CAMBIA! – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: C. Tangana, Carín León, Adriel Favela

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Puchito, change!

...

I grew up thinking only money would earn me respect

That a man who can’t spend isn’t a man, just a puppet

That you’ll always have plenty of friends, let alone women, when diamonds are in abundance

And now that my neck shines brighter than Las Vegas, they’re asking me to change

I’m distrustful and don’t let just any jerk get close

A friend in good times and bad, we’ll throw down if we have to (tell ‘em!)

They made me think that if I wasn’t decked out in Gucci every night

I was just a nobody

And now that the zeros are piling up in the bank, they’re asking me to change

...

El Madrileño, Adriel Favela

And who said the “h” is silent, old man? Yeah!

That’s it! Carin León

Ya-yay!

...

I grew up hearing stories of brave men in Chalino’s songs

Wanting guns, a house, and a new car—that’s how the kid was shaped

I don’t wish ill on anyone, I focus on my own, I don’t care about others’ business

Now that they see we’re knocking it out of the park, they’re asking me to change

As a kid, they taught me to be a rooster and that a coward is a chicken

That the man girls love goes through life throwing punches (let’s go, man!)

And now they’re poking the bull

But when it’s time to fight, they don’t even know who to pray to (tell ‘em!)

And now that they know how the lion roars, they’re asking me to change (yeah!)

We’re here going all out

Carin and Adriel Favela, uh!

And El Madrileño! That’s it

...

That’s it!

...

[Spanish]

Puchito, ¡cambia!

Crecí pensando que solo el billete me daría mi respeto

Que un hombre que no tiene pa' gastar no es un hombre, solo un muñeco

Que siempre te van a sobrar amigos y ni se diga mujeres cuando abunden los diamantes

Y hoy que brilla más mi cuello que Las Vegas, me piden que cambie

Soy desconfiado y no permito que cualquier cabrón se ande acercando

Amigo por las buenas y en las malas, le entramos a los chingazos (díselo)

Me hicieron pensar que si cada noche no salía envuelto en Gucci

Yo no era más que un don nadie

Y ahora que sobran ceros en el banco, me piden que cambie

El Madrileño, Adriel Favela

¿Y quién dijo que la "h" es muda, viejo?, ¡ea!

¡Eso e'! Carin León

¡Ya-yay!

Crecí escuchando historias de valientes en los versos de Chalino

Queriendo armas, casa y carro nuevo, con eso se forjó el niño

No le deseo el mal a las personas, yo me enfoco en lo mío, no me fijo en lo de nadie

Ahora que vieron que andamos bateando, me piden que cambie

De niño me enseñaron a ser gallo y que un cobarde es un gallina

Que el hombre que las morras aman bravo va de a golpes por la vida (vamos, tronco)

Y ahora le rascan los huevos al toro

Y a la hora de los chingazos, no saben ni a quién rezarle (díselo)

Y ahora que saben cómo ruge el león, me piden que cambie (¡ea!)

Aquí andamos al millón

Carin y Adriel Favela, ¡uh!

¡Y El Madrileño!, eso es

¡Eso es!

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
cambia ˈkambja A1	verb - to change, to transform
billete biˈʎete A2	noun - bill, cash
respeto resˈpeto A1	noun - respect
hombre ˈombɾe A1	noun - man
muñeco muˈɲeko A2	noun - doll, toy
diamantes djaˈmantes A2	noun - diamonds
desconfiado deskoɱˈfjaðo B1	adjective - distrustful
chingazos tʃinˈɡasoz B2	noun - beats, thrashing
Gucci ˈɡutʃi A2	noun - Italian luxury brand
banco ˈbaŋko A1	noun - bank
valientes baˈljentes A2	adjective - brave, bold
Chalino tʃaˈlino B2	proper noun - Chalino Sánchez, Mexican singer
gallo ˈɡaʎo A2	noun - rooster, brave person
cobarde koˈβarde A2	adjective - cowardly
morras ˈmoras B1	noun - girls, young women
rugir ruˈxiɾ B1	verb - to roar

Key Grammar Structures

• Crecí pensando que solo el billete me daría mi respeto

  ➔ Indirect speech (reported speech) with a verb of thinking. Use of the subjunctive mood is implied but not explicit here due to the indicative "daría".

  ➔ The speaker is recalling what they used to believe. "Crecí pensando" translates to 'I grew up thinking.' "Que solo el billete me daría mi respeto" means 'that only money would give me my respect'.

• Que un hombre que no tiene pa' gastar no es un hombre, solo un muñeco

  ➔ Relative clause using "que" to define "hombre". Use of "no es" indicating a categorical statement.

  ➔ This expresses the belief that a man who can't spend money isn't really a man, but just a puppet. The relative clause "que no tiene pa' gastar" modifies "hombre".

• Y hoy que brilla más mi cuello que Las Vegas, me piden que cambie

  ➔ Comparative adjective "más" (more). Use of "que" to introduce the subordinate clause expressing the comparison. Subjunctive mood implied with "piden que cambie".

  ➔ This translates to 'And today that my neck shines more than Las Vegas, they ask me to change'. The phrase "más... que" is used for comparison.

• Me hicieron pensar que si cada noche no salía envuelto en Gucci Yo no era más que un don nadie

  ➔ Use of "me hicieron pensar" (they made me think) showing influence/causation. Conditional sentence with "si" (if). Comparative structure: "no era más que" (was nothing more than).

  ➔ This implies that others influenced the speaker's perception. If they weren't out every night dressed in Gucci, they were made to feel like a nobody. "No era más que un don nadie" highlights a feeling of inadequacy.

• Y ahora que sobran ceros en el banco, me piden que cambie

  ➔ Impersonal expression with "sobran" (there are too many). Subjunctive mood after "piden que" (they ask that).

  ➔ Now that there's a lot of money in the bank, they are asking me to change. "Sobran ceros" means there are too many zeros, implying a large amount of money.

• Crecí escuchando historias de valientes en los versos de Chalino

  ➔ Gerund phrase "escuchando historias" (listening to stories) indicating a continuous action during the speaker's upbringing. Use of "de" to indicate possession/origin.

  ➔ The speaker grew up listening to stories of brave people in Chalino's verses, showing the influence of these narratives on their upbringing.

• Queriendo armas, casa y carro nuevo, con eso se forjó el niño

  ➔ Gerund "Queriendo" (wanting) at the beginning of the sentence acting as an adverbial phrase expressing manner/cause. Passive reflexive construction "se forjó el niño" (the boy was forged/shaped).

  ➔ Wanting weapons, a house, and a new car, with that the boy was shaped/formed. This line suggests materialistic desires shaped the speaker's early life.

• Que el hombre que las morras aman bravo va de a golpes por la vida

  ➔ Relative clause introduced by 'que' modifying 'el hombre'. Use of 'las morras' (slang for girls/women) as the subject of the relative clause. Idiomatic expression 'va de a golpes por la vida' (goes through life with blows).

  ➔ This means that the man whom girls love, braves life with punches, or deals with life through confrontation and struggles. The phrase shows a macho view.