“Hasta La Raíz” (Down to the Roots) by Natalia Lafourcade, English translation and meaning

“Down to The Roots”
Album: Hasta La Raíz (Down to Your Roots), 2015
Style: Folk rock, alternative rock. Natalia toldNational Public Radio that she wanted to sing about her roots, in her case about Mexico. The album won Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album (58th Grammy Awards), Best Alternative Music Album (16th Latin Grammy Awards), and Best Engineered Album (16th Latin Grammy Awards). This particular song won Song of the Year and Best Alternative Song (16th Latin Grammy Awards).
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Sigo cruzando ríos,
Andando selvas, amando el sol.
Cada día sigo sacando espinas
De lo profundo del corazón.

I keep crossing rivers,
Passing jungles, loving the sun.
Every day I keep pulling thorns
From the depths of my heart.

En la noche sigo encendiendo sueños
Para limpiar
Con el humo sagrado,
Cada recuerdo.

At night I keep lighting dreams on fire
To clean,
With the sacred smoke,
Every memory.

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“Hasta La Piel” (Down to My Skin) by Carla Morrison, English translation+meaning

“Down To My Skin”
Album: Dejénme Llorar (Let Me Cry), 2012
Style: Alternative rock, romantic and melancholy, emo. About intense love and the fear of losing it.
Country: Mexico, USA (Arizona)
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

No te quiero perder,
Que la distancia se devore nuestra miel,
Y perdamos la fe.

I don’t want to lose you,
For the distance to devour our honey,
And for us to lose faith.

No te quiero tener,
Y cuando menos piense,
Perderte otra vez,
Me duele hasta la piel.

I don’t want to have you,
And when I least expect it,
Lose you again,
It hurts me to down my skin.

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“Disfruto” (I Enjoy) by Carla Morrison, English translation + meaning

“I Enjoy”
Album: Dejénme Llorar (Let Me Cry), 2012
Style: Alternative rock, folk pop, emo melancholy love song
Country: Mexico, USA (Arizona)
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Me complace amarte.
Disfruto acariciarte
Y ponerte a dormir.
Es escalofriante,
Tenerte de frente,
Hacerte sonreír.

I pleases me to love you.
I enjoy caressing you
And putting you to sleep.
It is goosebump-inducing,
Having you in front of me,
Making you smile.

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“Para Siempre” (Forever) by Vicente Fernández, English translation

“Forever”
Album: Para Siempre (Forever), 2007
Style: Romantic mariachi serenade to a lover after a rough relationship spot. Relationships take work, but their love is forever.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Vale más, un buen amor
Que mil costales de oro.
Vale más, un buen amor
Por eso eres mi tesoro.

It’s worth more, a good love,
Than a thousand sacks of gold.
It’s worth more, a good love,
That’s why you are my treasure.

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“El Ramalazo” by Flor Silvestre, cover by Selena Quintanilla-Perez, English translation

“The Fall” Lyrics, lit. “The Impact” or “The Blast of Wind”
Style: Mariachi
Countries: United States (Texas), Mexico
Listen: This song is full of life advice and metaphors. It speaks about the fall of a great tree. It was so large, and it fell so hard. The song is covered on Selena Quintanilla-Pérez’s anthology album, disc 2. Listen to Flor Silvestre’s original version on YouTube.

Lyrics Translation:

Deja amistades pa’ cuando caigas,
Te den la mano.
Brinde una copa pa’ cuando llores,
Te den un trago.

Keep friendships so that when you fall,
They give you a hand.
Raise your glass (to others’ happiness) so that when you cry,
They give you a drink.

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“Algo Con Sentido” (Something With Meaning) by Calle 13 feat. PG-13, English translation

“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.***

Lyrics Translation:

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.

