Maestra Vida

All the facts condemned him
The stories and memories spoke poorly of him
With his eyes buried in the ground
Suffering the bad plays of his existence
Ramiro walked the streets of the neighborhood
The same corner with its same smell
All the facts condemned him
Yet, no one talked about his loneliness
About those years in prison
About the things he did and didn’t do
About his eternal bad luck
Standing on the corner, Ramiro answered the questions no one ever asked him
After all, his only reward was old age
The same reward his father Carmelo received
The same reward his daughter Rafael would surely get
It’s a night in May 1970
Ramiro is still on the corner, alone as always

I came to your school not understanding why I was there
In your classrooms, I find a thousand paths and crossroads
And I learn a lot and learn nothing at all

Master life, you give, you take, you take and you give
Master life, you give, you take, you take and you give

I go through days of sun, light, and downpours
I go through nights of darkness and moons
I go affirming, I go denying, I go with doubts
Between laughter and bitterness, searching for the why and the when
Master life, you give, you take, you take and you give
Master life, you give, you take, you take and you give
Master life, of justice and injustice
Of kindness and malice, I still can’t understand you
Master life, that guilt doesn’t forgive
I’m searching through 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 witnessed beauty
Of wickedness and wars
I saw the good of the earth
And I saw hunger and misery, and between drama and comedy
I advanced through water and fire
In God, I remember first
Only in the trance of dying
Or sometimes when I’m sad, but never when I’m happy
Gratitude doesn’t last
For the one who lends a hand
As soon as the nail comes out
All the suffering is forgotten
And I have friends, acquaintances, and enemies
Loves that have cared for me
And faces that deny seeing me
I found myself facing death
And in her eyes, I saw the meaning
And with fear beside me
That’s how I learned to love you
And today I know nothing is certain
Since everything is temporary
Death is the messenger that comes with the last hour
And time doesn’t stop
Neither for love nor money
Death is the messenger that comes with the last hour
And time doesn’t stop
Neither for love nor money
Master life, I’m off chasing time
To see if I find answers before the hour when
I die
Though I’m resigning to this fatal reality

Master life, you give, you take, you take and you give
Master life, you give, you take, you take and you give
Master life, you give, you take, you take and you give
Master life, you give, you take, you take and you give
You give, you take, you take and you give
You give, you take, you take and you give
You give, you take, you take and you give
You give, you take, you take and you give

Master life
But you give, you take, you take and you give
Hey, when you least expect it
Here comes the surprise
And time, look, it doesn’t stop
Neither for love nor for money
Death, buddy, death is the messenger
That comes with the last hour
When Carmelo died
I felt a pain so deep
That I find nothing in the world
To console me

You give, you take, you take and you give