Spanish songs translated to English with side-by-side lyrics and notes for Spanish learners
“My Only Love” Lyrics
Album: Sin Pecado (Without Sin), 1996
Style: Cumbia, dance, love song about wanting to be together with your one special person, your only love, your true love.
Country: Mexico, Argentina
Listen: YouTube
Bueno —
Nos vamos con música, vengan ya,
A ver, las manos arriba y aplaudiendo todos, venga,
¡Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!
¡Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!
“The Miracles of Life” Lyrics
Album: Sin Pecado (Without Sin), 1996
Style: Cumbia love song telling a partner to take it slow so the relationship has time to mature.
Country: Mexico, USA
Listen: YouTube
Amor, no quisiera herirte,
Pues tú bien sabes cuánto te quiero.
Necesitamos darle tiempo al tiempo
Porque no quiero que empecemos mal.
Love, I would not want to hurt you,
After all, you know how much I love you.
We need to give time to time
Because I don’t want us to start off wrong.
“The Love of my Life” Lyrics
Album: Se Agradece (One Is Thankful), 2024
Style: Cumbia love song about being ready to start a life with someone. The lyrics have wordplay: ready to make love to you… I mean, to make you the love of my life!
Country: Mexico, Argentina
Listen: YouTube
Vámonos lejos de aquí,
Ay, papi, dime que sí,
Que ya yo estoy lista para amarte
Sin olvidarme de mí.
Let’s get away from here,
Oh daddy, tell me yes,
Because I’m ready to love you
Without forgetting about me.
“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
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.
“Democracy”
Album: SEIS (Six), 2021
Style: Cumbia about politics in Latin America, lamenting poor conditions and atrocities done in the name of democracy.
Country: Chile, Mexico
Listen: YouTube
Tú no tienes la culpa de que la plata a nadie le alcanza.
Tú no tienes la culpa de la violencia y de la matanza.
Así el mundo nos recibió: con muchas balas, poca esperanza.
Quiero que todo sea mejor, que se equilibre esa balanza.
It’s not your fault that money doesn’t stretch out far enough for anyone.
It’s not your fault, the violence and the killings.
This is how the world received us: with many bullets, little hope.
I want everything to be better, for that scale to balance.
“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
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.
“I Want To See You Happy”, 2021 single
Countries: USA (California), Mexico
Style: Cumbia about being ready to be happy again despite all the bad things happening in the world.
Listen: YouTube, Amazon
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.
“One or the Other” Lyrics
Style: Upbeat cumbia, romance, relationship ultimatum. She wants either commitment or a breakup.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon
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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