Spanish song lyrics translated to English: side-by-side lyrics, song meanings, and translation notes for people learning Spanish.
“The Only One” Lyrics
Album: Un Día Normal (A Normal Day), 2002
Genre: Rock, love song, sweet. Juanes sings about his irreplaceable, incomparable lover. It is a sweet love song from an old album.
Country: Colombia
Yo te quiero a ti.
Yo no quiero a nadie más.
Porque eres tú la que me hace suspirar.
I love you. [*querer (verb) = to love; to want]
I want no one else.
Because it is you who makes me sigh.
“The Girl Who Cries at Your Parties”, 2011 single
Genre: Pop with a beat, energetic, techno influence. This energetic pop song is about a girl so in love (really obsessed) that it hurts her to be away from the object of her affections.
Country: Spain
[Radio:]
Y los cuarenta principales, del cuarenta al uno…
And the top 40, from 40 to 1…
[Song:]
Vuela un columpio vació sobre mi cabeza,
Vuela por el cementerio de mi voluntad.
Sigo buscando la niña que llora en tus fiestas.
Suenan campanas en flor por mi funeral.
The empty swing flies over my head,
It flies over the cemetery of my willpower.
I keep looking for the girl who cries at your parties.
Ringing bell flowers sprout all over my funeral.
“Rag Doll” Song Translation
Album: Guapa (Good Looking), 2006
Genre: Pop/rock, heavy string instruments, sad song about unrequited love and neglect.
Country: Spain
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.
“Barbie of the Suburbs”, 2010
Genre: Rock, bitter ex song
Country: Spain
En la guerra, como en el amor,
Todo vale y siempre queda un perdedor.
Normalmente, pierde el que quiere más,
Al igual que en una mesa de black jack.
In war, like in love,
All’s fair and there is always a loser.
Usually, the loser is the one who loves the most,
Just like in a black jack table.
“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
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,
“Treacherous Butterfly” Translated Lyrics
Album: Revolución de Amor (Revolution of Love), 2002
Genre: Rock, butterfly as metaphor for a woman who isn’t serious, fluttering from guy to guy and leaving behind heartbreak. One of my most popular translations.
Country: Mexico
Eres como una mariposa,
Vuelas y te posas, vas de boca en boca,
Facil y ligera, de quien te provoca.
You are like a butterfly,
You fly and you land, jumping from mouth to mouth —
Easy and light — of anyone who excites you.
“Photograph”
Album: Un Día Normal (A Normal Day), 2002
Genre: Soft rock, nostalgic, about long-distance love whether romantic or platonic. The love is there but they have a hard time getting in touch, so they look at photographs instead.
Country: Colombia (Juanes), Canada (Nelly Furtado)
Cada vez que yo me voy,
Llevo a un lado de mi piel
Tus fotografías para verlas cada vez
Que tú ausencia me devora entero el corazón
Y yo no tengo remedio más que amarte.
Every time that I leave,
I carry by my skin [*lit. I carry to the side of my skin]
Your photographs, to see them every time
That your absence eats my heart whole
And I have no other choice but to love you.
“I Don’t Believe” Translated Lyrics
Album: ¿Dondé Están Los Ladrones? (Where Are The Thieves?), 1998
Genre: Rock, brunette Shakira, love song about believing in a person over anyone or anything else. Their love is the most true and real thing for them.
Country: Colombia
Chorus 1:
————————————————————1
Sólo tú sabes bien quien soy
Y por eso es tuyo mi corazón.
Sólo tú doblas mi razón
Y por eso a donde tú quieras voy.
Only you know (well) who I am
And that’s why you have my heart.
Only you can break my reason
And that’s why where you want me to go, I go.
————————————————————/1
“I Am Here” Song Translation
Album: Piez Descalzos (Bare Feet), 1995
Genre: Rock, brunette Shakira, nostalgia about a past love with touches of obsession and sadness
Country: Colombia
Listen: YouTube, Amazon; Carla Morrison cover
Ya sé que no vendrás.
Todo lo que fue,
El tiempo lo dejo atras.
I already know you won’t come.
Everything that was,
Time has left behind.
“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
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.
“Revolution”
Album: Pájaros en la cabeza (Birds in my head), 2005
Style: Rock. A song about wanting freedom and to be heard.
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube
Somos demasiados y no podrán pasar
Por encima de los años que tuvimos que callar,
Por los libros prohibidos y las entradas secretas.
We are many and they will not be able to pass
Over the years that we had to keep quiet,
Because of the forbidden books and the secret entrances.
“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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