“Piel Canela” (Cinnamon Skin) by Bobby Capó, Eydie Gorme y Los Panchos, English translation

“Cinnamon Skin”, 1950s
Style: Romantic bolero. This is a popular oldies song written by Bobby Capó and sung by many. You might have seen it in commercials or heard the tune in elevators. Probably popularized best by Eydie Gorme y Los Panchos. I think it’s on the Nacho Libre soundtrack. This song is passed around a lot.
Country: Puerto Rico; United States (New York); Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Que se quede el infinito sin estrellas,
O que pierda el ancho mar su inmensidad,
Pero el negro (alt. el brillo) de tus ojos que no muera,
Y el canela de tu piel se quede igual.

May the infinite be left without stars,
Or may the wide sea lose its immenseness,
But may the blackness (alt. the glimmer) of your eyes never die,
And may the cinnamon of your skin stay the same.

Si perdiera el arco iris su belleza,
Y las flores su perfume y su color,
No seria tan inmensa mi tristeza
Como aquella de quedarme sin tu amor.

If the rainbow were to lose its beauty,
And the flowers their perfume and their color,
My sadness wouldn’t be as immense
As that from being left without your love.

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Chorus:
Me importas tú, y tú, y tú
Y solamente tú, y tú, y tú,
Me importas tú, y tú, y tú,
Y nadie mas que tú.

What matters to me is you, and you, and you,
And only you, and you, and you,
What matters to me is you, and you, and you,
And no one else but you.

Ojos negros, piel canela
Que me llegan a desesperar.

Black eyes, cinnamon skin
That drive me to despair.

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(Chorus x2 repeated)

Me importas tú, y tú, y tú
Y solamente tú, y tú, y tú,
Me importas tú, y tú, y tú,
Y nadie mas que tú...

What matters to me is you, and you, and you,
And only you, and you, and you,
What matters to me is you, and you, and you,
And no one else but you…

Translation Notes:

Some of this song is in the subjunctive tense, which increases the sense that the singer is making a plea. Everything else can be lost, the sky can lose its stars, the sea can shrink, but she wants her lover protected.

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For more history about “Piel Canela” and other popular love songs of Latin America, see “The Eternal Bolero, Part 1: Love Songs that Endure for Decades”, The Strachwitz Frontera Collection of Mexican and Mexican American Recordings, University of California, Los Angeles.

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“Piel Canela” by Bobby Capo, Eydie Gorme y Los Panchos