“Kitipun” by Juan Luis Guerra, English translation

“Kitipun”
Album: Literal (Literal), 2019
Genre: Bachata, salsa, tropical love song.
Country: Dominical Republic
Listen: YouTube, Amazon. This song won “Best Tropical Song” and was nominated for Song of the Year in the 2019 Latin Grammy Awards.

Lyrics Translation:

Mi cuenta de ahorros, mi pasta dental,
Mi guitarra Fender y mi celular.
Mi libro de sushi comprado en Perú,
Mi bata de baño y mi champú. (¡Oh!)

My checking account, my toothpaste,
My Fender guitar and my cell phone.
My book about sushi bought in Peru,
My bathrobe and my shampoo. (Oh!)

Continue reading ““Kitipun” by Juan Luis Guerra, English translation” →

“Ella Me Enamoró” (She Made Me Fall In Love) by La Santa Cecilia, English translation

“She Made Me Fall In Love”
Album: Quiero Verte Feliz (I Want To See You Happy), 2021 
Genre: Cumbia about falling in love.
Country: USA/Mexico (Mexican-American)
Listen: YouTube, Amazon

Lyrics Translation:

En la locura de este pensamiento
Salen corriendo todos mis deseos.
Quisiera liberar mi pensamiento,
Buscándote a ti.

In the lunacy of this thought
All my desires go flying [*lit. running].
I would like to liberate my mind,
Looking for you.

Continue reading ““Ella Me Enamoró” (She Made Me Fall In Love) by La Santa Cecilia, English translation” →

“Amor Profundo” (Profound Love) by Julio Jaramillo, English translation

“Profound Love”
Genre: Vals (Waltz). Love song.
Country: Ecuador
Listen: YouTube, Amazon

Lyrics Translation:

Yo no creí
Que al cabo de los años
Fuera a encontrar
Un amor como el tuyo.

I did not believe
That after all these years
I would find
A love like yours.

Continue reading ““Amor Profundo” (Profound Love) by Julio Jaramillo, English translation” →

“Amigos Simplemente” (Simply Friends) by Mon Laferte, English translation

“Simply Friends”
Album: SEIS (Six), 2021
Genre: Mariachi about a lovestruck person wanting to know if their crush is interested in a relationship, or if they will stay simply friends.
Countries: Chile, Mexico

Lyrics Translation:

Oye, dame una señal,
La posibilidad de hacerlo a mi modo.
Dale, no seas cohibido,
Quiero algo contigo,
Más que ser amigos.

Hey, give me a sign,
The possibility of doing things my way.
Come on, don’t be shy,
I want something with you,
More than being friends.

Continue reading ““Amigos Simplemente” (Simply Friends) by Mon Laferte, English translation” →

“Te Esperaré” (I Will Wait For You) by Julio Jaramillo, English translation

“I Will Wait For You”
Genre: Pasillo, vals (waltz), unrequited love song.
Country: Ecuador
Listen: YouTube, Amazon

Lyrics Translation:

Te esperaré.
Sé que me quieres
Y yo seré tu adoración.
En mi recuerdo, grabado estará tu nombre.
Toda la vida, te esperaré y serás mi gran amor.

Continue reading ““Te Esperaré” (I Will Wait For You) by Julio Jaramillo, English translation” →

“La Mujer” (The Woman) by Mon Laferte and Gloria Trevi, English translation

“The Woman”
Album: Seis (Six), 2021
Genre: A gloriously dramatic bolero breakup song. The dramatic but energetic style makes the lyrics imagery clearly figurative, not literal, but possibly this needs a trigger warning for suicide/murder/drugs. Just in case!
Countries: Chile; Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon

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“El Caballo Blanco” (White Horse) by José Alfredo Jiménez, English translation

“The White Horse”
Genre: Corrido about a white horse, but it’s really about a road trip all over Mexico on a car (romanticized as a horse).
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon

About:

This song is about a road trip [es] that José Alfredo Jiménez took from Guadalajara (in central Mexico) to Baja California (just south of the United States southwest) on a white 1957 Chrysler. It is a good song to teach Mexican geography, since he mentions the places he passes on his journey.

Lyrics Translation:

Este es el corrido del caballo blanco,
Que en un día domingo feliz arrancara. *
Iba con la mira de llegar al norte, *
Habiendo salido de Guadalajara.

This is the narrative of the white horse,
That on a Sunday, happily took off. *
He went with the goal of reaching the north, *
Having left from Guadalajara.

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“Primer Día” (First Day) by Julieta Venegas ft. Dante Spinetta, English translation

“First Day”
Album: Limon y Sal (Lemon and Salt), 2006
Genre: Pop, love song, possibly breakup song, possibly the start of a new relationship though it sounds like one person wants it more than the other.
Country: Mexico

Continue reading ““Primer Día” (First Day) by Julieta Venegas ft. Dante Spinetta, English translation” →

“Tuyo y Mío” (Yours and Mine) by Camilo and Los Dos Carnales, English translation

“Yours and Mine”
Album: Mis Manos (Mi Hands), 2021
Genre: A romantic Norteña (a North Mexican music style)
Countries: Colombia (Camilo), Mexico (Los Dos Carnales)

Continue reading ““Tuyo y Mío” (Yours and Mine) by Camilo and Los Dos Carnales, English translation” →

“Quiero Verte Feliz” (I Want To See You Happy) by La Santa Cecilia, Lila Downs, English translation

“I Want To See You Happy”, 2021 single
Countries: USA (California), Mexico
Genre: Cumbia about being ready to be happy again despite all the bad things happening in the world.
Listen: YouTube, Amazon

Lyrics Translation:

No es que me valga madre la vida,
El dolor de la gente, el frío, y el hambre. 
La angustia está presente.
El odio se siente, el ambiente se pone caliente.

It’s not that I don’t give a damn about life,
People’s pain, the cold, and hunger.
The anguish is there.
The hate is palpable, the environment heats up.

Continue reading ““Quiero Verte Feliz” (I Want To See You Happy) by La Santa Cecilia, Lila Downs, English translation” →

Missing Middle

Hello! You have reached the end of new posts for songlations.com and the missing middle section of 2011-2017. Everything after this post is from the old blog (songlations.livejournal.com). I am slowly migrating translations from oldest-to-newest starting with 2007. A few songs or artists were moved earlier.

I only transfer a few songs per month so that I can focus on new translations. I have 316 songs from the old site.

I am around here right now: https://songlations.livejournal.com/2011/07/

Updates, count moved from LJ to Songlations.com:

July 2026: 204/316 = 64.6%

Nov 2025: 194/316 = 61.4%

June 2025: 177/316 = 56.0%

Dec 2024: 166/316 = 52.3%

“Cuatro Caminos” (Four Paths) by José Alfredo Jiménez, English translation

“Four Paths”
Genre: Ranchera, mariachi, forsaken love song. A song about picking your life path when you feel lost. The cuatro caminos refers to the four cardinal directions.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon

Lyrics Translation:

Es imposible que yo te olvide.
Es imposible que yo me vaya.
Por donde quiera que voy te miro.
Ando con otra y por ti suspiro.

It is impossible for me to forget you.
It is impossible for me to leave.
Because wherever I go, I see you.
I am with another and I sigh for you.

Continue reading ““Cuatro Caminos” (Four Paths) by José Alfredo Jiménez, English translation” →