Spanish songs translated to English with side-by-side lyrics and notes for Spanish learners
“This Loneliness”, 2009 single
Style: Pop/rock, melancholy, soft and sweet voice reminiscent of Natalia Lafourcade. Song about loneliness. She needs a hug!
Country: Mexico, USA (Arizona)
Listen: YouTube
Esta soledad me esta quemando las pestañas,
Llenándome de telarañas
Y me pone a chillar.
This solitude is burning my eyelashes, [*idiom, meaning it keeps her up at night]
Covering me with cobwebs
And it makes me bawl.
“Sleepless”
Album: Puro Tejano Gold (Pure Texan Gold), 2008
Style: Texan ranchera with a very slight cumbia influence. Bobby Pulido is a Mexican-American singer. This song is about unrequited and unknown love. The poor guy falls in love with a voice he heard on the radio. Listen to his sleepless tale below.
Country: USA (Texas)
Listen: YouTube
Será fe que yo encontré… una voz de ternura
Que me llena de placer, cuando la oigo hablar.
Con ella me enamoré, aunque nunca la conoci.
Sueño en su querer y en sus brazos quiero dormir.
It must be fate that I found… a tender voice
Who fills me with pleasure, when I hear it speak.
I fell in love with her, even though I never met her.
I dream about her love and I want to sleep in her arms.
“Share”
Album: Mietras Tú Dormías (While You Slept), 2010
Style: Alternative pop/rock, love ballad, soft voiced but strongly projected, understatedly emotional. Sweet melody about wanting to be close to a lover.
Country: Mexico, USA (Arizona)
Listen: YouTube. I learned about this song from the NPR Alt.Latino music blog.
Quiero compartir mi silla contigo.
Quiero ver salir el sol y despedirlo.
Quiero caminar y correr a tu ladito.
Quiero buscar y encontrarme a solas contigo.
I want to share my seat with you.
I want to see the sun rise and (then) say farewell to it.
I want to walk and run by your side.
I want to look for and find time alone with you.
“From the Moment I Wake Up” or “Since I Wake Up”
Album: Un Día Normal (A Normal Day), 2002
Style: Pop, love song
Country: Colombia
Mira que mis ojos ven mejor si tú eres la luz
Y mi espera no es eterna si tú eres el final.
Look how my eyes see better if you are the light
And my wait is not eternal if you are the end.
“(Everybody) Let Me Cry”
Album: Déjenme Llorar (Everybody Let Me Cry), 2012
Style: Alternative rock, melancholy, soft but strong voice, mourning a breakup. This song won “Best Alternative Song” and its album won “Best Alternative Album” in the 2012 Latin Grammy Awards. The song was also nominated for “Song of the Year.”
Country: Mexico, USA (Arizona)
He estado recordando los momentos que te di,
Cuántos tú me diste y por qué ahora estoy aquí,
Sentada en el suelo pensando que te quiero,
Que te quise tanto, y que tu amor me es… ¡necesario!
I have been remembering the moments that I gave you,
How many you gave me, and why I am here now,
Sitting on the floor thinking that I love you,
That I loved you so much, and that your love is for me… necessary!
“Something With Meaning”
Album: Residente o Visitante (Resident or Visitor), 2007
Style: Hilarious but explicit rap song, slow tempo, increasingly disturbing lyrics. This song is hilarious because of its disturbing build-up and then the abrupt end after the first end. Residente Calle 13’s voice acting in this song is great.
Country: Puerto Rico
***Warning: Explicit language, graphic descriptions of violence.***
La gente está jugando con mi mente
Y ando con la mirada borracha.
Mi cabeza está pensando en remolacha,
Por eso no tiene sentido esta guaracha.
People are playing with my head
And I walk around with a drunk look.
My head is thinking about beets;
That’s why this song makes no sense.
“About-Turn”
Style: Ranchera, heartbreak, wavering between denial and acceptance.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon
Te vas porque yo quiero que te vayas.
A la hora que yo quiera te detengo.
Yo sé que mi cariño te hace falta
Porque quieras o no yo soy tu dueño.
You leave because I want you to leave.
At whatever time I want, I (can) stop you.
I know that you need my affection,
Because whether you want it or not, I am your boss.
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