“The Great Woman” Lyrics
Album: La Gran Señora (The Great Woman), 2009
Style: Mariachi from an older woman to a younger woman, telling her that this homewrecking attempt won’t work. She will defend her home and family.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube
Translation:
Tenemos que hablar de mujer a mujer,
Hay que dejar unas cosas en claro,
Aunque no te guste tienes que entender,
Lo que es mío es mío y no voy a soltarlo.
We have to talk (from) woman to woman,
Let’s leave some things clear,
Even if you don’t like it, you have to understand,
What is mine is mine and I will not let it go.
Yo voy a pelear y defender mi honor;
Yo soy su señora y mucho me ha costado.
No sé como entraste, no sé cuando fue [*alt: como fue],
No sé que le diste para atarantarlo.
I will fight and defend my honor;
I am his lady and it has cost me much.
I don’t know how you entered, don’t know when it was [*alt: how it was],
I don’t know what you gave him to daze him.
Lo que sí te digo es que aquí somos tres
Y este trangulito no me esta gustando.
Vas a comprender y respetar quien soy.
Si no es por las buenas pues será a madrazos.
What I will tell you is that here we are three
And I am not liking this little triangle.
You will understand and respect who I am.
If it isn’t by amicable means then it will be by fists.
Se necesita más que una cara bonita,
Se necesita más que un cuerpo sin estrías,
Se necesita más que una mente perdida,
Para ser esa intrusa que de mi se ria.
One needs more than a pretty face,
One needs more than a body without stretch marks,
One needs more than a lost mind,
To be that intruder that laughs at me.
Aunque estés viviendo en la plena juventud,
Yo tengo la experiencia y la familia es mía.
No vas a robar lo que yo me gané,
Aunque seas esa intrusa que se le acomoda.
Though you are living in the fullness of youth,
I have the experience and the family is mine.
You will not rob what I have won,
Though you are that intruder who makes herself comfortable.
Él no me dejará pues sabe quien es quien,
Soy la que con sus hijos tiene la corona,
Vas a resbalarte pero a otro rincón,
Porque este es mi hombre y yo su gran señora.
He will not leave me because he knows who is who,
I am the one who has the crown with his kids.
You are going to slip but to another corner,
Because this is my man and I am his great woman.
(¿Y me estás oyendo, vieja pioja?)
(Are you listening to me, you old lice-ridden woman?)
No sé como entraste, no sé como fue, [*alt: cuando fue],
No sé que le diste para atarantarlo.
I don’t know how you entered, I don’t know how it was, [*alt: when it was],
I don’t know what you gave him to dumbfound him.
Lo que sí te digo es que aquí somos tres
Y este trangulito no me esta gustando.
Vas a comprender y respetar quien soy.
Si no es por las buenas pues será a madrazos.
What I will tell you is that here we are three
And I am not liking this little triangle.
You will understand and respect who I am.
If it isn’t by amicable means then it will be by fists.
Se necesita más que una cara bonita,
Se necesita más que un cuerpo sin estrías,
Se necesita más que una mente perdida,
Para ser esa intrusa que de mi se ria.
You need more than a pretty face,
You need more than a body without stretch marks,
You need more than a lost mind,
To be that intruder that laughs at me.
Aunque estés viviendo en la plena juventud,
Yo tengo la experiencia y la familia es mía.
No vas a robar lo que yo me gané,
Aunque seas esa intrusa que se le acomoda.
Though you are living in the fullness of youth,
I have the experience and the family is mine.
You will not rob what I have won,
Though you are that intruder who makes themselves comfortable.
Él no me dejará pues sabe quien es quien,
Soy la que con sus hijos tiene la corona.
Vas a resbalarte pero a otro rincón,
Porque este es mi hombre y yo su gran señora.
He will not leave me because he knows who is who,
I am the one who has the crown with his kids.
You are going to slip but to another corner,
Because this is my man and I, his great woman.
Translation Notes:
My mom likes this song. My dad doesn’t like it because he’s always been faithful and doesn’t want anyone thinking otherwise, but my mom likes the “demand respect” and “mom/wife not being meek” part of it.
Mexican mother’s day is May 10th every year, so happy mother’s day to all mothers, and may your partners always respect you!
No sé que le diste para atarantarlo.
I don’t know what you gave him to daze him.
The verb atarantar (to stun, to daze, to dumbfound) is a Spanish onomatopoeia. The word helps you visualize someone moving in a jerky motion because they were stunned and their muscles aren’t responding well.
Lo que sí te digo es que aquí somos tres
Y este trangulito no me esta gustando.
What I will tell you is that here we are three
And I am not liking this little triangle.
What I will tell you is that here we are three
And this little triangle is not pleasing me. [*syntax literal]
Vas a comprender y respetar quien soy.
Si no es por las buenas pues será a madrazos.
You will understand and respect who I am.
If it isn’t by amicable means then it will be by fists.
In Mexican Spanish, “por las buenas” (literally “by the good ways”) refers to the nicer, more pleasant way to do something. The alternative is “por las malas” (literally “by the bad ways”) but here Jenni is not being so vague. She is saying the alternative is “a madrazos” (by hard blows). The dictionary says madrazos can mean “insults” in some countries, but in Mexico it definitely refers to direct physical fighting.
Se necesita más que una cara bonita,
Se necesita más que…
You need more than a pretty face,
You need more than…
One needs more than a pretty face,
One needs more than…
The Spanish lyrics use the verb conjugation used for singular indefinite pronouns like English’s “one” impersonal pronoun. I considered changing it to second person “you” but decided to leave it more literal. For a full English adaptation, you could do either but “you” sounds more natural. We don’t often use the pronoun “one” in casual English.
Él no me dejará [pues] sabe quien es quien,
Soy la que con sus hijos tiene la corona.
He will not leave me [because] he knows who is who,
I am the one who has the crown with his kids.
This is somewhat idiomatic Mexican Spanish. It makes sense literally, but has added cultural meaning. The person who tiene la corona (has the crown) is the person who people accept with authority. It is also used to describe family dynamics and power structures. Jenni is saying that she is the family authority according to the children, and her husband knows this, and knows he cannot just replace her. Her children will not allow it.
Vas a resbalarte pero a otro rincón,
Porque este es mi hombre y yo su gran señora.
You are going to slip but to another corner,
Because this is my man and I am his great woman.
In my first draft, I translated this as “You are going to slip away” but had to remove the “away”. The Spanish verb resbalar really just means “to slip, to slide”. Jenni’s previous lyrics express confusion about how this woman slipped into their lives:
No sé como entraste, no sé cuando fue
I don’t know how you entered, don’t know when it was
Now Jenni is telling the woman that she needs to slip like that again, but to some other place away from her man.
“La Gran Senora” by Jenni Rivera (without the ñ for the WordPress search)
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