Barrer a Casa by Sofía Ellar and Álvaro Soler

Published by Lyrical Language on

Skip to Lyrics
Skip to Translation


The quarantine in Spain has led to the release of quite a few songs. And I guess since I started this project while under a stay at home order myself I feel a connection to these songs.

“Barrer a casa” is a song by Spanish singers and couple Sofía Ellar and Álvaro Soler. Recorded in their home and released in April of 2020, it is a response to the quarantine in Spain caused by Covid 19.

The video information says:
“Estos días hay que barrer a casa, hay que recogerse entre nuestras cuatro paredes, guardarnos besos y abrazos para cuando este sueño termine, aplaudir desde las terrazas, pensar en los nuestros… y cuidarnos los unos a los otros.” (These days we need to sweep the house, need to go home between our four walls, to save our kisses and hugs for when this dream ends, to applaud from the balconies, to think of others… and to take care of each other.)

About the Artists

Sophía Ellar

Sofía Lecubarri y Ruigómez who performs as Sofia Ellar, is a British singer/songwriter of Spanish descent. She was born and raised in London, but around the age of 10 she moved to Madrid, where she started performing in various small singing concerts. She released her first album, entitled Segundas partes entre suicidas in February of 2017. Her videos have reached several million views on YouTube, and her tracks on Spotify have reached three million.

Biographical information from Wikipedia.

Álvaro Soler

Álvaro Tauchert Soler is a singer/songwriter of Spanish and German descent. Born in Barcelona, he lived in Tokio Japan from the time he was en until he was seventeen. After returning to Barcelona he started the band Urban Lights with his brother and some friends, which established a local following. In 2014 he broke up the band and moved to Germany, where he released the single “El mismo sol” in April of 2015. The single was a hit across Europe and Latin America, especially in Italy, Switzerland and Mexico, and its success led him to release his first album Eterno Agosto in June of 2015. He has since released a second album which also saw success.

Biographical information from Wikipedia.

Cultural References, Idioms and Explanations

‘A las ocho caen las redes, se llenan las terrazas’ – This is a reference to the quarantine practice in many cities of people going out to their balconies at 8:00 to applaud healthcare workers.

‘se llenan las terrazas’ – Meaning ‘the terraces fill up’ this is an example of the passive ‘se’, which tells something that happened or is happening without telling who or what performs the action. It is like using the passive voice in English, for example ‘the books were opened’ (someone opened them, but we don’t know who). Here no specific people are mentioned as being the ones filling the terraces. The verb conjugates for whatever item is being acted upon. ‘Se resuelvan las problemas’ (plural), and ‘el amor se ve’ (singular).

‘terraza’ – This word can mean either ‘balcony’ or ‘terrace’, and I think both meanings are used in this song. In the regular chorus the reference is to people filling their balconies to applaud healthcare workers, but in the outro/altered chorus, terraces, likely terraces in places like cafés, are being filled up as the sun comes up and people are able to go out again.

‘asomarse’ – While this phrase often means ‘to lean out’ or ‘to look out’, there is another colloquial meaning that makes more sense in this context. This phrase can also mean ‘to get tipsy’, implying drinking but not reaching drunkenness.

‘los de siempre’ – Translating literally as ‘the of always’, this phrase is refering to the people who frequent a bar, or ‘the regulars’.

‘dejar hacer algo a alguien’ – This phrase means ‘to let someone do something’ or ‘to allow someone to do something’. This phrase is seen in this song in ‘que no me dejan pagar’, meaning ‘that don’t let me pay’.

‘de caña en tapa’ – This is a reference to the Spanish custom of caña and tapas. A ‘caña’ is a glass of beer, whether referring more loosely to a glass of beer in general, or more specifically to a 5 oz. draft beer. ‘Tapas’ are an assortment of appetizers provided with the ‘caña’.

‘servilleta’ – There are two definitions of this word that could both fit in this context. The more well-known meaning is ‘napkin’, which makes sense with the reference to bars and tapas. However, ‘Servilleta’ is also the name of a kind goat cheese in Spain, which could also make sense with the reference to tapas. I think the first meaning is still more likely, but wanted to at least address both meanings.

