Maestra Vida - Willie Colón, Rubén Blades

A tu escuela llegué sin entender porque llegaba

En tus salones encuentro mil caminos y encrucijadas

Y aprendo mucho y no aprendo nada

Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da

Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da

Paso por dias de sol, luz y de aguaceros

Paso por noches de tinieblas y de lunas

Paso afirmando, paso negando, paso con dudas

Entre risas y amarguras, buscando el porque y el cuándo

Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da

Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da

Maestra vida, de justicias e injusticias

De bondades y malicias aun no alcanzo a comprenderte

Maestra vida que ese culpo no perdona

Voy buscando entre tus horas el espejo de los tiempos

Para ver tus sentimientos y así comprender tus cosas

Y vi espinas y vi rosas

Vi morir seres queridos vi bellezas fui testigo

De maldades y de guerras

Vi lo bueno de la tierra

Y vi el hambre y la miseria y entre el drama y la comedia

Avance entre agua y fuego

En dios me acuerdo primero

Solo en trance de morirme

O a veces cuando estoy triste mas nunca si estoy contento

No dura agradecimiento

Pa' aquel que nos da la mano

Tan pronto nos sale el clavo

Se olvida to’o el sufrimiento

Y tengo amigos, conocidos y enemigos

Amores que me han querido

Y rostros que niegan verme

Me encontré frente a la muerte

Y en sus ojos vi el sentido

Y con el miedo conmigo

Así yo aprendí a quererte

Y hoy sé que nada es seguro

Ya que todo es pasajero

La muerte es el mensajero que con la ultima hora viene

Y el tiempo no se detiene

Ni por amor, ni dinero

La muerte es el mensajero que con la ultima hora viene

Y el tiempo no se detiene

Ni por amor, ni dinero

Maestra vida, me voy persiguiendo al tiempo

A ver si encuentro respuestas, antes de la hora en

Que yo muera

Aunque me estoy resignando a esta fatal realidad

Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da

Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da

Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da

Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da

Te da, te quita, te quita y te da

Te da, te quita, te quita y te da

Te da, te quita, te quita y te da

Te da, te quita, te quita y te da

Maestra vida camara’a

Pero te da, te quita, te quita y te da

Oye, cuando tú menos lo esperas

Va la sorpresa camara’a

Y el tiempo, mira no se detiene

Ni por amor, ni por dinero

La muerte, compa, la muerte es el mensajero

Que con la ultima hora viene

Cuando se murió Carmelo

Sentí un dolor tan profundo

Que no hallo nada en el mundo

Con que poder consolarme

Te da, te quita, te quita y te da

I arrived at your school without understanding why I was coming

In your halls I find a thousand paths and crossroads

And I learn a lot and I learn nothing

Maestra vida camará'a, it gives you, it takes you, it takes you and it gives you

Maestra vida camará'a, it gives you, it takes you, it takes you and it gives you

I go through days of sun, light and downpours

I go through nights of darkness and moons

I step affirming, I step denying, I step with doubts

Between laughter and bitterness, looking for the why and the when

Maestra vida camará'a, it gives you, it takes you, it takes you and it gives you

Maestra vida camará'a, it gives you, it takes you, it takes you and it gives you

Teacher life, of justices and injustices

Of goodness and malice I still can't understand you

Teacher life that guilt does not forgive

I'm looking among your hours for the mirror of time

To see your feelings and thus understand your things

And I saw thorns and I saw roses

I saw loved ones die I saw beauties I witnessed

Of evils and wars

I saw the good of the land

And I saw the hunger and the misery and between the drama and the comedy

Progress between water and fire

In god I remember first

Alone in the process of dying

Or sometimes when I'm sad but never if I'm happy

no hard thanks

For the one who gives us a hand

As soon as the nail comes out

All the suffering is forgotten

And I have friends, acquaintances and enemies

loves that have loved me

And faces that deny seeing me

I found myself facing death

And in his eyes I saw the meaning

And with the fear with me

That's how I learned to love you

And today I know that nothing is certain

Since everything is temporary

Death is the messenger that with the last hour comes

And time doesn't stop

Not for love, not for money

Death is the messenger that with the last hour comes

And time doesn't stop

Not for love, not for money

Master life, I go chasing time

Let's see if I find answers, before the time in

let me die

Although I am resigning myself to this fatal reality

Maestra vida camará'a, it gives you, it takes you, it takes you and it gives you

Maestra vida camará'a, it gives you, it takes you, it takes you and it gives you

Maestra vida camará'a, it gives you, it takes you, it takes you and it gives you

Maestra vida camará'a, it gives you, it takes you, it takes you and it gives you

It gives you, it takes you, it takes you and it gives you

It gives you, it takes you, it takes you and it gives you

It gives you, it takes you, it takes you and it gives you

It gives you, it takes you, it takes you and it gives you

camera life teacher

But it gives you, it takes you, it takes you and it gives you

Hey, when you least expect it

The surprise camara'a goes

And time, look, it doesn't stop

Neither for love nor for money

Death, compa, death is the messenger

That with the last hour comes

When Carmelo died

I felt a pain so deep

That I find nothing in the world

With what can I console myself?

It gives you, it takes you, it takes you and it gives you