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“El Perro Negro” (The Black Dog) by José Alfredo Jiménez, English translation lyrics

“The Black Dog” Lyrics
Style: Corrido (a storytelling style) about a loyal dog.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon

About:

José Alfredo Jiménez was a famous and prolific Mexican singer-songwriter. Remember his name if you are interested in the music history of Latin America or Mexican culture. His songs created a new mythology in Mexico. He sang about characters and stories. This song is about the murder of Gilberto the Brave, who was killed in his sleep by a cowardly but powerful rival. Gilberto had a loyal dog who avenged his murder.

Translation:

Al otro lado del puente
De La Piedad, Michoacán,
Vivía Gilberto el Valiente,
Nacido en Apatzingán.

On the other side of the bridge
Of La Piedad, Michoacán,
Lived Gilberto the Brave,
Born in Apatzingán.

Siempre con un perro negro
Que era su noble guardián.

Always with a black dog
That was his noble guardian.

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“Smaragdos Margara” by Dúo Guardabarranco, English translation of lyrics

“Smaragdos Margara (Claviceps Purpura)”, 1995
Album: Si Buscabas (If You Searched), 1985
Singers: Salvador Cardenal and Katia Cardenal
Style: Soft folk music, strong vocals; hauntingly pretty and ambiguous. I like how music travels the world. I actually first heard this song as a cover on Une Histoire de Famille, a French language album by the Montreal band Hart-Rouge.
Country: Nicaragua
Listen: original by Dúo Guardabarranco (softly spoken) on YouTube or Amazon.

Translation:

Con una aguja con hilo blanco,
Con la carrucha en tu regazo,
Cóseme el flanco, la herida aguda,
La negra llaga de mi costado.

With a needle with white thread,
With the spool on your lap,
Sew up my side, my acute wound,
The black ulcer on my side.

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“Interrogación” by Julio Jaramillo, English translation

“Question” Lyrics
Style: Pasillo, heartsickness
Country: Ecuador
Listen at YouTube. Julio Jaramillo would rather be stabbed in the gut than lied to about love. He just wants the truth. I love the lyrics. They are clear and concise but so poetic.

Translation:

Ya no creo en nada.
Hasta dudo de ti.
Siento desconfianza.
Ya no creo ni en mí.

I no longer believe in anything.
I doubt even you.
I feel distrust.
I no longer believe even in me.

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“Te Necesito” by Amaral, English translation of lyrics

“I Need You” Translation
Album: Te necesito (I need you), 2002
Style: Emo rock song about desperate love.
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Oh, ¿cómo quieres que me aclare?
Si aún soy demasiado joven
Para entender lo que siento.

Oh, how do you want me to clarify myself?
If I am still too young
To understand what I feel.

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“Paloma Querida” by José Alfredo Jiménez, Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete; English translation of lyrics

“Beloved Dove” Lyrics
Style: Ranchera, love song. A popular old romantic song in Mexico.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon

Translation:

Por el día que llegaste a mi vida,
Paloma querida, me puse a brindar,
Y al sentirme un poquito tomado,
Pensando en tus labios, me dio por cantar.

For the day that you entered into my life,
Beloved dove, I began to toast,
And on feeling a little drunk,
Thinking of your lips, I was inspired to sing.

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“El Rey” (The King) by José Alfredo Jiménez, English translation of lyrics

“The King”
Composer: José Alfredo Jiménez
Style: Ranchera very popular in Mexico. This is one of José Alfredo’s most famous songs.
Country: Mexico
Listen on YouTube: José Alfredo Jiménez (original), Vicente Fernandez, Alejandro Fernández, and now George Strait (possibly because of my translation? I don’t know, but if so, I am very honored!)

Translation:

Yo sé bien que estoy afuera
Pero el día que yo me muera
Sé que tendrás que llorar.
(Llorar y llorar, x2)

I am fully aware that I am out
But the day that I die
I know that you will have to cry.
(Cry and cry, x2)

Dirás que no me quisiste,
Pero vas a estar muy triste
Y así te vas a quedar.

You will say that you did not love me,
But you will be very sad
And that is how you will stay.

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