Kinda crazy this lan­guage thing. Years ago, I bought Mi Tierra because it was Glo­ria, not because it was Span­ish. I mem­o­rized the words with­out really know­ing what they meant. Now, as I learn the 18 irreg­u­lar verbs of the preterite, I can understand:

“Ayer, encon­tré la flor que tu me diste…”

and

“Qué tu amor fue luz de pleno día…”

But almost more impor­tantly, I under­stand that “Con los años que me quedan” is about a love that is end­ing and ask­ing for another chance. It puts a whole new light on this music that I’ve been blithely singing for the last so many years. It’s a whole new song to me.

I can­not tell you how lib­er­at­ing and enlight­en­ing it is to learn another culture’s lan­guage. It unlocks their lives and their his­tory, and it is truly a gift.