Tag: Genre: Breakup

“Aunque Te Mueras Por Volver” (Even If You’re Dying to Return) by Mon Laferte, English translation

“Even If You’re Dying to Return”
Album: SEIS (SIX), 2021
Style: Operatic pop, post-breakup power fantasy, I’m fine but you’re not song.
Country: Chile, Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Ay, amor, amor,
Te quiero confesar que no hay rencor.
Yo siempre te querré sin condición.
Después de todo un año, yo te he perdonado.

Oh, love, love,
I want to confess to you that there is no resentment.
I will always love you without condition.
After a whole year, I have forgiven you.

Ay, qué mal que tú
Seguro has de pensar seguido en mí.
Te duele recordar quién soy, quién fui,
Yo sé, sigues amándome. Seguro, con el tiempo…

Oh, how awful that you
For sure think regularly of me.
It hurts you to remember who I am, who I was,
I know, you continue loving me. Surely, with time…

Continue reading ““Aunque Te Mueras Por Volver” (Even If You’re Dying to Return) by Mon Laferte, English translation” →

“Si Te Vas” (If You Leave) by Shakira, English translation of lyrics

“If You Leave”
Album: ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? (Where Are the Thieves?), 1998
Style: Rock from Shakira’s brunette angry rocker days.
Country: Colombia
Listen: YouTube, Amazon

Lyrics Translation:

Cuéntame, ¿qué harás después que estrenes su cuerpo?
¿Cuando muera tu traviesa curiosidad?
¿Cuando memorices todos sus recovecos
Y decidas otra vez regresar?
Ya no estaré aquí en el mismo lugar.

Tell me, what will you do after you try out her body?
When your mischevious curiosity dies?
When you memorize all her curves
And decide to return (to me)?
You won’t find me in the same place then.

Continue reading ““Si Te Vas” (If You Leave) by Shakira, English translation of lyrics” →

“Alma de Acero” (Soul of Steel) by José Alfredo Jiménez, English translation

“Soul of Steel”
Style: Ranchera about having a strong center, able to withstand emotional blows by flighty lovers.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Podrás tener mucha suerte,
Podrás andar por el mundo
Destrozando corazones.

You can have lots of luck,
You can travel the world
Destroying hearts.

Continue reading ““Alma de Acero” (Soul of Steel) by José Alfredo Jiménez, English translation” →

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

“The Woman”
Album: Seis (Six), 2021
Style: 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

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

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

“Four Paths”
Style: 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” →

“Que Te Vaya Bonito” (May Things Go Beautifully For You) by José Alfredo Jiménez, English translation

“May Things Go Beautifully For You”
Style: Sorrowful mariachi love song. This is a post-breakup song, with the narrator wishing his former lover nothing but good things. It sounds like he ended the relationship due to outside circumstances.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon. The song was also used for a 1978 Mexican film, but there is little information available online.

Lyrics Translation:

Ojalá que te vaya bonito.
Ojalá que se acaben tus penas,
Que te digan que yo ya no existo,
Y conozcas personas más buenas...

I hope that things go beautifully for you.
I hope that your sorrows end,
That they tell you that I no longer exist,
And that you meet better people…

Continue reading ““Que Te Vaya Bonito” (May Things Go Beautifully For You) by José Alfredo Jiménez, English translation” →

“Tu Orgullo” (Your Pride) by Carla Morrison, English translation

“Your Pride”
Album: Déjenme Llorar (Let Me Cry), 2012
Style: Alternative, mellow, quieter song. Carla Morrison sings about her experience with a selfish lover. Her music is melancholy with a light hand. This song is both a self-reproach for letting herself be in this situation, and a protest over how she is treated. I love her voice.
Country: Mexico, USA (Arizona)

Lyrics Translation:

¿En qué momento perdí
El control de mis sentimientos
Cuando decidí
Aceptar tus secretos?

At what moment did I lose
Control over my feelings,
When I decided
To accept your secrets?

Continue reading ““Tu Orgullo” (Your Pride) by Carla Morrison, English translation” →

“Déjenme Llorar” (Everybody Let Me Cry) by Carla Morrison, English translation

“(Everybody) Let Me Cry”
Album: Déjenme Llorar (Everybody Let Me Cry), 2012
Style: Alternative rock, melancholy, soft but strong voice, mourning a breakup. This song won “Best Alternative Song” and its album won “Best Alternative Album” in the 2012 Latin Grammy Awards. The song was also nominated for “Song of the Year.”
Country: Mexico, USA (Arizona)

Lyrics Translation:

He estado recordando los momentos que te di,
Cuántos tú me diste y por qué ahora estoy aquí,
Sentada en el suelo pensando que te quiero,
Que te quise tanto, y que tu amor me es… ¡necesario!

I have been remembering the moments that I gave you,
How many you gave me, and why I am here now,
Sitting on the floor thinking that I love you,
That I loved you so much, and that your love is for me… necessary!

Continue reading ““Déjenme Llorar” (Everybody Let Me Cry) by Carla Morrison, English translation” →

“Cuánto Más” (How Much More) by Antony Santos, English translation

“How Much More”
Style: Bachata
Country: Dominican Republic

Continue reading ““Cuánto Más” (How Much More) by Antony Santos, English translation” →

“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.

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

“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.

Continue reading ““Como un Fantasma” by Chenoa, English translation” →

“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]

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