El Ausente Lyrics in English by El As De La Sierra
"El Ausente" (The Absent One) is a homecoming song with a sting in it. The singer has been away, "de la tierra de donde estaba" (from the land where I was), and is finally allowed to go back: "y se me concedió volver" (and I was granted the chance to return). He admits he never expected this moment, "que no te volvería a ver" (that I would never see you again).
But the reunion is cold. He complains that she "me niegas la luz del día" (you deny me the light of day), and he decides her hope has gone the same way as his: "se me hace que tu esperanza le pasó lo que a la mía" (I think your hope went the way mine did). The chorus lands the blame: "por andar en la vagancia perdió un amor que tenía" (by wandering around idle, he lost a love he had).
There is a pretty image in the middle too, a "estrellita reluciente" (shining little star) he speaks to directly.
Learner tip: se me hace que... is a very Mexican way to say "I think that..." or "it seems to me that...", and andar en la vagancia means drifting around with no job or direction.
