Spanish songs translated to English with side-by-side lyrics and notes for Spanish learners
“Golden Times”
Album: Tiempos Dorados (Golden Times), 2025
Style: Nostalgic pop, reflective and sensual song.
Country: Mexico
Que vuelvan los tiempos dorados,
Los dulces futuros que tanto soñamos,
Que vuelva el misterio y el aburrimiento,
El no saber nada, el no saber nada.
Let them return, the golden times,
The sweet futures that we so dreamed of,
Let them return, the mystery and the boredom,
The not knowing anything, the not knowing anything.
“The Present”
Album: MTV Unplugged, 2008
Style: Alternative rock with accordions. Song celebrating the gift of time and the joy of being present with a loved one. It works as a song for one’s lover or one’s child.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube
Ya sé lo que te diga
No va a ser suficiente, ay ya-ya-ya ya,
Y lo que tu me entregues
Dejará pendientes, ay ya-ya-ya ya.
I know that what I tell you
Will not be enough, ay ya-ya-ya ya,
And what you give me
Will leave worries, ay ya-ya-ya ya.
“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
“Hu, Hu, Hu”
Album: Hu, Hu, Hu (2009)
Style: Light, airy, pop/rock. The singers control the song metric really well. They almost put me in a trance. I call the style “airy,” but that is more about the mood. The singing voices are quite strong.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube
Intro:
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Quiero regalarte las estrellas, [*regalar = lit. gift (verb)]
Sol, la luna entera,
Una hora extra para respirar.
I want to give you the stars,
The sun, the full moon,
An extra hour to breathe.
“Look at Life” Lyrics
Album: MTV Unplugged Julieta Venegas, 2008
Style: Optimistic upbeat song, a bit hypnotic, about life saying yes to you and you saying yes to life, about looking forward to the future, about celebrating a birth.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube
Chorus:
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Mira la vida abriéndose camino.
Mira la vida diciendo que sí.
Look at life opening a way for itself.
Look at life saying yes.
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(x2)
“Lemon and Salt”
Album: Limón y Sal, 2006
Style: Alternative rock, love song to a moody lover, whimsical, fairy tale-like, not very subtle werewolf references. Could be a cute song to do for Halloween in Spanish class.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube. The music video is kind of amazing in a strange way.
Tengo que confesar que a veces
No me gusta tu forma de ser.
I have to confess that sometimes
I do not like your way of being.
“Being With Me” Lyrics Translation
Album: Sí (Yes), 2003; MTV Unplugged – Julieta Venegas, 2008
Style: Pop, popular radio song. It was nominated for “Record of the Year” in the 2004 Latin Grammy Awards.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube
Hay tanto que quiero contarte
Hay tanto que quiero saber de ti,
Ya podemos empezar poco a poco.
Cuéntame qué te trae por aquí.
There is so much I want to tell you
There is so much I want to know about you,
We can begin little by little now.
Tell me what brings you to these parts.
“I Leave”, “I Am Leaving” Song Lyrics
Album: Limón y Sal (Lemon and Salt), 2006
Style: Indie, breakup and farewell song, strong vocals. Julieta Venegas sings her farewell song and explains why the relationship is ending. She uses a sort of sing-song tone that works surprisingly well in this album.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube
Porque no supiste entender a mi corazón,
Lo que había en él.
Porque no tuviste el valor
De ver quién soy.
Because you did not know how to understand my heart,
What was there in it.
Because you didn’t have the courage
To see who I am.
“You Are For Me” Lyrics
Albums: Limón y Sal (Lemon and Salt), 2006; Julieta Venegas MTV Unplugged, 2008
Style: Hypnotic, alternative rock/pop. Julieta Venegas collaborated on this song with Ana Tijoux in 2006, and with Mala Rodriguez in 2008.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube (official video). When I originally posted this song, Julieta did not have a VEVO account and there was not an official source for the original music video. These fangirls made a mimic video at YouTube here. It’s a very good mimic of the original!
Chorus:
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Eres para mí, me lo ha dicho el viento.
Eres para mí, lo oigo todo el tiempo.
Eres para mí, me lo ha dicho el viento,
Eres para mí.
You are for me, the wind has told me this.
You are for me, I hear it all the time.
You are for me, the wind has told me this,
You are for me.
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