“Tell Him”
Album: The Last Don, 2003
Style: Bachata and reggaeton fusion about infidelity and love affairs.
Country: Puerto Rico
Listen: YouTube
Translation:
Dile que bailando te conocí
(Cuéntale)
Dile que esta noche me quieres ver
(Cuéntale)
Tell him that I met you while dancing
(Tell him)
Tell him that you want to see me tonight
(Tell him)
Cuéntale que beso mejor que él
(Cuéntale)
Dile que esta noche tú me vas a ver
(Cuéntale)
Tell him how I kiss better than he does
(Tell him)
Tell him that you are going to see me tonight
(Tell him)
Cuéntale que te conocí bailando
Cuéntale que soy mejor que él
Cuéntale que te traigo loca
Cuéntale que no lo quieres ver
(x2)
Tell him that I met you while dancing
Tell him I am better than he is
Tell him that I drive you crazy
Tell him that you don’t want to see him
(x2)
Verse 1:
————————————————
Que quizás fue la noche la que te traicionó
Fue el perfume de mi piel lo que te cautivó
Que ya no tienes excusa pa’ tu traición
Que tuviste mil motivos, que entre en razón
That perhaps it was the night that betrayed you
It was the perfume of my skin that captivated you
That you no longer have excuses for your betrayal
That you had a thousand motives, that I entered into your reason
Que quizás te hablo a el oído como ya él no
O en mí arde el fuego de la pasión
Ya no le mientas más, ya admite tu error
Y si es por mí no pidas perdón
That perhaps I speak into your ear the way he doesn’t anymore
Or that in me burn the flames of passion
Do not lie to him anymore, admit your error already
And if it’s because of me do not ask forgiveness
Digo
Queda de ti el que lo perdones
El que lo olvides o lo abandones
Porque con llorar no se compone
Entonces a mí dame otra noche
I say
It’s up to you whether you forgive it
Whether you forget it or abandon it
Because crying will not fix it
So then give another night to me
————————————————
Chorus:
Otra, otra noche, otra (Ay que yo no te boté)
Otra, otra noche, otra (Aunque tú vuelvas con él)
Otra, otra noche, otra (Cuéntale, cuéntale)
Otra, otra noche, otra (Que beso mejor que el)
Otra, otra noche, otra (Cuéntale, cuéntale)
Otra, otra noche, otra
Another, another night, another (Oh, because I didn’t throw you out)
Another, another night, another (Even if you return to him)
Another, another night, another (Tell him, tell him)
Another, another night, another (That I kiss better than he does)
Another, another night, another (Tell him, tell him)
Another, another night, another
Cuéntale que te conocí bailando
Cuéntale que soy mejor que él
Cuéntale que te traigo loca
Cuéntale que tú me quieres ver
(x2)
Tell him that I met you while dancing
Tell him I am better than he is
Tell him that I drive you crazy
Tell him that you want to see me
(x2)
[Verso 1, “Que quizás fue la noche la que te traicionó…“]
[Chorus, “Otra, otra noche, otra…“]
Translation Notes:
Dile que bailando te conocí
(Cuéntale)
Tell him that I met you while dancing
(Tell him)
Dile = tell him (the facts)
Cuéntale = tell him (the story)
—
Cuéntale que te traigo loca
Tell him that I drive you crazy [*literally, better translation]
Tell him that I keep you crazy, have you crazy [*literally word-for-word]
traer [v.] = bring; carry; get
—
Queda de ti el que lo perdones
It’s up to you whether you forgive it
[Queda de ti] <el que> (lo perdones)
It’s left of you] <that of whether> (you forgive it)
“whether” comes from the subjunctive tense of “lo perdones” and “el que”
Queda de ti que lo perdones = It’s up to you that you forgive it
Queda de ti el que lo perdones = The issue of forgiving him is up to you
Also, why “it” and not “him”? It’s just the song context. If I looked at the line by itself, I would have thought that it was saying “forgive him,” but Don Omar is talking about her infidelity.
—
Porque con llorar no se compone
Because crying will not fix it
Because with crying it does not fix itself [*literally word-for-word]
—
Entonces a mí dame otra noche
So then give another night to me
So then (to me) give me another night [*literally]
“a mí” is redundant for emphasis of the first person
Songlations 