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Lyrics
Verse 1
Iba bajando la cuesta del pueblo, hacia el atardecer,
cargando madera fresca para mi taller.
Y de pronto apareciste, suave como la brisa,
con tu paso silencioso y tu media sonrisa.
No supe qué decirte, no atiné a saludar,
solo me quedé mirándote, sin poderme apartar.
Y esa misma noche, te juro, por mi fe,
ya no pude dormir… porque me enamoré.
Pre-chorus
Y el viento se detuvo… el mundo entero quedó en silencio,
una luz dorada bajó sobre tu rostro sereno.
Sentí que el cielo entero contenía la respiración,
mirándote a ti…
…y este pobre carpintero…
Chorus
¡Cuando te vi, se me cayó el martillo,
y al verte caminar se detuvo el sol!
Mi dulce María, mi joven María,
desde ese día… mi alma se rindió.
Verse 2
Después llegó la boda y te llevé a mi hogar,
y la casa nuestra entera se llenó de felicidad.
Te miro amasar el pan, te oigo cantar al Niño,
y bendigo cada día este humilde camino.
Cruzamos juntos los caminos de Belén,
en Egipto fuiste mi refugio… y mi alma también.
Y aunque pasen los años, María, te lo prometí:
te amo hoy mucho más que el día en que te vi.
Chorus
¡Cuando te vi, se me cayó el martillo,
y al verte caminar se detuvo el sol!
Mi dulce María, mi joven María,
desde ese día… mi alma te eligió.
Bridge
Cuando duermes y la luna entra suave en la ventana,
me quedo despierto solo por mirarte hasta el alba.
Doy gracias al Padre por la mujer más bella,
y entiendo por qué Dios… eligió tu estrella.
No soy digno, lo sé… mi amada María,
pero te amaré hasta el final de mis días.
Final chorus
¡Cuando te vi, se me cayó el martillo,
y al verte caminar se detuvo el sol!
Mi dulce María, mi joven María,
desde ese día… mi alma se entregó.
Tag
¡Cuando te vi…! (¡cuando te vi…!)
¡Me robaste el aliento…! (¡el aliento…!)
¡Mi dulce María…! (¡mi joven María…!)
y hasta el último día… te amaré.
Closing reflection
Tu hijo se hizo mi hijo… y lo amé más que a mí.
Jesús le llamamos, Jesús el Mesías,
y en sus ojos siempre te vía… mi amada María.
Yo, simple carpintero, fui guardián del Misterio,
y dormí cada noche… al lado del cielo entero.
Outro
...y más allá de la aurora, mi bella María,
seguiré viéndote igual… como cuando te vi...
Written, performed and produced by
Take it with you
The lyric sheet for this song
A single page made to be printed: the whole lyric on bone-coloured paper, with a dedication written for this song and Larry Hans's signature. To pray it, to give it away or to keep it — not to read on one more screen.
Download the sheetFan zone
Joseph speaks. He was walking down the village hill at dusk, carrying fresh timber for his workshop, when She appeared «soft as the breeze», silent-footed and half-smiling. He didn't know what to say and couldn't manage a greeting: he simply stood there looking, unable to turn away. He says that very night he could no longer sleep, because he had fallen in love. The chorus repeats the same scene three times and changes only the ending: his soul surrendered, then it chose her, and finally it gave itself away. It is the story of a man who loves in silence and decides to stay.
- What it's about
- Joseph walks down the village hill at dusk and falls in love.
- Its sound signature
- The nylon-string guitar leads, arpeggiated, with no drums until the chorus.
- The trick in the chorus
- The last line of the chorus moves on: «my soul surrendered» → «chose you» → «gave itself away» — surrender in three steps.
- Worth knowing
- It is the only song where Larry lends his voice to a character: he sings as Joseph. It honours perpetual virginity — «I took you to my home» comes from Matthew 1:24.
Frequently asked questions
The things people ask most about this page. If something is missing, write to the address in the footer.
What is «Cuando te vi» about?
About the moment Joseph falls in love. He was walking down the village slope at dusk, carrying fresh timber for his workshop, and She appeared «soft as the breeze», with a silent step and a half smile. He could not manage a greeting, and that same night he could no longer sleep.
Who is singing in «Cuando te vi»?
Joseph. It is the only song on the album where Larry Hans does not narrate from outside: he lends his voice to a character and tells the falling-in-love from within. In the other nine tracks he always narrates in the third person.
How long is it and where does it sit on the album?
It runs 6:03 and is track 2 of the 10 on «La Virgen de Nazaret». Its ISRC is QT6FP2692520. It is the longest song on the record after «El día que naciste».
What is this song's sonic signature?
The nylon-string guitar takes the lead, arpeggiated, and the drums do not come in until the chorus. It is the barest track of the album's first half: the arrangement steps back to make room for a confession made in a low voice.
How does the chorus change through the song?
The last line moves in three steps: «mi alma se rindió» (my soul surrendered) → «te eligió» (chose you) → «se entregó» (gave itself). It is self-giving told in three stages, changing a single verb each time over the same repeated scene.
Does the song respect Mary's perpetual virginity?
Yes, and explicitly carefully. The line «Te llevé a mi hogar» (I took you to my home) comes from Matthew 1:24, and the whole track is written as a love that decides to stay without asking for anything. The falling-in-love is told in full without touching doctrine.
Why is it the only song in the first person?
Because Joseph is the only character the album dares to lend a voice to. Larry Hans never sings as if he were Mary: taking Her voice would have been a licence he was not willing to take. Joseph's, by contrast, is the gaze of the one standing beside Her.
Who is this song dedicated to?
To those who love in silence, asking for nothing and telling no one. In the author's words: there is a love that does not need to be returned in order to be complete, and the world is held up by those who love that way.
Does this song work for a wedding?
It is one of the two on the album that fit a wedding, along with «No nos creerían». This is the slow one: falling in love told from within. To play it during a ceremony, it is best to ask first at soy@larryhans.com.
Where can I listen to «Cuando te vi»?
On Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and the other digital stores, and also in the player on this page. The buttons above lead directly to the song in each store, not to the whole album.
Where can I get the lyric of «Cuando te vi» in print?
On this page there is a PDF sheet to print, with the full lyric, a dedication written for this track and the author's signature. It is free, requires no sign-up and is available in the site's eight languages.
Which album is it on?
On «La Virgen de Nazaret» (2026), Larry Hans's debut album, of which it is track 2. It comes right after the title song and before «Antes del Sí».
What biblical passage lies behind it?
Matthew 1:24, the verse in which Joseph, waking from the dream, does what the angel commanded and receives Mary into his house. The song dwells on what that verse does not tell: what the day was like when he first saw her.
Is the lyric translated into other languages?
No. The album's lyrics are always read in the original Spanish, because they are the work. Everything else on this page — the explanation, the song's fact sheet and the printable page — is in the site's eight languages.
Can I use the song in a video?
The recording is under reserved rights and its ISRC is QT6FP2692520. Any use in video, publication or derivative work needs prior permission, requested by writing to soy@larryhans.com.
Thank you
I don't know your name or where you live, but the map says you were here. Thank you for putting this music on in your house, in your car or in your headphones, at whatever hour it was — every flag below is someone who stopped by to say hello.