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“El Oso” is a famous song by the Argentine musician Moris, also known as Mauricio Birabent. Released back in 1970, it’s a big part of the Argentine rock scene. You can check out the original version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGVE9ZAClCA.
The song tells the story of a bear that gets caught and taken to a circus but dreams of going back to its forest home. It’s all about freedom, nostalgia, and wanting to reconnect with where you come from.
I’ve picked “El Oso” to help my students get the hang of the pasado simple (simple past) and pasado imperfecto (imperfect past) in Spanish. The song uses both tenses, providing great examples and context.
After each stanza, I’ve added an English translation to highlight the difference between both tenses. The pasado simple is marked in blue, and the pasado imperfecto is in red. You can also listen to the lyrics. Gael, a voice from Spain, will read the words.
Of course, we’ll continue to explore these two tenses in our top-notch lessons. Meanwhile, here are two quick links to help you grasp them instantly:
EL OSO
Yo vivía en el bosque, muy contento.
Caminaba, caminaba, sin cesar.
Las mañanas y las tardes eran mías.
A la noche me tiraba a descansar.
I used to live in the forest, very happy.
I would walk, walk, endlessly.
The mornings and evenings used to be mine.
At night I would lay down to rest.
Pero un día vino el hombre con sus jaulas.
Me encerró y me llevó a la ciudad.
En el circo me enseñaron las piruetas
y yo así perdí mi amada libertad.
But one day a man came with his cages.
He locked me up and took me to the city.
In the circus, they taught me tricks
and thus I lost my beloved freedom.
“Confórmate”, me decía un tigre viejo.
“Nunca el techo y la comida han de faltar.
Sólo exigen que hagamos las piruetas
y a los hijos podamos alegrar”.
“Be content,” an old tiger used to say to me.
“We’ll never lack a roof or food.
They only require us to do tricks
and entertain the children.”
Han pasado cuatro años de esta vida.
Con el circo recorrí el mundo así.
Pero nunca pude olvidarme de todo:
de mis bosques, de mis tardes, ni de mí.
Four years of this life have passed.
With the circus, I traveled the world like this.
But I could never forget everything:
my forests, my evenings, nor myself.
En un pueblito alejado,
alguien no cerró el candado.
Era una noche sin luna
y yo dejé la ciudad.
In a distant little town,
someone didn’t lock the cage.
It was a moonless night
as I left the city.
Ahora piso yo el suelo de mi bosque.
Otra vez el verde de la libertad.
Estoy viejo, pero las tardes son mías.
¡Vuelvo al bosque, estoy contento de verdad!
Now I walk on the ground of my forest.
Once again, the green of freedom.
I am old, but the evenings are mine.
I’m back in the forest, truly happy!