‘que tiemble la corona’ – This is an example of the imperative tense being used in the third person to suggest or order that a third party or parties be allowed or made to do something. A famous example of this in English would be “Let them eat cake”. Here the phrase means ‘let corona(virus) tremble’ (see note on ‘corona’ below).

‘corona’ – While this word does translate as ‘crown’, I feel that in this instance it is far more likely to be a reference to Coronavirus.

Song Lyrics with Grammatical Breakdown

Mouse over a term for grammatical information. A chart of the terms and grammatical information can be found here.

Barrer a Casa

[Verse 1]
Podré mirarte a través de ese cristal
Saludarnos de otra forma
Sin miedo a respirar
Podré abrazarte con las ganas de olvidar
Que una puerta nos separa
De las ganas de soñar

[Pre-Chorus 1]
Despertar de esta noche que es real
Que la magia de volar nos la ha quitado la libertad
Y pensar que este sueño no es real
Que este sueño no es real

[Chorus]
Y ahora Madrid se nos viste de fantasma
A las ocho caen las redes, se llenan las terrazas
Y ahora aprendí por qué hay que barrer a casa
Porque la mejor canción no entiende de murallas
No entiende de murallas

[Verse 2]
Podré asomarme a la esquina de ese bar
Otra ronda a los de siempre que no me dejan pagar
De caña en tapa servilleta en otro bar
Y que tiemble la corona viéndonos saborear

[Pre-Chorus 2]
Despertar que esa noche fue real
Que las ganas de volar nos las quitó la libertad
Y pensar que ese sueño fue real
Que ese sueño fue real

[Chorus]
Y ahora Madrid se nos viste de fantasma
A las ocho caen las redes, se llenan las terrazas
Y ahora aprendí por qué hay que barrer a casa
Porque la mejor canción no entiende de murallas

[Outro]
Y ahora Madrid se emociona en otra plaza
A las ocho sale el sol, se llenan las terrazas
Y ahora aprendí por qué hay que barrer a casa
Porque la mejor canción no entiende de murallas
No entiende de murallas
No entiende de batallas
No entiende de batallas

Lyrics with Translation

Songs in any language often leave room for multiple interpretations. Following is my interpretation of the song lyrics.

Barrer a Casa
Sweep the House

[Verse 1]
Podré mirarte a través de ese cristal
I’ll be able to look at you through that windowpane
Saludarnos de otra forma
To greet each other in another way
Sin miedo a respirar
Without fear of breathing
Podré abrazarte con las ganas de olvidar
I’ll be able to hug you with the desire to forget
Que una puerta nos separa
That a door separates us
De las ganas de soñar
From the desire to dream

[Pre-Chorus 1]
Despertar de esta noche que es real
Waking up from this night which is real
Que la magia de volar nos la ha quitado la libertad
That the magic of flying has taken away our freedom
Y pensar que este sueño no es real
And to think that this dream is not real
Que este sueño no es real
That this dream is not real

[Chorus]
Y ahora Madrid se nos viste de fantasma
And now Madrid disguises itself as a ghost to us
A las ocho caen las redes, se llenan las terrazas
At eight o’clock the networks go down, the balconies fill up
Y ahora aprendí por qué hay que barrer a casa
And now I’ve learned why you have to sweep the house
Porque la mejor canción no entiende de murallas
Because the best song doesn’t understand walls
No entiende de murallas
Doesn’t understand walls

[Verse 2]
Podré asomarme a la esquina de ese bar
I’ll be able to get tipsy at the corner of that bar
Otra ronda a los de siempre que no me dejan pagar
Another round for the regulars who won’t let me pay
De caña en tapa, servilleta en otro bar
From beer to tapa, napkin in another bar
Y que tiemble la corona viéndonos saborear
And let corona(virus) tremble watching us savor

