Spanish songs translated to English with side-by-side lyrics and notes for Spanish learners
“Inward” Lyrics
Album: El Renacimiento (The Rebirth), 2022
Style: R&B. Carla sings about confronting her depression and being honest with herself, and her journey to find her way out of darkness. I wish her the best!
Country: Mexico, USA (Arizona)
Listen: YouTube
Desperté un día sin sentir
Ganas de querer seguir.
Algo ya me hundía en mi cama.
I woke up one day without feeling
Desire to want to continue.
Something had already sunk me into bed.
“Cecilia” Lyrics
Album: Vida Cotidiana (Daily Life), 2023
Style: Tropical pop. Peace and love song, singing to Cecilia that they shouldn’t fight and that they should dance instead.
Country: Colombia, Dominican Republic
Listen: YouTube
Cuando hablamos y peleamos,
No vamos a ningún lado.
Nos lastimamos
Y más y más
Y más y más nos apartamos.
When we talk and fight,
We don’t go anywhere.
We hurt each other
And more and more
And more and more we distance ourselves.
“Finding Myself”
Album: El Renacimiento (The Rebirth), 2022
About: Pop. Carla’s heartfelt song about reckoning with depression and her journey for mental health.
Country: Mexico, USA (Arizona)
Listen: YouTube
Se acabó, ya la mentira está en mi cuerpo.
Toda esta falsedad ha roto mis adentros.
Entregué mi todo, olvidé mi centro,
Cedí por apostar, soy infeliz, es cierto.
It ended, now the lie is on my body.
All this falseness has broken my insides.
I gave my all, I forgot my center,
I yielded for a chance, I am unhappy, it’s true.
“Down to The Roots”
Album: Hasta La Raíz (Down to Your Roots), 2015
Style: Folk rock, alternative rock. Natalia toldNational Public Radio that she wanted to sing about her roots, in her case about Mexico. The album won Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album (58th Grammy Awards), Best Alternative Music Album (16th Latin Grammy Awards), and Best Engineered Album (16th Latin Grammy Awards). This particular song won Song of the Year and Best Alternative Song (16th Latin Grammy Awards).
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube
Sigo cruzando ríos,
Andando selvas, amando el sol.
Cada día sigo sacando espinas
De lo profundo del corazón.
I keep crossing rivers,
Passing jungles, loving the sun.
Every day I keep pulling thorns
From the depths of my heart.
En la noche sigo encendiendo sueños
Para limpiar
Con el humo sagrado,
Cada recuerdo.
At night I keep lighting dreams on fire
To clean,
With the sacred smoke,
Every memory.
“Diamonds”
Album: El Renacimiento (The Rebirth), 2022
Style: Indie/alternative. Love song with drums and great vocals about finding love and joy. I’m so happy for Carla Morrison. Compare this to her 2012 emo single, “Dejenme Llorar” (Everybody Let Me Cry). Her happy songs are so beautiful.
Country: Mexico, USA (Arizona)
Listen: YouTube
Despertar junto a ti es ya no tener miedo
A tanto desconsuelo
Que una vez tuve en mí.
Waking up next to you is no longer feeling fear
Of so much distress
That I once had in me.
“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
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.
“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!
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.
“Tie Me Up”
Album: La Trenza (The Braid), 2017
Style: Pop about the push and pull power play of a BDSM romance.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube
Ay, quiéreme de a poco
Pero que no me dé cuenta y que nadie sepa.
Ven y cuídame
Pero que parezca que me estás haciendo daño.
Amárrame.
Ay, love me little by little
But make it so I don’t figure it out and no one knows.
Come and take care of me
But make it seem that you are harming me.
Tie me up.
“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.
“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
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.
“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
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…
“First Day”
Album: Limon y Sal (Lemon and Salt), 2006
Style: Pop, love song, possibly breakup song, possibly the start of a new relationship though it sounds like one person wants it more than the other.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube
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