Spanish songs translated to English with side-by-side lyrics and notes for Spanish learners
“Accounts of the Soul”
Album: Escenas (Scenes), 1985
Style: Storytelling salsa, salsa consciente (socially conscious salsa). Story of a boy who watches his mother waste her life away pining for his father who left them.
Country: Panama
Siempre en la noche
Mi mamá buscaba el sueño
Frente a la televisión,
Y me pedía que por favor,
No la apagara.
Always at night
My mother sought sleep
In front of the television,
And she’d ask me please,
Don’t turn it off.
“The Alms”
Songwriter: Horacio Sanguinetti (pen name of Horacio Basterra)
Style: Tango ballad about charity and poverty. An orphan on the streets tries unsuccessfully to beg outside of a rich party. Help fight hunger by donating to Feeding America or your local food bank.
Country: Uruguay (Horatio Sanguinetti); Ecuador (Julio Jaramillo)
Listen: This is an old song that has many renditions, including one from the prolific early-mid 20th century singer Julio Jaramillo (YouTube). Also sung by Jose Manuel Calderon, Juan Bautista, Juan José Guichandut (music composer), and others.
[Alternative lyrics are shown for the underlined text. The alternative shown is for Julio Jaramillo’s version.]
En la puerta de un palacio, un pobre niño mendigaba:
“¡Tengo hambre, tengo frío, tenga usted de mí, piedad!*” [*underlined alt. piedad de mi!]
Era agosto, pleno invierno y la lluvia taladraba
A su débil cuerpecito que era carne de orfandad.
At the door of a palace, a poor boy begged:
“I am hungry, I am cold, have you for me, pity!*” [*underlined alt. pity for me!]
It was August, in the middle of winter and (with) the rain striking down
On his weak little body which was the flesh of orphanhood.
“The Drunk Arrived Drunk” Lyrics Translation
Style: Corrido (storytelling country music style of Mexico). Song about two drunks keeping each other company and how an unfortunate and minor argument led to their deaths.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube
Llego borracho el borracho,
Pidiendo cinco tequilas,
Y le dijo el cantinero,
Se acabaron las bebidas.
Si quieres echarte un trago,
Vamonos a otra cantina.
The drunk arrived drunk,
Asking for five tequilas,
And the barman told him,
This bar has dried up.
If you want to have a drink,
Let’s go to another bar.
“The Rebellion”
Album: Rebellion, 1986
Style: Salsa story-story about African slaves who rebel in Colombia. Billboard lists it as one of the “15 Best Salsa Songs Ever” and various publications have listed it among the greatest songs of Colombia. Joe Arroyo wrote this song to remember the history of his hometown.
Country: Colombia
Listen: YouTube
[Spoken:]
Quiero contarle, mi hermano,
Un pedacito de la historia negra,
De la historia nuestra, caballero,
Y dice así…
I want to tell you, my brother,
A little piece of black history,
Of our history, gentleman,
And it goes like this…
“Tell Them Not To Fear Me”
Album: Dile Que Por Mi No Tema / Bajo La Luna Vinyl, 1972; Boleros, 1993
Style: Bolero, which is both a dance style and a story-telling lyrics style. Song telling an ex that you have a new (better) sweetheart and that your ex should tell their own new lover not to worry about you, because you’ve moved on. Also an example of a gender neutral Spanish song.
Country: Cuba
Listen: YouTube
Dile a tu nuevo querer
Que no hay nada que temer
Porque hace ya mucho tiempo
Que te borré de mi mente
Y no me acuerdo de ti…
Tell your new beloved
That there is nothing to fear
Because it’s been a long time now
Since I erased you from my mind
And I don’t remember you…
“On the Dock of San Blas”
Album: Sueños Líquidos (Liquid Dreams), 1997
Style: Latin rock, probably a classic song by now. It is the legend of the woman at the dock of a San Blas island, who stood on the dock and waited for her lover to return, always, and who fell in love with the sea while waiting.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube
Ella despidió a su amor.
Él partió en un barco en el muelle de San Blas.
Él juró que volvería
Y, empapada en llanto, ella juró que esperaría.
She bid farewell to her lover.
He left on a boat from the dock at San Blas.
He swore he would return
And, puffed up with tears, she swore that she would wait.
“The Coyote”, mid-20th century
Style: Corrido with mariachi music. This is the story of an unrequited love triangle that ended in the rival’s death.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon
Le pinte un cuatro al coyote, y me fui para la sierra.
El Coyote era un bandido, nacido allá por mi tierra.
Lo conocí desde niño. Fuimos juntos a la escuela.
I drew a cross over the Coyote, and I left for the sierra.
The Coyote was a bandit, born near my hometown.
I knew him since we were kids. We went to school together.
“The Black Dog” Lyrics
Style: Corrido (a storytelling style) about a loyal dog.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon
José Alfredo Jiménez was a famous and prolific Mexican singer-songwriter. Remember his name if you are interested in the music history of Latin America or Mexican culture. His songs created a new mythology in Mexico. He sang about characters and stories. This song is about the murder of Gilberto the Brave, who was killed in his sleep by a cowardly but powerful rival. Gilberto had a loyal dog who avenged his murder.
Al otro lado del puente
De La Piedad, Michoacán,
Vivía Gilberto el Valiente,
Nacido en Apatzingán.
On the other side of the bridge
Of La Piedad, Michoacán,
Lived Gilberto the Brave,
Born in Apatzingán.
Siempre con un perro negro
Que era su noble guardián.
Always with a black dog
That was his noble guardian.
“Friend Spider” (1942)
Songwritter: Francisco “Cri-Cri” Gabilondo Soler
Style: Children’s song about a musical spider who rallies other household bugs and animals for a dance party. Cri-Cri is unique for his elaborate children’s stories with advanced Spanish vocabulary. He does not speak down to children. The songs are fun without being overly repetitive.
Country: Mexico
Listen: Cri-Cri (children’s song); Eugenia León (ballad style)
Al fondo del barril desvencijado
Que alumbra un rayo de sol,
La araña en sus hilos baila tango
Con los acordes del bandoneón.
At the bottom of the crumbling barrel
That a ray of sunlight illuminates,
The spider on its strings dances tango
With the chords of the bandonion.
“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
[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”“The Cold Drop” Lyrics Translation
Composer: Emiliano Zuleta Baquero
Style: Vallenato, a genre from the Caribe (Caribbean) region of Colombia. The lyrics are about a 1938 feud between composers Emiliano Zuleta Baquero and Lorenzo Morales. The song has become a popular Colombian song.
Country: Colombia
Listen: YouTube has various singers (Carlos Vives, Julio Iglesias, Aymée Nuviola)
Acordate [acuerdate] Moralito de aquel día
Que estuviste en Urumita
Y no quisiste hacer parranda.
Remember, Moralito, of that day
When you were in Urumita
And you didn’t want to go partying.
“Ana” Lyrics Translation
Album: Maná: MTV Unplugged, 1999
Style: Accoustic rock. Story of teen tragedy. Ana is a teen with an unplanned pregnancy, she knows her parents won’t support her, and she’s feeling real desperate.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube
Ana tiene quince.
Niña se le vino un problemón.
Algo está creciendo,
En su vientre hay algo en expansión.
Ana is fifteen.
Girl finds herself with a huge problem.
Something is growing,
In her womb something expanding.
Songlations 
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