“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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“Una de Dos” by Mariana Seoane ft. La Sonora Dinamita, English translation

“One or the Other” Lyrics
Style: Upbeat cumbia, romance, relationship ultimatum. She wants either commitment or a breakup.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon

Translation:

Una de dos:
Te quedas al lado mio o te vas de una vez.
No soy de las que se entregan por un simple placer.
Sabes que no te miento y si no date la vuelta.
(x2)

One or the other:
You stay by my side or you leave once and for all.
I am not one of those girls who give themselves up for simple pleasure.
You know I don’t lie to you and if you don’t, turn around now.
(x2)

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“Rayando el Sol” (Lining the Sun) by Maná, English translation lyrics

“Lining the Sun”
Album: Maná MTV Unplugged, 1999
Style: Rock song about pining for love. It’s a common theme in Maná’s songs. He is desperate and melancholy for her love. She doesn’t pay attention to him. He can’t forget her. He claims it would be easier to reach the sun than her heart.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon

Translation:

Rayando el sol,
Rayando por ti,
Esta pena me duele,
Me quema sin tu amor.

Lining the sun,
Lining (it) for you,
This sorrow hurts me,
It burns me without your love.

No me has llamado;
Estoy desesperado.
Son muchas lunas las que te he llorado.

You have not called me;
I am getting desperate.
I have cried you many a moon.

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“Como un Fantasma” by Chenoa, English translation

“Like a Ghost” Lyrics, 2011
Style: Pop/rock, techno-inspired, about a love that haunts you. When you break up with someone, it can be hard to forget them. They linger in your mind… like a ghost. For more techno-influenced pop about moving on, see “Mi Mundo Sin Ti” by Soraya.
Countries: Argentina (born), Spain (raised)
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Decido no extrañarte,
Vestirme y levantarme,
Quiero escaparme de tu sombra.

I decide not to miss you,
To dress myself and get up,
I want to escape your shadow.

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“La Niña Que Llora En Tus Fiestas” by La Oreja de Van Gogh, English translation of lyrics

“The Girl Who Cries at Your Parties”, 2011 single
Style: Pop with a beat, energetic, techno influence. This energetic pop song is about a girl so in love (really obsessed) that it hurts her to be away from the object of her affections.
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

[Radio:]
Y los cuarenta principales, del cuarenta al uno…
And the top 40, from 40 to 1…

[Song:]
Vuela un columpio vació sobre mi cabeza,
Vuela por el cementerio de mi voluntad.
Sigo buscando la niña que llora en tus fiestas.
Suenan campanas en flor por mi funeral.

The empty swing flies over my head,
It flies over the cemetery of my willpower.
I keep looking for the girl who cries at your parties.
Ringing bell flowers sprout all over my funeral.

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“Nada” by Juanes, English translation of lyrics

“Nothing”
Album: Fíjate Bien (Pay Attention), 2000
Style: Pop/rock, declaration of apathy, slow tempo
Country: Colombia
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Ya no tengo sufrimiento.
Ya no tengo quién me mienta.
Ya no tengo a quién contarle
Lo que tengo en mi cabeza.

I no longer suffer.
I no longer have someone to lie to me.
I no longer have someone to talk about
What goes on in my head.

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“Un Lugar Para Renacer” by Natalia Lafourcade, English translation of lyrics

“A Place To Be Reborn” Lyrics
Album: Hu, Hu, Hu, 2009
Style: Pop, light and floaty, gentle fairy-ish, some piano
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon

Translation:

Qué protección sentí ayer,
Aunque afuera vi la lluvia.
Me dieron ganas de llorar
Con la canción que me enseñabas.

What security I felt yesterday,
Even though saw the rain outside.
I felt like crying [*lit. I got the urge to cry]
With the song that you were teaching me.

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“Tres” (Three) by Juanes, English translation

“Three”
Album: La Vida Es… Un Ratico (Life Is… A Brief Moment), 2007
Style: Pop, love song about waiting for someone.
Country: Colombia
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Yo no pienso que me pueda de ti olvidar.
Yo no pienso que mi corazón resista un día más.
Yo no soy lo que tú quieras que sea este amor.
Sólo soy la puerta abierta que te da mi corazón.

I do not think that I can forget about you.
I do not think that my heart will stand another day.
I am not what you want this love to be.
I am only the open door that gives my heart to you.

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“Che Araña” (Friend Spider) by Cri-Cri, Eugenia León, English translation of lyrics

“Friend Spider” (1942)
Songwritter: Francisco “Cri-Cri” Gabilondo Soler
Style: Children’s song about a musical spider who rallies other household bugs and animals for a dance party. Cri-Cri is unique for his elaborate children’s stories with advanced Spanish vocabulary. He does not speak down to children. The songs are fun without being overly repetitive.
Country: Mexico
Listen: Cri-Cri (children’s song); Eugenia León (ballad style)

Lyrics Translation:

Al fondo del barril desvencijado
Que alumbra un rayo de sol,
La araña en sus hilos baila tango
Con los acordes del bandoneón.

At the bottom of the crumbling barrel
That a ray of sunlight illuminates,
The spider on its strings dances tango
With the chords of the bandonion.

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“La Llamada” (The Call) by Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, English translation

“The Call”
Style: Drama pop song about a cheater who wants to get back together. This person cheats, gets caught, gets dumped, and then won’t stop calling! Selena is just going to keep hanging up. Stop calling her. I love songs with stories.
Country: United States (Texas); Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

[Sound of phone ringing]

-Bueno…
-Soy yo, mi amor, antes de que me cuelgues no’ más dejame explicar que…

-Hello…
-It’s me, my love, before you hang up on me just let me explain that…

[Sound of phone hanging up]

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“Nuestro Amor Sera Leyenda” (Our Love Will Be Legend) by Alejandro Sanz, English translation

“Our Love Will Be Legend”, 2009
Style: Pop, love song, about long-distance relationships
Country: Spain (Madrid)
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

No hay doctor que me retenga,
No hay dolor que me detenga,
No hay planeta que me eclipse,
O de tu lado me desvíe.

There is no doctor who can retain me,
There is no pain that can detain me,
There is no planet that can eclipse me,
Or from your side divert me.

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“Barbie de Extrarradio” (Barbie of the Suburbs) by Melendi, English translation

“Barbie of the Suburbs”, 2010
Style: Rock, bitter ex song
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

En la guerra, como en el amor,
Todo vale y siempre queda un perdedor.
Normalmente, pierde el que quiere más,
Al igual que en una mesa de black jack.

In war, like in love,
All’s fair and there is always a loser.
Usually, the loser is the one who loves the most,
Just like in a black jack table.

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