Brave by Sara Bareilles English Lyrics Translation | Learn English Through Confidence, Self-Expression & Everyday Idioms

Why I’m translating English songs into Spanish

I originally started this website to improve my Spanish and find people who love learning through music as much as I do.

This English-to-Spanish series is the next step in that journey.

One of the biggest breakthroughs in language learning is when you stop translating every word and begin thinking in the language itself. By translating English songs into natural Spanish, I’m learning how English speakers express emotions, encouragement, vulnerability, and everyday life.

If you’re a Spanish speaker learning English—or an English speaker learning Spanish—I hope these translations help make both languages feel a little more familiar.

A timeless anthem about finding your voice

Released in 2013, “Brave” by Sara Bareilles quickly became an anthem for self-expression and courage. Its uplifting message has made it a favorite at graduations, charity events, schools, and campaigns promoting kindness, inclusion, and mental health awareness.

Rather than encouraging grand acts of heroism, the song celebrates something much more universal:

The courage to simply speak your truth.

For English learners, Brave is full of useful idioms, phrasal verbs, metaphors, and conversational expressions that appear frequently in everyday English.

About the song

Sara Bareilles wrote Brave after conversations with a close friend who was struggling to openly express an important part of his identity. The song became an encouragement to live authentically and not allow fear to silence your voice.

Over the years, Brave has become one of Sara Bareilles’ signature songs and has accumulated hundreds of millions of streams across platforms. Its optimistic lyrics continue to resonate because they speak to anyone who’s ever been afraid to say what they truly feel.

Listen to the Song

Brave – Sara Bareilles

Brave – English Lyrics with Spanish Translation

You can be amazing
Puedes ser increíble

You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
Puedes convertir una frase en un arma o en una droga

You can be the outcast
Puedes ser el marginado

Or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love
O sufrir las consecuencias de la falta de amor de alguien

Or you can start speaking up
O puedes empezar a alzar la voz

Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do
Nada va a herirte como lo hacen las palabras

When they settle ’neath your skin
Cuando se quedan bajo tu piel

Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Guardadas por dentro, sin ver la luz del sol

Sometimes a shadow wins
A veces la oscuridad gana

But I wonder what would happen if you
Pero me pregunto qué pasaría si tú

Say what you wanna say
Dices lo que quieres decir

And let the words fall out
Y dejas que las palabras salgan

Honestly I wanna see you be brave
Sinceramente, quiero verte ser valiente

With what you want to say
Con aquello que quieres decir

And let the words fall out
Y dejas que las palabras salgan

Honestly I wanna see you be brave
Sinceramente, quiero verte ser valiente

I just wanna see you
Solo quiero verte

I wanna see you be brave
Quiero verte ser valiente

I just wanna see you
Solo quiero verte

I wanna see you be brave
Quiero verte ser valiente

Everybody’s been there, everybody’s been stared down
Todos hemos pasado por eso, todos hemos sido intimidados con una mirada

By the enemy
Por el enemigo

Fallen for the fear and done some disappearing
Hemos caído ante el miedo y desaparecido por un tiempo

Bow down to the mighty
Inclinarse ante los poderosos

But don’t run, stop holding your tongue
Pero no huyas, deja de morderte la lengua

Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live
Quizá haya una salida de la jaula en la que vives

Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Quizá algún día puedas dejar entrar la luz

Show me how big your brave is
Muéstrame cuán grande es tu valentía

Say what you wanna say
Di lo que quieres decir

And let the words fall out
Y deja que las palabras salgan

Honestly I wanna see you be brave
Sinceramente, quiero verte ser valiente

With what you want to say
Con aquello que quieres decir

And let the words fall out
Y deja que las palabras salgan

Honestly I wanna see you be brave
Sinceramente, quiero verte ser valiente

Innocence, your history of silence
Inocencia, tu historia de silencio

Won’t do you any good
No te hará ningún bien

Did you think it would?
¿Pensabas que sí?

Let your words be anything but empty
Haz que tus palabras sean cualquier cosa menos vacías

Why don’t you tell them the truth?
¿Por qué no les dices la verdad?

Say what you wanna say
Di lo que quieres decir

And let the words fall out
Y deja que las palabras salgan

Honestly I wanna see you be brave
Sinceramente, quiero verte ser valiente

With what you want to say
Con aquello que quieres decir

And let the words fall out
Y deja que las palabras salgan

Honestly I wanna see you be brave
Sinceramente, quiero verte ser valiente

I just wanna see you
Solo quiero verte

I wanna see you be brave
Quiero verte ser valiente

I just wanna see you
Solo quiero verte

See you be brave
Verte ser valiente

I just wanna see you
Solo quiero verte

English Expressions Worth Learning

One reason Brave is so useful for learners is the number of everyday expressions it contains.

Speak up

This phrasal verb means:

expresar tu opinión
alzar la voz
hablar cuando algo importa

Example:

You should speak up during the meeting.

Deberías expresar tu opinión durante la reunión.

Hold your tongue

An idiom meaning:

quedarse callado
morderse la lengua

Example:

I couldn’t hold my tongue anymore.

Ya no pude seguir callándome.

Let the words fall out

This poetic expression means:

dejar salir las palabras
decir lo que realmente sientes

It encourages speaking honestly instead of overthinking every sentence.

Learn English Vocabulary Through This Song

English	Spanish	Example
outcast	marginado	He felt like an outcast.
weapon	arma	Words can become a weapon.
shadow	sombra	A shadow covered the room.
brave	valiente	Be brave.
enemy	enemigo	Don’t fear the enemy.
cage	jaula	He escaped the cage.
silence	silencio	Silence isn’t always the answer.
truth	verdad	Tell the truth.
phrase	frase	That’s a famous phrase.
sunlight	luz del sol	The room needs sunlight.

Learn English Grammar Through This Song

English Structure	Spanish Equivalent	Explanation
Modal verb	You can be amazing	expresar posibilidad o capacidad
Phrasal verb	speak up	alzar la voz
Phrasal verb	fall out	salir espontáneamente
Imperative	Say what you wanna say	da una instrucción o consejo
Contraction	wanna	forma informal de want to
Future with gonna	Nothing’s gonna hurt you	forma coloquial de going to

Quick English Quiz

1. What does

outcast

mean?

A) Héroe

B) Marginado

C) Vecino

D) Profesor

2. What does

hold your tongue

mean?

A) Hablar más fuerte

B) Cantar

C) Quedarse callado

D) Reírse

3. Complete the lyric:

Say what you wanna ____

A) know

B) hear

C) say

D) do

4. What does

cage

mean?

A) Bosque

B) Jaula

C) Camino

D) Montaña

5. What does

speak up

mean?

A) Dormirse

B) Hablar más despacio

C) Alzar la voz o expresar tu opinión

D) Escuchar atentamente

Answers

Want to learn English through music?

If you’re a Spanish speaker learning English, songs like Brave are an excellent way to build vocabulary, understand idioms, improve pronunciation, and discover how native speakers express encouragement and emotion naturally.

I’m a certified Spanish teacher who also loves helping Spanish speakers learn English through music, movies, books, TV shows, and real-life conversations instead of memorizing endless grammar rules.

📩 If you enjoyed this article, feel free to send me a quick ”¡Hola!” at effietrumpet19@gmail.com.

Whether you’re an English speaker wanting to learn Spanish or a Spanish speaker wanting to learn English, I’m your friend and teacher.

Spanish Songs, Translated