“La Ingrata” (Ingrate) by Café Tacvba, cover by La Santa Cecilia and Mon Laferte, English translation

“Ingrate”
Albums: Re, 1994; Amar y Vivir (To Love and To Live), 2017
Style: Original version is a mix of a Mexican corrido norteño and grunge rock. The cover song starts as a ballad and becomes a tango. Song to an “ungrateful” ex-lover who keeps coming back and causing pain. Warning: violent end.
Countries: Mexico City (Café Tacvba); USA, Mexico, Chile (La Santa Cecilia and Mon Laferte)
Listen: Café Tacvba (original); Duet by La Santa Cecilia and Mon Laferte (cover)

Lyrics Translation:

Ingrata,
No me digas que me quieres,
No me digas que me adoras,
Que me amas,
Que me extrañas,
Que ya no te creo nada
.

Ingrate,
Don’t tell me that you care for me,
Don’t tell me that you adore me,
That you love me,
That you miss me,
For I no longer believe anything you say.

Continue reading ““La Ingrata” (Ingrate) by Café Tacvba, cover by La Santa Cecilia and Mon Laferte, English translation”

“Contigo” (With You) by Carla Morrison, English translation + meaning

“With You”
Album: El Renacimiento (The Rebirth), 2022
Style: Alterinative/indie. Love song about finding your soulmate, your true love. This would be a good wedding song. It can also be interpreted as a self-love song or the welcoming song for a newborn baby.
Country: Mexico, USA (Arizona)
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Hoy en ti brilla el sol,
La razón de mi vida llegó.
Veo en ti la ilusión,
Tu mirada me inunda en calor.

Today on you shines the sun,
The reason for my life has arrived.
I see in you hope and dreams,
Your eyes drown me in warmth.

Continue reading ““Contigo” (With You) by Carla Morrison, English translation + meaning”

“Te Regalo” (I Gift To You) by Carla Morrison, English translation

“I Gift to You”
Album: Amor Supremo Desnudo (Supreme Naked Love), 2017
Style: Romantic indie pop with a slow melancholy tone. Love song about dedicating your life to someone. This would be good first dance song for a wedding reception.
Country: Mexico, USA (Arizona)
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Déjame tomarte de la mano,
Déjame mirarte a los ojos,
Déjame, a través de mi mirada,
Darte todo mi esplendor.

Let me take you by the hand,
Let me look you in the eyes,
Let me, through my gaze,
Give you all my splendor.

Continue reading ““Te Regalo” (I Gift To You) by Carla Morrison, English translation”

“Ojalá Te Animes” (Hopefully You Dare) by Bobby Pulido, English translation

“Hopefully You Dare”
Album: Vive (Live), 2005
Style: Ranchera about pulling a crush out of their shyness to start a relationship.
Country: USA (Texas), with Mexican slang
Listen: YouTube

Intro and Lyrics Translation:

[Intro]

Oye comp’re, hay una güerita que – no, hombre – me está cayendo, ‘ira. Aqui dentro del corazón.

-¿A poco? ¿En serio? Pues conquístala.

-Pero pues ¿cómo le hago?

-Flores, chocolates a veces.

M’no, pues yo andaba pensando más una serenata.

-¿Una serenata?

Una serenata.

-¡Pero tú no cantas!

-¡Pero TÚ sí!


[Intro translation]

-Hey compadre, there’s this blonde girl who – no, man – she catching on me, look. Here inside my heart.

-Really? Serious? Well, get her!

-But then, how do I do it?

-Flowers, chocolate sometimes.

-Uh no, see I was thinking more a serenade.

-A serenade?

-A serenade.

-But you don’t sing!

-But YOU do!

Continue reading ““Ojalá Te Animes” (Hopefully You Dare) by Bobby Pulido, English translation”

“Eres Tú” (It Is You) by Carla Morrison, English translation

“It Is You”
Album: Dejénme Llorar (Let Me Cry), 2012
Style: Alternative rock, pop, romantic song for The One. It would be a good wedding song.
Country: Mexico, USA (Arizona)
Listen: YouTube

Happy new year, everyone!

Lyrics Translation:

Hoy desperté con ganas de besarte.
Tengo una sed de acariciarte,
Enredarme a ti y no soltarte,
Eres tan embriagante.
Eres tú,
Eres tú~uh
.

Today I woke up with the desire to kiss you.
I thirst to caress you,
To entangle myself with you and not let you go,
You are so intoxicating.
It is you,
It is you~uh.

Continue reading ““Eres Tú” (It Is You) by Carla Morrison, English translation”

“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.

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

“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.

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

“Hierba Mala” (Bad Weed) by La Santa Cecilia, English translation of lyrics

“Bad Weed” or “Bad Plant”
Album: Quiero Verte Feliz (I Want to See You Happy), 2021
Style: Cumbia pop song about a bad person who lies and isn’t good to be around. The Marisoul has a great voice!
Country: USA (Los Angeles, CA)
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

No quiero escucharte ya.
No vale ni un peso,
Tus palabras que se van
Como hojas en el viento.

I do not want to listen to you anymore.
They aren’t worth even a dollar,
Your words that fly
Like leaves in the wind.

Continue reading ““Hierba Mala” (Bad Weed) by La Santa Cecilia, English translation of lyrics”

“El Chico Del Apartamento 512” by Selena Quintanilla-Perez, English translation

“The Guy From Apartment 512” Lyrics and Cultural Meaning

Album: Amor Prohibido (Forbidden Love), 1994
Style: Tejano, Mexican cumbia. Song about having a crush on a neighbor and working up the courage to declare it to him.
Country: USA (Texas)
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Cada día es igual por mi pasillo.
Nunca llegó a mi puerta sin oír el chiflido
De un chavo que me dice que me está esperando.
Lo que él debería hacer es ir y darse un baño.

Every day is the same down my hallway.
I never get to my door without hearing the whistle
Of some guy who tells me that he’s waiting for me.
What he should do is go take a bath.

Continue reading ““El Chico Del Apartamento 512” by Selena Quintanilla-Perez, English translation”

“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.

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

“Vivir Mi Vida” (Living My Life) by Marc Anthony, English translation

“Living My Life”
Album: Marc Anthony 3.0, 2013
Style: Joyful anthem encouraging you to seek happiness.
Country: USA (New York & Puerto Rico)
Listen: YouTube, Amazon

Continue reading ““Vivir Mi Vida” (Living My Life) by Marc Anthony, 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 
Style: 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”