Spanish song lyrics translated to English: side-by-side lyrics, song meanings, and translation notes for people learning Spanish.
“Simply Friends”
Album: SEIS (Six), 2021
Genre: Mariachi about a lovestruck person wanting to know if their crush is interested in a relationship, or if they will stay simply friends.
Countries: Chile, Mexico
Oye, dame una señal,
La posibilidad de hacerlo a mi modo.
Dale, no seas cohibido,
Quiero algo contigo,
Más que ser amigos.
Hey, give me a sign,
The possibility of doing things my way.
Come on, don’t be shy,
I want something with you,
More than being friends.
“The Woman”
Album: Seis (Six), 2021
Genre: A gloriously dramatic bolero breakup song. The dramatic but energetic style makes the lyrics imagery clearly figurative, not literal, but possibly this needs a trigger warning for suicide/murder/drugs. Just in case!
Countries: Chile; Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon
“The White Horse”
Genre: Corrido about a white horse, but it’s really about a road trip all over Mexico on a car (romanticized as a horse).
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon
This song is about a road trip [es] that José Alfredo Jiménez took from Guadalajara (in central Mexico) to Baja California (just south of the United States southwest) on a white 1957 Chrysler. It is a good song to teach Mexican geography, since he mentions the places he passes on his journey.
Este es el corrido del caballo blanco,
Que en un día domingo feliz arrancara. *
Iba con la mira de llegar al norte, *
Habiendo salido de Guadalajara.
This is the narrative of the white horse,
That on a Sunday, happily took off. *
He went with the goal of reaching the north, *
Having left from Guadalajara.
“First Day”
Album: Limon y Sal (Lemon and Salt), 2006
Genre: 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
“Yours and Mine”
Album: Mis Manos (Mi Hands), 2021
Genre: A romantic Norteña (a North Mexican music style)
Countries: Colombia (Camilo), Mexico (Los Dos Carnales)
“I Want To See You Happy”, 2021 single
Countries: USA (California), Mexico
Genre: 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.
“Four Paths”
Genre: Ranchera, mariachi, forsaken love song. A song about picking your life path when you feel lost. The cuatro caminos refers to the four cardinal directions.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon
Es imposible que yo te olvide.
Es imposible que yo me vaya.
Por donde quiera que voy te miro.
Ando con otra y por ti suspiro.
It is impossible for me to forget you.
It is impossible for me to leave.
Because wherever I go, I see you.
I am with another and I sigh for you.
“May Things Go Beautifully For You”
Genre: Sorrowful mariachi love song. This is a post-breakup song, with the narrator wishing his former lover nothing but good things. It sounds like he ended the relationship due to outside circumstances.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon. The song was also used for a 1978 Mexican film, but there is little information available online.
Ojalá que te vaya bonito.
Ojalá que se acaben tus penas,
Que te digan que yo ya no existo,
Y conozcas personas más buenas...
I hope that things go beautifully for you.
I hope that your sorrows end,
That they tell you that I no longer exist,
And that you meet better people…
“In the Darkness”
Album: Catarsis (Catharsis), 2013
Genre: Club, techno
Country: Spain (born), Mexico (raised)
Listen: YouTube, Amazon. Tomorrow is the winter solstice, so here is a club song that mentions being in darkness a lot. The song is about addiction to love, superficially, but also about addiction to drugs. People walk on walls in the music video, and the police come in the end. Don’t mess up your biochemistry, people. The song is energetic, though.
“Thank You”, 1972
Genre: Mariachi farewell song from a genre-defining singer and national treasure of Mexico.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube, Amazon.
José Alfredo Jiménez died 41 years ago on November 23, 1973.
My father is a huge fan of José Alfredo Jiménez. Once, when I was visiting home and helping him install a new music program, he started filling his playlist and found this song. He told me more about the legendary José Alfredo Jiménez, beloved and prolific singer-songwriter of Mexico. Jiménez died in 1973 of cirrhosis of the liver due to his drinking. He didn’t die sad or regretful, though. He died full of gratitude for his fans. He composed this last song, “Gracias” (Thank You), to express his love for everyone, and to let people know that he thought his life was wonderful, and that he had made peace with his upcoming death.
He picked his own epigram, arranged his own funeral, and settled his affairs. Here is an interview with José Alfredo Jiménez at the hospital. Fourteen days before his death, he left the hospital and drove to have dinner with his son, then they played dominos all night.
To this day, he is still internationally famous for his character- and story-driven lyrics. When people think of mariachi, ranchera, and corrido songs, they think of José Alfredo Jiménez.
¿Cómo puedo pagar
Que me quieran a mí
Por todas mis canciones?
How can I repay
That you all love me
For all my songs?
“Careful”
Albums: Cuidado (1969); Someday New (2014)
Genre: Soulful alternative rock, ballad-like, with bass and acoustic instruments, including accordion.
Countries: United States (Los Angeles, CA); Mexico
Listen: The song by José José is directed to a lover who is doing things that will lead to a breakup. You can listen to the original version by José José (1969) or La Santa Cecilia’s cover (2014) at YouTube. I love the way lead singer Marisol “La Marisoul” Hernandez harmonizes the warnings in the lyrics until the words vibrate.
José José:
La Santa Cecilia:
Today is the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month, but Day of the Dead is coming up on November 1-2. I recommend listening to La Santa Cecilia’s lively “La Negra” (YouTube and translation). I’m also curious about the upcoming animated movie, The Book of Life premiering October 17.
Cuidado,
Mucho cuidado,
Que estás tomando por un rumbo equivocado.
Careful,
Be very careful,
Because you are going down a wrong road.
“Your Pride”
Album: Déjenme Llorar (Let Me Cry), 2012
Genre: Alternative, mellow, quieter song. Carla Morrison sings about her experience with a selfish lover. Her music is melancholy with a light hand. This song is both a self-reproach for letting herself be in this situation, and a protest over how she is treated. I love her voice.
Country: Mexico, USA (Arizona)
¿En qué momento perdí
El control de mis sentimientos
Cuando decidí
Aceptar tus secretos?
At what moment did I lose
Control over my feelings,
When I decided
To accept your secrets?
Songlations 
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