Ay mamá – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Rigoberta Bandini

Lyrics & Translation

[Spanish]

[English]

Tú que has sangrado tantos meses de tu vida

You who have bled for so many months of your life

Perdóname antes de empezar

Forgive me before I begin

Soy engreída y lo sabes bien

I'm proud, and you know it well

A ti que tienes siempre caldo en la nevera

To you who always has broth in the fridge

Tú que podrías acabar con tantas guerras

You who could end so many wars

Escúchame

Listen to me

Mamá, mamá, mamá

Mom, mom, mom

Paremos la ciudad

Let's stop the city

Sacando un pecho fuera al puro estilo Delacroix

With a bare breast, just like Delacroix

Mamá, mamá, mamá

Mom, mom, mom

Por tantas ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

For so many ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, mamá

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, mom

Todas las ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

All the ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, mamá

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, mom

Tú que amarraste bien tu cuerpo a mi cabeza

You who tied your body so tight to my head

Con ganas de llorar, pero con fortaleza

With a desire to cry, but full of strength

Escúchame

Listen to me

Mamá, mamá, mamá

Mom, mom, mom

Paremos la ciudad

Let's stop the city

Sacando un pecho fuera al puro estilo Delacroix

With a bare breast, just like Delacroix

Mamá, mamá, mamá

Mom, mom, mom

Por tantas ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

For so many ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, mamá

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, mom

Todas las ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

All the ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma (mami)

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma (mom)

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, mamá

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, mom

Vivan las ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

Long live the ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

No sé por qué dan tanto miedo nuestras tetas

I don't know why our breasts scare so much

Sin ellas no habría humanidad ni habría belleza

Without them, there'd be no humanity or beauty

Y lo sabes bien

And you know it well

Lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo

Lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo

(Lo sabes bien) lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo

(You know it well) lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo

Escúchame

Listen to me

Mamá, mamá, mamá

Mom, mom, mom

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sangrado /saŋˈɡɾaðo/ B2	verb - bled
vida /ˈbiða/ A1	noun - life
engreída /eŋɡɾeˈiða/ C1	adjective - conceited
caldo /ˈkaldo/ B1	noun - broth
nevera /neˈβeɾa/ A2	noun - refrigerator
guerras /ˈɡeras/ B1	noun - wars
ciudad /θjuˈðað/ A1	noun - city
pecho /ˈpetʃo/ A2	noun - breast
estilo /esˈtilo/ A2	noun - style
amarraste /amaˈraste/ B2	verb - tied
cuerpo /ˈkwerpo/ A1	noun - body
cabeza /kaˈβeθa/ A1	noun - head
ganas /ˈɡanas/ B1	noun - desire
llorar /ʎoˈɾaɾ/ A2	verb - to cry
fortaleza /foɾtaˈleθa/ B2	noun - strength
miedo /ˈmjeðo/ A2	noun - fear
tetas /ˈtetas/ B1	noun - breasts
humanidad /umaniˈðað/ B2	noun - humanity
belleza /beˈʎeθa/ B1	noun - beauty

Key Grammar Structures

• Tú que has sangrado tantos meses de tu vida

  ➔ Present perfect tense

  ➔ The phrase uses the present perfect tense to indicate an action that has relevance to the present, as in "you have bled for many months of your life."

• Perdóname antes de empezar

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The phrase uses the imperative mood to give a command or request, as in "forgive me before starting."

• Tú que podrías acabar con tantas guerras

  ➔ Conditional mood

  ➔ The phrase uses the conditional mood to express a hypothetical situation, as in "you could end so many wars."

• Vivan las ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

  ➔ Subjunctive mood

  ➔ The phrase uses the subjunctive mood to express a wish or desire, as in "long live the..."

• No sé por qué dan tanto miedo nuestras tetas

  ➔ Interrogative structure

  ➔ The phrase uses an interrogative structure to express confusion or inquiry, as in "I don't know why our breasts are so frightening."

• Con ganas de llorar, pero con fortaleza

  ➔ Contrastive conjunction

  ➔ The phrase uses a contrastive conjunction to show opposing ideas, as in "with a desire to cry, but with strength."