Spanish song lyrics translated to English: side-by-side lyrics, song meanings, and translation notes for people learning Spanish.
“Because You Leave” Lyrics
Album: Porque Te Vas (Because You Leave), 1974
Genre: Sad girl ballad. Yearning romantic ballad. She is sad about her lover leaving the city, worried that they will forget her.
Country: Spain
Hoy en mi ventana brilla el sol
Y el corazón se pone triste
Contemplando la ciudad,
Porque te vas.
Today into my window shines the sun
And the heart turns sad,
Contemplating the city,
Because you leave.
“What Will Become of Me” Lyrics
Album: Epicentro (Epicenter), 2021
Style: Soft pop song about a being in a turbulent and hot/cold relationship with a bad boy. She loves him but he ignores her and that makes her mad.
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube
Jugamos a dejar las cosas claras,
No fue suficiente.
Ven y mírame de frente.
No despiertes a la fiera.
We played at making things clear,
It wasn’t enough.
Come and see me face to face.
Don’t wake up in a foul mood.
Dejémonos de hablar de forma rara,
No sé lo que sientes.
Yo sé que siempre fuiste un delincuente
Y aunque me digas que no soy cualquiera,
Me quema.
“I Suppose” Lyrics
Album: Expectativas (Expectations), 2017
Style: Slow rock and slow lyrics. Trippy song with dream-like visuals. Good for beginners learning to make out words.
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube
Caminando…
Sobre arenas movedizas,
Tus pies se hunden.
Walking…
Over shifting sands,
Your feet sink in.
“Like the Olive Trees” Lyrics
Album: Pafuera Telarañas (Out with the Cobwebs), 2004
Style: Flamenco hip/hop, song about a passionate romance against the peaceful backdrop of Spain’s pastures.
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube
Como los olivos
Sudan aceite,
Mi cuerpo resbala sobre tu piel.
Duerme hombre tranquilo en el jardín del edén
Que la humedad desprende sabor a miel.
Like the olives
Sweat oil,
My body slips over your skin.
Sleep, man, serenely in the garden of Eden
For the humidity gives off a taste of honey.
“There Will Be No One in the World” Lyrics
Album: Niña de Fuego (Girl of Fire), 2008. Nominated for “Album of the Year” in the 2008 Latin Grammy Awards.
Style: Pop, jazz, tropical music. Song about a heartbreak.
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube
Desde que el agua es libre,
Libre entre manantiales vive.
Jazmines han llora’o y yo no comprendo
Cómo en tus ojos, niña, solo hay desierto.
Since the water was free,
Free among running springs, it lives.
Jasmines have cried and and I don’t understand
How in your eyes, girl, there is only a desert.
“Siboney” or “Canto Siboney” Lyrics
Composer: Ernesto Lecuona, 1927
Style: Jazz, romance, love song to Siboney. Xiomara Alfaro’s version was the composer’s favorite.
Country: Cuba, with several covers from Spain
Listen: Xiomara Alfaro (Cuba, 1957); Plácido Domingo (Spain, opera, 2012); Concha Buika (Spain, jazz, 2013)
Siboney, yo te quiero,
Yo me muero por tu amor.
Siboney, I love you,
I am dying for your love.
“The Farewell”
Album: Bullet Train, 2022
Style: Melancholy song about dealing with unexpected loss. This is the Spanish song in the action/comedy movie Bullet Train (2022).
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube
Voy sin saber,
Sin tu amor.
¿Cómo hacer, con tanto dolor?
Una vez más, apaga las luces,
Y canta conmigo,
Así me olvido de la despedida.
I go without knowing,
Without your love.
What to do, with so much pain?
One more time, turn off the lights,
And sing with me,
That is how I forget the farewell.
“I Dream of Her”
Album: In My Skin (In My Skin), 2011; La Noche Más Larga (The Longest Night), 2013
Style: Piano jazz, dreaming and reminiscing about a lost relationship.
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube
Frente a las olas del mar y bajo las estrellas,
Yo… sueño con ella, yo sueño con ella.
(x4)
Before the waves of the sea and below the stars,
I… dream of her, I dream of her.
(x4)
“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.
“Don’t Ask Forgiveness”
Album: Dirty Bailarina (Dirty Ballerina), 2010
Genre: Hip hop, with a spoken word vibe.
Country: Spain
I was listening to an NPR short about Mala Rodriguez and they mentioned that she calls herself “Mala” (Bad) Rodriguez because her aunt would always scold her and call her a bad kid. That’s so sad, a little cute maybe, and also a great story. Mala Rodriguez has been gaining acclaim these past few years for her distinctive rap/hip hop style and her poetic lyrics. She collaborated with Julieta Venegas on the MTV Unplugged version of Julieta’s “Eres Para Mi.”
Two lines in this song’s transcription are a little iffy, so check back for edits in a few months. The song has been on my list since the NPR short in 2011, so it makes more sense to just post it as is and wait for comments. It’s a great song. Listen to it at YouTube here.
Sa’ [sabe]
Lo peor ya ha pasa’o [pasado].
Dime, ¿de qué sirve seguir doblega’o [doblegado].
You know
The worst has already passed.
Tell me, what use is it to keep bowing down (in defeat)?
“Like a Ghost” Lyrics, 2011
Genre: Pop/rock, techno-inspired, about a love that haunts you. When you break up with someone, it can be hard to forget them. They linger in your mind… like a ghost. For more techno-influenced pop about moving on, see “Mi Mundo Sin Ti” by Soraya.
Countries: Argentina (born), Spain (raised)
Decido no extrañarte,
Vestirme y levantarme,
Quiero escaparme de tu sombra.
I decide not to miss you,
To dress myself and get up,
I want to escape your shadow.
“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.
Songlations 
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