El Chore – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Junior H, Gael Valenzuela

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the compelling world of "El Chore," a powerful corrido by Junior H and Gael Valenzuela. This song offers a rich, raw narrative of street life, family loyalty, and personal transformation. Its deeply emotional lyrics and authentic regional Mexican sound provide an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in the Spanish language, understanding nuanced storytelling and culturally resonant themes. Discover what makes this track a special and impactful listen.

[English]

Forgive me for the scars on my body

They mark who I am deep inside

I dove into the streets headfirst

And learned the ways of the cholos step by step

The habits, and the marijuana too

I smoked it all week long

At fifteen, I already wanted to make money

As a kid, I was always on my bike

Delivering little bags, little by little, I grew up

In the neighborhood, they started calling me "El Chore"

Solid with those who’ve been here since I was a kid

And my apology goes to my parents for everything I’ve done

I never wanted to go to school, I never liked it

I preferred hanging out with my crew, doing nothing

My mom’s worry never bothered me

I see the pain I caused her, and yeah, I regret it

But I did it all for her

So she’d never go without anything

And now that the tables have turned

She has everything she once dreamed of, uh!

Here you go, compa Gael

Just like that, compa Junior

Straight up $ad Boyz, man

I’ve always been real with people

Even if I have very few friends

And to anyone who calls me a show-off

It’s ’cause they’ve never really known me

Now I dress differently

Now I stand out in the crowd

Money hasn’t changed me

I’m still the same as I’ve always been

Delivering little bags, little by little, I grew up

In the neighborhood, they started calling me "El Chore"

Solid with those who’ve been here since I was a kid

And my apology goes to my parents for everything I’ve done

I never wanted to go to school, I never liked it

I preferred hanging out with my crew, doing nothing

My mom’s worry never bothered me

I see the pain I caused her, and yeah, I regret it

But I did it all for her

So she’d never go without anything

And now that the tables have turned

She has everything she once dreamed of

...

[Spanish]

Perdón por las rayas de mi cuerpo

Ellas marcan lo que soy por dentro

A la calle yo me fui metiendo

Y a los cholos yo les fui aprendiendo

Las mañas, también la marihuana

La fumaba toda la semana

Quince años, ya quería ganar lana

De morro siempre anduve en mi baica

Repartiendo bolsitas poco a poco, fui creciendo

En el barrio como "El Chore" me fueron conociendo

Al cien con los que desde morro siempre aquí estuvieron

Y la disculpa es pa mis padres por todo lo que he hecho

Tampoco quise ir a la escuela, nunca me gustó

Preferí andar en la vagancia junto a mi clicón

Que mi madre se me angustiara, no me preocupó

Miro el dolor que le causaba y sí, me arrepiento

Pero todo lo hice por ella

Pa que nunca le faltara nada

Y hoy que dio vuelta la moneda

Tiene todo lo que un día soñaba, ¡uh!

Ahí le va compa Gael

Así nomás, compa Junior

Puro $ad Boyz, viejo

Gente con la gente siempre he sido

Aunque sea de muy pocos amigos

Y al que me tache de presumido

Es porque nunca me ha conocido

Ahora ya me visto diferente

Ahora ya resalto entre la gente

A mí no me ha cambiado el billete

Sigo siendo el mismo desde siempre

Repartiendo bolsitas poco a poco, fui creciendo

En el barrio como "El Chore" me fueron conociendo

Al cien con los que desde morro siempre aquí estuvieron

Y la disculpa es pa mis padres por todo lo que he hecho

Tampoco quise ir a la escuela, nunca me gustó

Preferí andar en la vagancia junto a mi clicón

Que mi madre se me angustiara, no me preocupó

Miro el dolor que le causaba y sí, me arrepiento

Pero todo lo hice por ella

Pa que nunca le faltara nada

Y hoy que dio vuelta la moneda

Tiene todo lo que un día soñaba

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
rayas /ˈraʝas/ A2	noun - stripes
marihuana /ma.ɾi.ˈwa.na/ B1	noun - marijuana
lana /ˈlana/ A2	noun - wool noun - money (slang)
baica /ˈbai.ka/ B2	noun - bike (slang)
bolsitas /bol.ˈsi.tas/ A2	noun - small bags
barrio /ˈba.rjo/ A2	noun - neighborhood
cholos /ˈtʃo.los/ B1	noun - cholos (Mexican-American subculture)
mañas /ˈma.ɲas/ B1	noun - tricks or habits
morro /ˈmo.ro/ B1	noun - kid or young person (slang)
clicón /kliˈkon/ B2	noun - group of friends (slang)
angustiara /aŋ.gus.ˈti.a.ra/ B2	verb - to distress or worry
arrepiento /a.rre.ˈpjen.to/ A2	verb - I regret
soñaba /so.ˈɲa.ba/ A2	verb - I dreamed
resalto /re.ˈsal.to/ B1	verb - I stand out
billete /bi.ˈʎe.te/ A2	noun - money or ticket

Key Grammar Structures

• Perdón por las rayas de mi cuerpo

  ➔ Prepositional phrase (por + noun phrase)

  ➔ The preposition "por" introduces a reason or cause ("because of" or "for").

• Ellas marcan lo que soy por dentro

  ➔ Relative clause (lo que soy)

  ➔ "Lo que" acts as the relative pronoun, meaning "what" or "that which".

• A la calle yo me fui metiendo

  ➔ Reflexive verb (me fui metiendo)

  ➔ The pronoun "me" indicates the action is performed on the subject itself. The past simple + gerund construction conveys an ongoing action in the past.

• Y a los cholos yo les fui aprendiendo

  ➔ Indirect object pronoun (les)

  ➔ "Les" is the indirect object pronoun, replacing "a los cholos" and indicating to whom the learning was directed.

• Las mañas, también la marihuana

  ➔ Parallel structure (Las mañas, también la marihuana)

  ➔ The use of "también" (also) connects two related items, showing both were learned/acquired.

• De morro siempre anduve en mi baica

  ➔ Past simple (anduve) and descriptive word 'morro'

  ➔ "Anduve" is past simple, describing a repeated action in the past. 'Morro' is slang for "kid" or "youngster"

• Repartiendo bolsitas poco a poco, fui creciendo

  ➔ Gerund and Present continuous (fui creciendo)

  ➔ The gerund "Repartiendo" is used to describe a simultaneous action and continuous verb 'fui creciendo'.

• Y la disculpa es pa mis padres por todo lo que he hecho

  ➔ Contraction: 'pa' (for) and compound tense (he hecho)

  ➔ 'Pa' is a colloquial contraction of "para" or "por", meaning "for". "He hecho" is a perfect compound tense, expressing something completed.

• Pero todo lo hice por ella

  ➔ Pronoun agreement and prepositional phrase (por ella)

  ➔ "Ella" refers back to the mother (agreement). "Por ella" signifies 'for her'.