Title: Y Sin Embargo (And Yet) Artist: Joan Manuel Serrat & Joaquín Sabina In "Y Sin Embargo," the songwriters express conflicting emotions and desires in a complex and bittersweet love story. The lyrics depict a situation where the speaker's love for someone is intertwined with their inclination to deceive and be unfaithful. The chorus, "De sobra sabes, que eres la primera" (You know well enough that you are the first), admits that the person being addressed is the primary love interest. The lines, "Te engañaría con cualquiera, te cambiaría por cualquiera" (I would deceive you with anyone and replace you with anyone), reveal the speaker's inclination to be unfaithful despite their deep love for this person. The song highlights the paradox of being simultaneously regretful and grateful for meeting this person. The line, "Ni tan arrepentido ni encantado de haberme conocido, lo confieso" (Not so regretful nor delighted to have met you, I confess), portrays the conflicting emotions of the speaker towards their relationship. The verses describe the emptiness the speaker feels in their life without their loved one. Metaphorically, they compare a home without them to a desolate embassy, a dark train corridor, and a maze without light or wine. All these symbolize a sense of loneliness, despair, and longing. They mention how the kisses they give to others poison them, yet they dream of their loved one when they sleep alone. The speaker reveals their willingness to leave with someone else if their loved one departs, highlighting their longing for companionship and affection. The song portrays a complicated love affair in which the speaker acknowledges their infidelity, yet the depth of their love remains unchanged. They describe the pain of living in a state of constant sorrow and tarnishing their loved one's beauty with their own bitterness. The lyrics also touch upon the contradictory nature of their relationship. The speaker confesses to engaging in romantic gestures like booking a hotel and ordering champagne dinners for two with candles, but always with someone other than their loved one. This portrays their inability to fully commit and their tendency to seek satisfaction elsewhere. The song further portrays the contrast between the joyous moments when their loved one returns, symbolized by festivities in the kitchen and dancing without music, and the mundane routine and coldness that follows. Throughout the lyrics, the songwriters explore themes of infidelity, longing, and the internal struggle between desire and commitment. "Y Sin Embargo" stands as a reflection on the complexities of love, the contradictions within one's emotions, and the effects of one's actions on their relationships.
