Pasarán Lyrics in English by Nach, Juanes
Naufragio literally translates to "shipwreck". It's a powerful and dramatic word that you don't hear in songs every day.
In this song, Nach uses it metaphorically to describe being lost and struggling within a troubled community. He sings, "Fui naufrago de un pueblo en apuros" (I was shipwrecked in a town in trouble), creating a vivid image of feeling stranded and helpless amidst societal difficulties. This poetic use makes it a truly memorable word.
"Pasarán" flips a famous slogan. "No pasarán" ("they will not pass") was the rallying cry of people resisting fascism in Spain in the 1930s. Nach drops the "no" and turns the line into a promise instead of a warning: borders will pass, years of hatred and cruelty will pass, and a world with no owners and no slaves is coming.
The verses move from the personal to the political. Nach raps about surviving hard times, turning his sadness into fuel, and refusing to belong to any one country when the whole world should be home. Juanes' hook repeats "pasarán" like a chant, promising that injustice, soldiers, and corrupt rulers are all temporary. Even death itself, the song says, will eventually die.
It's a protest song built on hope rather than anger. Every hard thing named in the lyrics gets the same ending: it will pass.
