“Rosario Tijeras” by Juanes, English translation of lyrics

“Rosario Tijeras”
Album: Mi Sangre (My Blood), 2004
Style: Pop/rock, wild west feel, biography of a (fictional) legend. The film Rosario Tijeras (2005) is the second highest grossing film in Colombia’s history. This song is the opening for one of the two novelas about Rosario Tijeras, a real tough lady.
Country: Colombia
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

En la calle,
En la esquina,
En la plaza,
En la cuadra, Papá.
Está de vuelta la Rosario Tijeras
Pa’ que se escondan.

On the street,
On the corner,
On the plaza,
On the block, Daddy.
Rosario Tijeras has come back
So you (should) all flee.

Y se llamaba Rosario.
Del barrio era la Manda Más,
Con su pistola en la mano,
Siempre lista pa’ matar.

And her name was Rosario.
In the neighborhood she was the Boss,
With her pistol in hand,
Always ready to kill.

En odios y desengaños,
Rosario era la number one.
Nunca amó ni la amaron.

In loathings and deceptions,
Rosario was number one.
She never loved nor was loved.

Chorus:
———————————————-
Y en sus ojos siempre el dolor existió.
Todo fue porque en su niñez
Un malpa la violó y ella se vengó.

And pain always existed in her eyes.
It was all because in her childhood
A sonuva’ raped her and she took her revenge.
———————————————-

Era Rosario Tijeras,
La de pistola, espejito y labial
En su cartera siempre llena de vicio,
Sexo, balas, placer y dolor.

She was Rosario Tijeras,
Of the pistol, purse mirror and lipstick
In her handbag always full of vice,
Sex, bullets, pleasure and pain.

Las de las mil y una vidas,
Pam pam pam!
Rosario
Nunca amó ni la amaron.

The one with a thousand and one lives,
Pam pam pam! (Bang bang bang!)
Rosario
Never loved nor was loved.

[Chorus, “Y en sus ojos siempre el dolor existió…“]

-Coda-
Y confundió el amor,
(Fue una bala lo que entró en su corazón)
Nunca jamás lloró.
(Y en su alma siempre un llanto se escuchó)

And she confused love,
(It was a bullet that entered her heart)
She never cried again.
(And her soul was always heard weeping)

De tantos que mató
Uno vino mal herido y se vengó.
Rosario así murió
Y en el cementerio nadie la lloró.

Of so many she killed
One came badly wounded and took his revenge.
Rosario died like that
And in the cemetery no one cried for her.

[Chorus]
[Repeat from coda]
[Repeat from coda without lines in parentheses]

Translation Notes:

Rosario = Rosary, a very pious-sounding Catholic name
Tijeras = Scissors

Rosario is a common name, but Tijeras isn’t. Together, the name Rosario Tijeras has a wild west feel to it.

—

Está de vuelta la Rosario Tijeras / Pa’ que se escondan
Rosario Tijeras has come back / So you (should) all flee
She is back, (the notorious) Rosario Tijeras / (I’m telling you) so that you all hide [alt.]

volver [verb] = to come back, to return, to turn back
vuelta [f. noun] = a turn, a spin, a change
estar de vuelta = to be back

pa’ = para = for
para que = so that

esconder [verb] = to hide

—

Del barrio era la Manda Más
In the neighborhood she was the Boss
Of the neighborhood she was the Orders Most [lit.]

mandar [verb] = to order, to command

—

En odios y desengaños
In loathings and deceptions

odio [m. noun] = hate
desengaño [m. noun] = disillusion, deception

—

Un malpa la violó y ella se vengó
A sonuva’ raped her and she took her revenge

malpa [abbrev.] = malparido [noun] = undesirable, ill-born, despicable, son of a b*tch

—

Fue una bala lo que entró en su corazón
It was a bullet that entered her heart

(Fue) (una bala) (lo que entró) (en su corazón)
(It was) (a bullet) (the “it” that entered, the thing that entered) (into her heart)

“Lo” makes it sound like the answer to a question.

¿Qué fue lo que entró en su corazón?
What was it that entered her heart?
Not love. A bullet.

—

Nunca jamás lloró
She never cried again

nunca [adv.] = never, ever
jamás [adv.] = never, never since, at no time
nunca jamás = never again

“Nunca jamás” is the double negative version of “nunca más” (never more, never again). It sounds stronger.

—

Y en su alma siempre un llanto se escuchó
And her soul was always heard weeping

(Y) (en su alma) (siempre) (un llanto se escuchó)
(And) (in her soul) (always) (a weeping/crying was heard)