“Mala Gente” (Bad People) by Juanes, English translation and notes

“Bad People” Translation
Album: Un Día Normal (2003)
Style: Rock song. Bitter song to an ex who broke his heart and now wants him back. This song won the Latin Grammy Award for “Best Rock Song” in 2003.
Country: Colombia
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Tú me pides que te deje ahora, ahora,
Ahora cuando más te necesito.

You ask me to leave you now, now,
Now when I need you most.

Tú me dices que este amor se fue al olvido, ahora,
Ahora cuando yo ya no te olvido.

You tell me that this love has fallen to oblivion, now,
Now when I cannot forget you anymore.

Tú me pides que seamos sólo amigos, amigos,
Y a mí no me interesa ser tu amigo.

You ask (me) that we just be friends, friends,
And it does not interest me to be your friend.

Tú me dices que este amor ha sido en vano,
Qué malo que dices eso,
Pero qué bueno que se acabó.

You tell me that this love has been in vain,
What a pity that you say that,
But what fortune that it ended.

---

Chorus:

Mala gente
Te burlaste de mis sentimientos y ahora te lamentas
Mala gente
Vas a pagarla caro porque a mí tú ya no me interesas
Mala gente

Bad people
You made fun of my feelings and now you lament it
Bad people
You are going to pay it dearly because you no longer interest me
Bad people

Porque tú eres una mentirosa y una… mala gente
¡Y en el infierno enterita enterita te vas a quemar!

Because you are a liar and… bad people
And in hell you are going to burn entirely whole!

---

Traicionera
Mentirosa
Mala gente

Traitor
Liar
Bad people

Tú me pides que regrese ahora, ahora,
Y ahora es a mí a quien no le importa.
Tú me pides que seamos más que amigos, amigos,
Y amigos para qué si no hay cariño.

You ask me to return now, now,
And now it is me who it does not matter to.
You ask (me) that we be more than friends, friends,
And friends, what for, if there is no endearment?

Hoy por fin me he dado cuenta de tu engaño,
De tu mala calaña y tanto mal que me hiciste tú.

Today I have finally realized your deception,
Your foul manner and all the harm that you did me.

[Chorus x2]

El día en que tú naciste, cariño
(Mala gente)
Ese día nacieron todas mis penas
(Mala gente)

The day you were born, darling
(Bad people)
That day all my regrets were born
(Bad people)

¡Y en el infierno enterita enterita te vas a quemar!
And in hell you are going to burn entirely whole!

Translation Notes:

Tú me pides que…
You ask me that…
You request of me that…

pedir [v] = to ask, to request, to plead

—

Tú me dices que este amor se fue al olvido, ahora
You tell me that this love has fallen to oblivion, now

ir(se) al olvido = to go to oblivion, to dissipate, to fade to nothingness

Ahora cuando yo ya no te olvido
Now when I cannot forget you anymore
lit. Now when I do not forget you

olvidar [v] = to forget

—

Tú me dices que este amor ha sido en vano
You tell me that this love has been in vain

This line is mistranscribed in online lyrics websites as:

Tú me dices que este amor te sabe a malo
You tell me that this love tastes (of something) bad to you

—

Qué malo que dices eso, pero qué bueno que se acabó
What a pity that you say that, but what fortune that it ended
What a shame that you say that, but thank goodness that it ended
How unfortunate that you say that, but how fortunate that it ended

qué malo (que) = how bad (that), what badness (that)
qué bueno (que) = how good (that), what goodness (that)

—

Vas a pagarla caro porque a mí tú ya no me interesas
You are going to pay it dearly because you no longer interest me

porque (a mí) [tú] (ya no me interesas)
because (to me) [you] (no longer interest me)

—

¡Y en el infierno enterita enterita te vas a quemar!
And in hell you are going to burn entirely whole!

entero/a [adj] = whole

The -ita suffix and the repetition makes it mean that every little bit of her is going to burn. Not just her entire self, but every little bit of her entire self.

—

Y amigos para qué si no hay cariño
And friends, what for, if there is no endearment?

¿Para qué? = What for?

—

(Por fin) me he dado cuenta
I have (finally) realized
(Finally) I have become aware [*literal]
(Finally) I have given myself notice [*even more literal]

contar [v] = to tell, to recount; to count (as in, 1, 2, 3…)
contar una historia = to tell a story
contar noticias = to tell news

—

Tu mala calaña
Your foul manner
Your bad way of being