[Pre-Chorus 2]
Despertar que esa noche fue real
Waking up, that that night was real
Que las ganas de volar nos las quitó la libertad
That the desire to fly took away our freedom
Y pensar que ese sueño fue real
And to think that that dream was real
Que ese sueño fue real
That that dream was real

[Chorus]
Y ahora Madrid se nos viste de fantasma
And now Madrid disguises itself as a ghost to us
A las ocho caen las redes, se llenan las terrazas
At eight o’clock the networks go down, the balconies fill up
Y ahora aprendí por qué hay que barrer a casa
And now I’ve learned why you have to sweep the house
Porque la mejor canción no entiende de murallas
Because the best song doesn’t understand walls

[Outro]
Y ahora Madrid se emociona en otra plaza
And now Madrid is excited in another square
A las ocho sale el sol, se llenan las terrazas
At eight o’clock the sun rises, the terraces fill up
Y ahora aprendí por qué hay que barrer a casa
And now I’ve learned why you have to sweep the house
Porque la mejor canción no entiende de murallas
Because the best song doesn’t understand walls
No entiende de murallas
Doesn’t understand walls
No entiende de batallas
Doesn’t understand battles
No entiende de batallas
Doesn’t understand battles

Grammatical Concepts Used in this Song

  • Object Pronouns:
    • Podré mirarte a través de ese cristal
    • Que una puerta nos separa
    • Podré abrazarte con las ganas de olvidar
    • Que la magia de volar nos la ha quitado la libertad
    • Otra ronda a los de siempre que no me dejan pagar
    • Y que tiemble la corona viéndonos saborear
    • Que las ganas de volar nos las quitó la libertad
    • Y ahora Madrid se nos viste de fantasma
  • Irregular:
    • ser:
      • Despertar de esta noche que es real
      • Y pensar que este sueño no es real
    • haber:
      • Y ahora aprendí por qué hay que barrer a casa
  • Stem-changing:
    • ‘e’ to ‘i’:
      • vestir:
        • Y ahora Madrid se nos viste de fantasma
    • ‘e’ to ‘ie’:
      • entender:
        • Porque la mejor canción no entiende de murallas
      • temblar:
        • Y que tiemble la corona viéndonos saborear
  • Gerund:
    • Y que tiemble la corona viéndonos saborear
  • Pronominal/Reflexive:
    • Saludarnos de otra forma
    • Y ahora Madrid se nos viste de fantasma
    • A las ocho caen las redes, se llenan las terrazas
    • Podré asomarme a la esquina de ese bar
    • Y ahora Madrid se emociona en otra plaza
    • A las ocho sale el sol, se llenan las terrazas
  • Preterite:
    • Y ahora aprendí por qué hay que barrer a casa
    • Despertar que esa noche fue real
    • Y pensar que ese sueño fue real
    • Que las ganas de volar nos las quitó la libertad
  • Future:
    • Podré mirarte a través de ese cristal
    • Podré abrazarte con las ganas de olvidar
    • Podré asomarme a la esquina de ese bar
  • Preterite Perfect:
    • Que la magia de volar nos la ha quitado la libertad

Categories: Spanish
Tags:

Related Posts

Tacones Rojos video thumbnail
Spanish

Tacones Rojos by Sebastián Yatra

This one goes out to Professora Miller! “Tacones Rojos” is a song by Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra that was released in October of 2021 and appears on his third studio album Dharma. It topped the Read more…

Cien años video thumbnail
Spanish

100 Años by Ha*Ash and Prince Royce

“100 Años” is a song by American Latin pop duo Ha*Ash and American singer Prince Royce. It was released in October of 2017 and appears on Ha*Ash’s fifth studio album 30 de Febrero. It reached number one on the Read more…

Un Año video thumbnail
Spanish

Un Año by Sebastián Yatra and Reik

By request! “Un Año” is a collaboration between Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra and Mexican pop-rock band Reik. It was released in January of 2019 and appears on Sebastián Yatra’s 2019 album Fantasía. The single reached Read more…