“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.

Lyrics 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” (One or the Other) by Mariana Seoane ft. La Sonora Dinamita, English translation

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

Lyrics 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
Genre: 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

Lyrics 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” (Like a Ghost) by Chenoa, English translation

“Like a Ghost” Lyrics, 2011
Genre: 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)

Lyrics 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” (The Girl Who Cries at Your Parties) by La Oreja de Van Gogh, English translation

“The Girl Who Cries at Your Parties”, 2011 single
Genre: 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

Lyrics 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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“Hasta el Fin del Mundo” (Until the End of the World) by Aleks Syntek, English translation

“Until the End of the World”
Genre: Pop/rock, love song, about searching for a person, walking until the end of the world. Very metronome-like rhythm.
Country: Mexico

Lyrics Translation:

Caminando, se me va la vida, caminando.
Tú no estás y voy pensando
Que no llevo rumbo caminando.

Walking, my life is getting away from me, walking.
You are not around and I go thinking
That I do not have a path (for my) walking.

Caminando, voy buscando pistas, caminando.
Tú no estás y voy contando
Cuántos años llevo caminando (y no me detendré).

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“Las Botas Locas” (Crazy Boots) by Sui Generis, English translation

“The Crazy Boots” (1974)
Genre: Sing-song rock, 1970s anti-war song from a young soldier’s perspective in Argentina. The tone reminds me of the novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Excellent satirical book, by the way.
Country: Argentina

Lyrics Translation:

Chorus:
———————————————-
Yo forme parte de un ejército loco,
Tenía veinte años y el pelo muy corto,
Pero, mi amigo, hubo una confusión,
Porque para ellos el loco era yo.

I was part of a crazy army,
I was twenty years old with very short hair,
But, my friend, there was a confusion,
Because for them the crazy one was me.
———————————————-

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“Muerte En Hawaii” (Death in Hawaii) by Calle 13, English translation and discussion

“Death in Hawaii”
Album: Entren Los Que Quieran (Enter Those Who Want To), 2010
Genre: Love song, ukelele, exaggerated accomplishments, ode to self. The lyrics are a cute love song (albeit arrogant and overly self-aggrandizing), but I guess Calle 13 didn’t want to be cute, so they juxtaposed the song with a violent and bizarre music video. The album won “Album of the Year” in the 2011 Latin Grammys and was nominated for “Best Latin, Pop, Rock or Urban Album” in the 2012 Grammys.
Country: Puerto Rico

Lyrics Translation:

Yo he peleado con cocodrilos.
Me he balanceado sobre un hilo cargando más de 500 kilos.
Le he da’o [dado] la vuelta al mundo en menos de un segundo.
He cruza’o [cruzado] 100 laberintos y nunca me confundo.

I have fought with crocodiles.
I have balanced over a string carrying more than 500 kilograms [= 1102.3 pounds = 0.55 tons].
I have gone around the world in less than a second.
I have crossed 100 labyrinths and I never get confused.

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“Nada” (Nothing) by Juanes, English translation of lyrics

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

Lyrics 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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“Geografía” (Geography) by La Oreja de Van Gogh, English translation

“Geography”
Album: Lo que te conté mientras te hacías la dormida (What I told you while you pretended to sleep), 2003
Genre: Pop with world/island music influence, flutes, wooden wind instruments, string instruments. Happy love song about wanting to create a world (a life) with someone.
Country: Spain

Lyrics Translation:

Me gustaría inventar un país contigo
Para que las palabras como patria o porvenir,
Bandera, nación, frontera, raza o destino
Tuvieran algún sentido para mí.

I would like to invent a country with you
So that words like native land or future,
Flag, nation, border, race or destiny
Would have some meaning for me.

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“Manos Al Aire” (Hands in the Air) by Nelly Furtado, English translation

“Hands in the Air” (2009)
Album: Mi Plan (My Plan)
Genre: Pop, about defenselessness, relationship trouble, and not wanting to fight. Beautiful voice, but the song is sad. Don’t put your hands in the air in defeat! Nooo.
Country: Canada, Portuguese background

By the way, I want to point out that Nelly Furtado was first famous in English media (she sung light pop “I’m Like a Bird” and R&B “Promiscuous”). It is not often that English singers expand to the Spanish market, so this is interesting. This song was released as a single before re-release in the album.

Lyrics Translation:

Tú, que pierdes el control
Hablando en alta voz,
Hieres mi corazón.

You, who lose control,
Speaking with a raised voice,
Wound my heart.

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“Tiempo Al Viento” ([I Ask For] Time from the Wind) by Natalia Lafourcade, English translation

“(I Ask For) Time from the Wind”, lit. “Time to the Wind”
Genre: Airy, soft, nostalgic pop from Natalia Lafourcade. Dreamy reflections on sunlight and love.
Country: Mexico

Lyrics Translation:

El sol no miente.
La luz envuelve.
Mi corazón se viste… de rojo
Y revive.

The sun does not lie.
The light surrounds.
My heart dresses… in red
And revives.

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