Chiquitita – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: ABBA

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the story behind ABBA's timeless hit, "Chiquitita," a song of comfort and resilience that has touched hearts worldwide. Explore its message of hope and learn how its legacy extends to supporting children through UNICEF, making it a meaningful and enduring piece of music history. By exploring the Spanish term of endearment of the title, you can also expand your knowledge of the Spanish language.

[English]

Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong

You're trapped by your own sorrow

In your eyes, there is no hope for tomorrow

How I hate to see you like this

There is no way you can deny it

I can see that you're so sad, so quiet

Chiquitita, tell me the truth

I'm a shoulder you can cry on

Your best friend, I'm the one you can rely on

You were always confident in yourself

Now I see you've lost your spark

I hope we can mend it together

Chiquitita, you and I know

How the heartaches come and go and the scars they leave behind

You'll be dancing once again and the pain will end

You won't have time for grieving

Chiquitita, you and I cry

But the sun is still in the sky and shining above you

Let me hear you sing once more like you did before

Sing a new song, Chiquitita

...

Try once more like you did before

Sing a new song, Chiquitita

So the walls came tumbling down

And your love's a blown-out candle

All is gone and it seems too hard to handle

Chiquitita, tell me the truth

There is no way you can deny it

I see that you're so sad, so quiet

Chiquitita, you and I know

How the heartaches come and go and the scars they leave behind

You'll be dancing once again and the pain will end

You won't have time for grieving

Chiquitita, you and I cry

But the sun is still in the sky and shining above you

Let me hear you sing once more like you did before

Sing a new song, Chiquitita

Try once more like you did before

Sing a new song, Chiquitita

Try once more like you did before

Sing a new song, Chiquitita

...

[Spanish]

Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong

You're enchained by your own sorrow

In your eyes there is no hope for tomorrow

How I hate to see you like this

There is no way you can deny it

I can see that you're oh so sad, so quiet

Chiquitita, tell me the truth

I'm a shoulder you can cry on

Your best friend, I'm the one you must rely on

You were always sure of yourself

Now I see you've broken a feather

I hope we can patch it up together

Chiquitita, you and I know

How the heartaches come and they go and the scars they're leavin'

You'll be dancing once again and the pain will end

You would have no time for grievin'

Chiquitita, you and I cry

But the sun is still in the sky and shinin' above you

Let me hear you sing once more like you did before

Sing a new song, Chiquitita

Try once more like you did before

Sing a new song, Chiquitita

So the walls came tumblin' down

And your love's a blown out candle

All is gone and it seems too hard to handle

Chiquitita, tell me the truth

There is no way you can deny it

I see that you're oh so sad, so quiet

Chiquitita, you and I know

How the heartaches come and they go and the scars they're leavin'

You'll be dancin' once again and the pain will end

You will have no time for grievin'

Chiquitita, you and I cry

But the sun is still in the sky and shinin' above you

Let me hear you sing once more like you did before

Sing a new song, Chiquitita

Try once more like you did before

Sing a new song, Chiquitita

Try once more like you did before

Sing a new song, Chiquitita

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
chiquitita /tʃɪkɪˈtiːtə/ A1	noun - little girl
sorrow /ˈsɔːroʊ/ B2	noun - a feeling of deep distress caused by loss or disappointment
hope /hoʊp/ A2	noun - a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen
truth /truːθ/ A2	noun - the quality or state of being in accordance with fact or reality
friend /frɛnd/ A1	noun - a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - to move rhythmically to music
pain /peɪn/ A2	noun - physical suffering or discomfort
scars /skɑːrz/ B1	noun - marks left on the skin after a wound has healed
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to shed tears, typically as an expression of distress
shoulder /ˈʃoʊldər/ B1	noun - the joint connecting the arm to the body
broken /ˈbroʊkən/ B1	adjective - having been fractured or damaged
together /təˈɡɛðər/ A2	adverb - with each other; in union
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events
sing /sɪŋ/ A1	verb - to produce musical sounds with the voice
walls /wɔːlz/ A2	noun - the vertical brick or stone structure that encloses or divides an area
candle /ˈkændl/ A2	noun - a cylinder of wax with a wick in the middle that is burned to provide light

Key Grammar Structures

• There is no way you can deny it

  ➔ Modal verb + base form

  ➔ "can" is a modal verb expressing ability or possibility, combined with the base form "deny" to indicate ability to refuse.

• You're enchained by your own sorrow

  ➔ Passive voice with present tense

  ➔ The sentence uses the passive voice "are enchained" to emphasize the state of being restrained, with "by your own sorrow" indicating the agent.

• How I hate to see you like this

  ➔ Infinitive form of purpose (to + verb)

  ➔ The infinitive "to see" expresses purpose or desire, showing the speaker's feelings about witnessing the subject's condition.

• Sing a new song, Chiquitita

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The phrase is a command or instruction, urging the listener to perform the action of singing a new song.

• The sun is still in the sky and shinin' above you

  ➔ Present simple tense

  ➔ The sentence uses the present simple tense "is" and "shinin'" (colloquial form of "shining") to describe a current, ongoing situation.

• Let me hear you sing once more like you did before

  ➔ Imperative + infinitive clause

  ➔ The phrase is an imperative command "Let me hear you" followed by a wish or request in an infinitive clause.

• So the walls came tumblin' down

  ➔ Simple past tense (passive voice)

  ➔ The phrase uses simple past tense "came" and implies a passive construction, describing the walls falling down.

• Your best friend, I'm the one you must rely on

  ➔ Relative clause with modal verb (must rely on)

  ➔ The sentence contains a relative clause "the one you must rely on" describing "the one" as someone dependable, with "must rely on" indicating obligation or necessity.