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Volver

Volver is a Tango written by Carlos Gardel and recorded by Osvaldo Fresedo in 1935. The Tango Volver is written by Carlos Gardel, Osvaldo Fresedo has recorded Volver with the singer Roberto Ray.
“Volver,” meaning “To Return” in English, is more than just a homecoming; it is an emotional voyage to the heart’s deepest memories. This tango sweeps us into a dance of nostalgia, where each note journeys through the echoes of past loves and forgotten dreams. It is a haunting reminder of the hope and melancholy entwined in every return.

Tango

Style

Osvaldo Fresedo

Orchestra

Roberto Ray

Singer

Alfredo Le Pera

Author

Carlos Gardel

Composer

1935/7/1

Date

Roberto Ray
Roberto Ray
Osvaldo Fresedo
Osvaldo Fresedo

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Volver recorded by other Orchestras

Volver recorded by other Orchestras

Lyrics Translation of the Tango Volver

This is the translation of the Tango “Volver” from Spanish to English. The English lyrics of the Tango “Volver” have been done with AI.

Letra del Tango Volver

Yo adivino el parpadeo
de las luces que a lo lejos,
van marcando mi retorno.
Son las mismas que alumbraron,
con sus pálidos reflejos,
hondas horas de dolor.
Y aunque no quise el regreso,
siempre se vuelve al primer amor.
La quieta calle donde el eco dijo:
‘Tuya es su vida, tuyo es su querer’,
bajo el burlón mirar de las estrellas
que con indiferencia hoy me ven volver.

Volver,
con la frente marchita,
las nieves del tiempo
platearon mi sien.
Sentir, que es un soplo la vida,
que veinte años no es nada,
que febril la mirada
errante en las sombras
te busca y te nombra.
Vivir,
con el alma aferrada
a un dulce recuerdo,
que lloro otra vez.

Tengo miedo del encuentro
con el pasado que vuelve
a enfrentarse con mi vida.
Tengo miedo de las noches
que, pobladas de recuerdos,
encadenen mi soñar.
Pero el viajero que huye,
tarde o temprano detiene su andar.
Y aunque el olvido que todo destruye,
haya matado mi vieja ilusión,
guarda escondida una esperanza humilde,
que es toda la fortuna de mi corazón.

English lyrics of the Tango "Volver"

I foresee the flicker
of the lights that in the distance,
mark my return.
They are the same that lit up,
with their pale reflections,
deep hours of pain.
And although I did not want to return,
one always returns to their first love.
The quiet street where the echo said:
‘His life is yours, his love is yours’,
under the mocking gaze of the stars
that with indifference see me return today.

Return,
with a withered brow,
the snows of time
have silvered my temples.
To feel, that life is a breath,
that twenty years is nothing,
that feverish look
wandering in the shadows
searches for you and names you.
To live,
with the soul clung
to a sweet memory,
that I cry again.

I am afraid of the encounter
with the past that returns
to face my life.
I am afraid of the nights
that, filled with memories,
chain my dreaming.
But the traveler who flees,
sooner or later stops his walk.
And though oblivion, which destroys everything,
has killed my old illusion,
it hides a humble hope,
which is all the fortune of my heart.

Volver by Alfredo Le Pera

Volver is a Tango written by Alfredo Le Pera and composed by Carlos Gardel.


Story behind the Tango Volver

“Volver,” which translates to “Return” in English, resonates as a poignant reflection on the return to one’s origins and past loves, intertwined with a sense of inevitable encounter with one’s own history and memories. The narrative encapsulates the emotional journey of revisiting the scenes of past experiences and relationships, filled with nostalgia and sorrow, yet also a faint whisper of hope. Alfredo Le Pera uses the backdrop of returning physically to a location that holds significant personal history, confronting both treasured and painful memories.


Symbolism of Volver

The imagery of “las luces que a lo lejos, van marcando mi retorno,” symbolizing distant lights marking the speaker’s return, brings visual vividness to the sense of moving towards a nostalgia-flooded past that is both inevitable and haunting. The physical signs of aging expressed through “la frente marchita” and “las nieves del tiempo” echo the irreversible passage of time and the impact it has on our perception of life and memories. The lines “que veinte años no es nada, que febril la mirada” poignantly capture the feeling that decades pass in a blink, yet the yearning and searching continue unabated, underscoring the emotional weight of past loves and experiences, that time cannot diminish.


Volver in historic Context

Composed in Argentina in 1935, during a period of great political and social change, “Volver” reflects a broader cultural sentiment of introspection and melancholy prevalent in Argentina at the time. Amid the nation’s grappling with modernity and its implications, this tango addresses individual reflection against the backdrop of broader societal shifts. The complex emotions of returning after a long absence resonate deeply in a country perennially wrestling with its identity and future.


Alfredo Le Pera

Alfredo Le Pera was an Argentine journalist, dramatist, and lyricist, best known for his collaborations with the legendary tango singer Carlos Gardel, creating some of the most iconic tangos in the genre’s history.