Category: Accent study

“Dile Que Por Mí No Tema” (Tell Them Not To Fear Me) by Celia Cruz, English translation

“Tell Them Not To Fear Me”
Album: Dile Que Por Mi No Tema / Bajo La Luna Vinyl, 1972; Boleros, 1993
Style: Bolero, which is both a dance style and a story-telling lyrics style. Song telling an ex that you have a new (better) sweetheart and that your ex should tell their own new lover not to worry about you, because you’ve moved on. Also an example of a gender neutral Spanish song.
Country: Cuba
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Dile a tu nuevo querer
Que no hay nada que temer
Porque hace ya mucho tiempo
Que te borré de mi mente
Y no me acuerdo de ti…

Tell your new beloved
That there is nothing to fear
Because it’s been a long time now
Since I erased you from my mind
And I don’t remember you…

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“Siboney” by Ernesto Lecuona, covers by Xiomara Alfaro, Concha Buika, various; English translation

“Siboney” or “Canto Siboney” Lyrics
Composer: Ernesto Lecuona, 1927
Style: Jazz, romance, love song to Siboney. Xiomara Alfaro’s version was the composer’s favorite.
Country: Cuba, with several covers from Spain
Listen: Xiomara Alfaro (Cuba, 1957); Plácido Domingo (Spain, opera, 2012); Concha Buika (Spain, jazz, 2013)

Lyrics Translation:

Siboney, yo te quiero,
Yo me muero por tu amor.

Siboney, I love you,
I am dying for your love.

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“Que Nadie Sepa Mi Sufrir” by Angel Cabral and Enrique Dizeo, sung by many, English translation

“Let No One Know of My Suffering”
Style: Varies, but commonly in the style of a Peruvian waltz
Composer: Ángel Cabral (Argentina), 1936
Songwriter: Enrique Dizeo (Argentina)
Country: Sung by many, originally from Argentina

Listen: Renditions available at YouTube by: Los Lobos (USA, 1970s-current), Julio Jaramillo (Ecuador, 1950s pasillo), Maria Dolores Pradera (Spain, 1950s operatic), Sonora Dinamita (Colombian and Salvadorean, 1980s+ cumbia), Julio Iglesias (Spain, 1980s romantic), Lucha Reyes (Peru, 1970s), 웅산 Woong San (Korea, in Spanish, 2010s), Edith Piaf (France, in French with edited lyrics as La Foule, 1957), and many more.

Lyrics Translation:

No te asombres si te digo lo que fuiste:
Una ingrata con mi pobre corazón.
Porque el fuego de tus lindos ojos negros [*alt: el brillo]
Alumbraron el camino de otro amor.

Don’t be surprised if I tell you what you were:
An ingrate with my poor heart.
Because the fire of your lovely black eyes [*alt: the shine]
Lit up the path to another love.

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“Te Solté La Rienda” (I Let Go of Your Reign) by José Alfredo Jiménez, Maná, English translation

“I Let Go of Your Rein”
Style: Corrido, ranchera, sometimes a mariachi. This popular Mexican song is an epic “you’ll miss me, but go” breakup song.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube (José Alfredo Jiménez, Maná, Lupillo Rivera, Vicente Fernandez, and many more)

Lyrics Translation:

Se me acabó la fuerza
De mi mano izquierda.
Voy a dejarte el mundo
Para ti solita.

I lost the strength
On my left hand.
I am going to leave you the world
For your very own.

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“Alma, Corazón y Vida” (Soul, Heart and Life) by Albán, various singers, English translation of lyrics

“Soul, Heart and Life”
Style: Waltz, bolero, various adaptions. Translation of a classic song about a person very much in love. They sing about the three things they offer their lover: their soul to woe them, their heart to love them, and their life to spend with them. It is a sweet love song.
Countries: Many
Listen: Various versions. Trío Los Panchos (USA/Mexico), Dyango (Spain; live, slow performance), Los Embajadores Criollos (Peru), Soledad Pastorutti (Argentina, live, deep voice), Tania Libertad (Peru), and more on YouTube.

Translation:

Recuerdo aquella vez
Que yo te conocí
Recuerdo aquella tarde
Pero no recuerdo ni como te vi.

I remember that time
When I first met you
I remember that afternoon
But I don’t even remember how I saw you.

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“Cuando Ya No Me Quieras” by Julio Jaramillo, English translation of lyrics

“When You No Longer Love Me” Lyrics
Album: Julio Jaramillo, 1966
Style: Pasillo about being in love and seeing the end of the relationship in sight, and being determined to take it well when it does finally end. Since this is a famous old song, there are several renditions from all over Latin America. It is a good song for accent study.
Country: Ecuador
Listen: YouTube, Amazon, and scroll down for other renditions.

Translation Notes:

Cuando ya no me quieras,
No me finjas cariño,
No me tengas piedad,
Compasión ni temor.

When you no longer love me,
Do not fake me tenderness,
Do not have mercy on me,
(Nor) compassion nor fear.

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“Nuestro Juramento” by Julio Jaramillo, cover by La Santa Cecilia, English translation of lyrics

“Our Vow” (1956) Lyrics
Composer: Benito de Jesús, famously sung by Julio Jaramillo.
Style: Pasillo, waltz-like originally. Many covers in different styles.
Country: Ecuador originally, but popular across Latin America.
Listen: Julio Jaramillo (Ecuador), José Feliciano (Puerto Rico), Javier Solis (Mexico), Vicente Fernández (Mexico) La Santa Cecilia (Mexican-American), Juanes (Colombia).

“Nuestro Juramento” is a well-known romance song across Latin America and arguably Julio Jaramillo’s most famous song. It is about human mortality and passion. It is two lovers who declare to continue loving each other forever, and to be devastated should the other die. The verb jurar means “to swear, to vow” and a juramento is an oath or a vow.

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“La Historia de un Amor” sung by many, English lyrics translation of a Mexican classic

“The Story of a Love” Lyrics, also. “A Lovestory”
Written by Carlos Eleta Almaran, sung by many.
Style: Romantic classic from Mexico
Country: Mexico
Listen: Ana Gabriel (Mexico), Eydie Gormé y Trio Los Panchos (USA & Mexico), Guadalupe Pineda (Mexico), Pedro Infante (Mexico), Luis Miguel (Mexico), Luz Casal (Spain), Laura Fygi (Netherlands)

Translation:

Ya no estás más a mi lado, corazón.
En el alma sólo tengo soledad,
Y si ya no puedo verte,
¿Por qué Dios me hizo quererte?
Para hacerme sufrir más.

You are no longer at my side, my love.
In my soul I have only loneliness,
And if I can no longer see you,
Why did God make me love you?
To make me suffer more.

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