is not having lived: This line uses two infinitive constructions as subjects/predicates of ser: 'morir' (to die) and 'no haber vivido' (not having lived). In Spanish, infinitives can function as nouns, serving as the subject or complement of a sentence.
Casarnos en Las Vegas sin papel Getting married in Las Vegas without paperwork: casarse (reflexive) means 'to get married'; plain casar means 'to marry (someone off)'. The -nos ending on the infinitive (casarnos) is the 1st person plural reflexive clitic attached to the infinitive, meaning 'for us to get married together'.
lucecitas little lights: lucecitas is a diminutive of luces (lights), itself the plural of luz (light). The suffix -ita/-ito in Spanish adds a sense of smallness or affection. Diminutives are extremely common in Spanish and often carry an emotional warmth beyond just 'small'.
Bajar las ventanas to roll down the windows: bajar las ventanas literally means 'to lower the windows', but in context it means 'to roll down the car windows'. This is the standard Spanish expression for this action, equivalent to the English idiom 'roll down the windows'.
la ilusión hope / excitement / dream: ilusión is a partial false friend. In Spanish, la ilusión most commonly means 'hope', 'excitement', or 'a cherished dream/aspiration', not 'illusion' (which would be una ilusión óptica). Saying 'tengo mucha ilusión' means 'I am very excited/hopeful', not 'I have many illusions'.
qué bonito es how beautiful it is: qué + adjective + verb is the standard Spanish exclamatory construction meaning 'how + adjective'. It is not a question despite using qué. Compare: '¿Qué bonito es?' (What is beautiful?) vs. '¡Qué bonito es!' (How beautiful it is!).
pura vida pure life / great / awesome: pura vida is Costa Rica's most famous national expression. It functions as a greeting, a farewell, an expression of gratitude, or simply a way of saying 'life is great'. It is deeply embedded in Costa Rican culture and identity.
Tomarnos un buen café to have a good coffee together: tomarnos uses the -nos clitic attached to the infinitive tomar, indicating a shared action among a group ('for us to have'). tomar in Latin American Spanish commonly means 'to have (a drink)' rather than just 'to take'.
coger una nota to get a buzz / to get tipsy: coger una nota is a Colombian colloquial expression meaning 'to get a buzz' or 'to get tipsy from alcohol'. nota here does not mean 'note' in the musical or written sense, but rather a state of mild intoxication.
morir de risa to die laughing: morir de risa is a fixed idiomatic expression meaning 'to die laughing' or 'to laugh one's head off'. It is equivalent to the English 'to die of laughter'. The verb morir here is used hyperbolically, not literally.
vivir sin prisa to live without rush / to live at a leisurely pace: sin prisa means 'without hurry/rush'. The related expression 'sin prisa pero sin pausa' ('without haste but without pause') is a well-known Spanish proverb. Here, vivir sin prisa encapsulates the song's philosophy of savoring life.
Lo conseguí soñando / lo conseguí luchando I achieved it by dreaming / I achieved it by fighting: conseguir + gerund expresses the means by which something was achieved. The gerund (soñando, luchando) answers 'how?' — 'by dreaming', 'by fighting'. This is a productive Spanish pattern: conseguir algo + gerund = 'to achieve something by doing X'.
al despertar upon waking / when waking up: al + infinitive is a fixed Spanish construction meaning 'upon doing' or 'when doing'. al despertar = 'upon waking up'. This pattern (al + infinitive) is very common and expresses simultaneity or the moment an action occurs.
no se rendía did not give up / would not surrender: rendirse (reflexive) means 'to give up / to surrender'; plain rendir means 'to yield / to produce / to perform'. The reflexive completely changes the meaning. se rendía is the imperfect, conveying an ongoing or habitual refusal to give up.
toca llegar it is time to arrive / one must arrive: tocar (impersonal, 3rd person singular) + infinitive is a colloquial construction meaning 'it is time to' or 'one must'. It expresses inevitability or that something's turn has come. 'Siempre toca llegar' = 'There always comes a time to arrive'.
Tengo mi casa en un zapato I have my home in a shoe: This is a playful metaphor and a reference to the nursery rhyme about the old woman who lived in a shoe. In the song it symbolizes freedom — carrying your home with you wherever you go, needing no fixed address.
si no, me muero if not, I'll die: me muero is a hyperbolic reflexive expression. morir (to die) used reflexively (morirse) often expresses extreme emotion or exaggeration in colloquial Spanish: 'me muero de risa' (I'm dying of laughter), 'me muero de hambre' (I'm starving). Here it humorously means 'if I don't laugh, I'll die'.
me río I laugh: reírse (reflexive) is the standard way to say 'to laugh' in Spanish. The plain form reír exists but reírse is far more common in everyday speech. me río = 'I laugh'; note the accent on the i, which separates the diphthong.

Vocabulary to learn from “Viajando Por El Mundo”

The words the song uses most.

soñar I dreamed verb ·16
aquí here adverb ·14
ir I go / I am going verb ·13
ser it is / is verb ·12
yo my adjective ·10
el mundo world noun ·9
vivir lived verb ·9
otro another / other adjective ·9
tan so / as adverb ·8
llegar to arrive verb ·8
haber to have (auxiliary) verb ·7
la vida life noun ·6

Verbs in the song, and the form being sung

Present tense for each; the highlighted row is the one you'll hear.

soñar I dreamed

sung: soñé irregular

soñar — present tense
yo	sueño
tú	sueñas
él / ella / usted	sueña
nosotros	soñamos
vosotros	soñáis
ellos / ustedes	sueñan

ir I go / I am going

sung: voy irregular

ir — present tense
yo	voy
tú	vas
él / ella / usted	va
nosotros	vamos
vosotros	vais
ellos / ustedes	van

ser it is / is

sung: es irregular

ser — present tense
yo	soy
tú	eres
él / ella / usted	es
nosotros	somos
vosotros	sois
ellos / ustedes	son

vivir lived

sung: vivo

vivir — present tense
yo	vivo
tú	vives
él / ella / usted	vive
nosotros	vivimos
vosotros	vivís
ellos / ustedes	viven

llegar to arrive

sung: llegará irregular

llegar — present tense
yo	llego
tú	llegas
él / ella / usted	llega
nosotros	llegamos
vosotros	llegáis
ellos / ustedes	llegan

Grammar you'll meet in this song

Present47
Preterite20
Future7
Imperfect3

Learn Spanish with more songs

All songs Spanish phrase packs Word packs