“Muñeca de Trapo” (Rag Doll) by La Oreja de Van Gogh, English translation

“Rag Doll” Song Translation
Album: Guapa (Good Looking), 2006
Genre: Pop/rock, heavy string instruments, sad song about unrequited love and neglect.
Country: Spain

Lyrics Translation:

Como esos cuadros que aún están por colgar,
Como el mantel de la cena de ayer,
Siempre esperando que te diga algo más,
Y mis sentidas palabras no quieren volar.

Like those paintings that have yet to be hung up,
Like the tablecloth of yesterday’s dinner,
Always waiting for me to tell you something more,
And my heartfelt words do not want to fly.

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“Puedes Contar Conmigo” (You Can Count On Me) by La Oreja De Van Gogh, English translation

“You Can Count On Me”
Album: Lo Que Te Conté Mientras Te Hacías La Dormida (What I Told You While You Pretended to Sleep), 2003
Genre: Pop/rock, nostalgic love song about seeing the end of a relationship and feeling sad, thinking of the good times they had in the past, and asking if they will remember them fondly also.
Country: Spain

Lyrics Translation:

Un café con sal,
Ganas de llorar,
Mi mundo empezando a temblar,
Presi ento que se acerca el final.

A coffee with salt,
Wanting to cry,
My world starting to tremble,
I feel that the end draws near.

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“Octavo Día” (Eighth Day) by Shakira, English translation of lyrics

“Eighth Day”
Album: ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? (Where Are The Thieves?), 1998
Genre: Emo rock, brunette Shakira. This song wonders what God did after creation, and what he’s doing now. Eleven years later, Lily Allen released a similarly speculative song called “Him”. Both songs have rather pessimistic world views.
Country: Colombia

Lyrics Translation:

El octavo día, Dios,
Después de tanto trabajar,
Para liberar tensiones
Luego ya de revisar,

The eighth day, God,
After so much working,
To relieve stress [*lit. To free tensions]
After looking over His work,

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“Sombra De Ti” (Shadow of You) by Shakira, English translation

“Shadow of You” Lyrics
Album: ¿Dondé Están Los Ladrones? (Where Are The Thieves?), 1998
Genre: Late 90’s rock, melancholy song about post-breakup sadness. Very mellow, sort of haunting.
Country: Colombia

Lyrics Translation:

Voy a dejar
Que mi guitarra diga todo lo que yo
No sé decir por mí.

I am going to let
My guitar say everything that I
Cannot say for myself.

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“El Problema” by Ricardo Arjona, English translation of lyrics

“The Problem” Lyrics Translation
Album: Santo Pecado (Blessed Sin), 2002
Style: Pop, romantica, foolish adoration. This guy adores a girl who is not serious about the relationship and he is leaving himself very vulnerable.
Country: Guatemala
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

El problema no fue hallarte,
El problema es olvidarte.
El problema no es tu ausencia,
El problema es que te espero.

The problem was not finding you,
The problem is forgetting you.
The problem is not your absence,
The problem is that I wait for you.

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“Ana” by Maná, English translation of lyrics

“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

Translation:

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.

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“Tu Silencio” by Bebe, English translation of lyrics

“Your Silence” Lyrics Translation
Album: Pafuera Telarañas (Get Outta Here, Cobwebs), 2004
Style: Melancholy sound
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Como quien tira de una cuerda que se romperá,
Tirar, tirar, tirar, tirar, tirar…
Como sin darse cuenta rozar un poco más,
Los ojos aún cerrados para no afrontar.

Like someone pulls on a rope that will break,
Pulling, pulling, pulling, pulling, pulling…
Like without realizing it, brushing a bit more,
Eyes still closed to avoid confronting.

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“Desapariciones” (Disappearances) by Rubén Blades, Maná, English translation lyrics

“Disappearances” Song Translation
Album: Buscando America (Looking for America), 1984
Style: Political commentary, sad song
Countries: Panama, Mexico
Listen at YouTube: Rubén Blades, or Maná’s cover from their MTV Unplugged album

Translation:

Que alguien me diga si han visto a mi esposo,
Preguntaba la Doña.
Se llama Ernesto X. Tiene cuarenta años.
Trabaja de celador, en un negocio de carros.
Llevaba camisa oscura y pantalón claro.

Someone tell me if they have seen my husband,
Asked the madam.
His name is Ernesto X. He is forty years old.
He works as a guard, in a car dealership business.
He had a dark shirt and light pants.

Salió anteanoche y no ha regresado
Y no sé ya qué pensar,
Pues esto antes no me había pasado.
Oooo…

He went out the night before last night and he has not returned
And I don’t know what to think anymore,
Because this had never happened to me before.
Oooo…

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“Labios Compartidos” (Shared Lips) by Maná, English translation of lyrics

“Shared Lips” Lyrics Translation
Album: Amar Es Combatir (To Love is to Fight), 2006
Style: Rock, unhappy love song about an unfaithful lover or a lover who doesn’t commit to you. The album won a 2007 Grammy Award for “Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album”.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Amor mío,
Si estoy debajo del vaivén de tus piernas,
Si estoy hundido en un vaivén de caderas,
Esto es el cielo, es mi cielo.

My love,
If I am beneath the see-saw of your legs,
If I am sunken in a see-saw of hips,
This is heaven, it is my heaven.

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“Sin Ti No Soy Nada” by Amaral, English translation of lyrics

“Without You I Am Nothing”
Album: Estrella de Mar (Sea Star), 2002
Style: Emo pop/rock song about desperate love. After the breakup, she does not know what to do with herself.
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Sin ti no soy nada,
Una gota de lluvia mojando mi cara,
Mi mundo es pequeño y mi corazón pedacitos de hielo.

Without you I am nothing,
A drop of rain wetting my face,
My world is small and my heart little pieces of ice.

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“Días De Verano” (Summer Days) by Amaral, English translation of lyrics

“Summer Days” or “Days of Summer” Song Translation
Album: Pájaros en la cabeza (Birds in my head), 2005
Style: Rock song about feeling like there aren’t enough summer days left to repair a relationship.
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube. Those things that look like trees at 0:39 are maguey (agave) stalks.

Translation:

No quedan días de verano para pedirte perdón,
Para borrar del pasado el daño que te hice yo,
Sin besos de despedida y sin palabras bonitas,
Porque te miro a los ojos y no me sale la voz.

There are no summer days left to ask for your forgiveness,
To erase from the past the harm that I did to you,
Without farewell kisses and without pretty words,
Because I look into your eyes and my voice does not come out.

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“Vivir Sin Aire” by Maná, English translation of lyrics

“To Live Without Air”
Album: ¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños? (Where Will The Children Play?), 1992
Style: Rock
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Cómo quisiera… Poder vivir sin aire.
Cómo quisiera… Poder vivir sin agua.
Me encantaría… Quererte un poco menos.

How I would love… To (be able to) live without air.
How I would love… To (be able to) live without water.
It would delight me… To love you a bit less.

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