Hijo de la Luna – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Mecano

Lyrics & Translation

[Spanish]

[English]

Tonto el que no entienda

The fool is the one who doesn't understand

Cuenta una leyenda

A legend is told

Que una hembra gitana

That a Gypsy woman

Conjuró a la luna hasta el amanecer

Yelled at the moon until dawn

Llorando pedía

While crying, she begged

Al llegar el día

And at sunrise

Desposar un calé

To marry a local

...

...

"Tendrás a tu hombre, piel morena"

"You’ll have your man, with dark skin"

Desde el cielo habló la luna llena

Spoke the full moon from the sky

Pero, a cambio, quiero el hijo primero

But in exchange, I want the firstborn child

Que le engendres a él

That he fathered

Que quien su hijo inmola

Who kills his own son

Para no estar sola

So she won't be alone

Poco le iba a querer

And would love him little

...

...

Luna, quieres ser madre

Moon, do you want to be a mother

Y no encuentras querer que te haga mujer

But can't find anyone to make you a woman

Dime, luna de plata

Tell me, silver moon

¿Qué pretendes hacer?

What are you trying to do?

¿Con un niño de piel?

With a child of skin?

Ah, ah-ah-ah; ah, ah-ah-ah

Ah, ah-ah-ah; ah, ah-ah-ah

Hijo de la luna

Child of the moon

...

...

De padre canela, nació un niño

Born to a cinnamon-skinned father, was a boy

Blanco como el lomo de un armiño

White as a mink’s back

Con los ojos grises, en vez de aceituna

With gray eyes, not olive

Niño albino de luna

A moonlit albino child

Maldita su estampa

Cursed his appearance

Este hijo es de un payo

This son belongs to a non-Gypsy

Y yo no me lo callo

And I won't keep quiet

...

...

Luna, quieres ser madre

Moon, do you want to be a mother

Y no encuentras querer que te haga mujer

But can't find anyone to make you a woman

Dime, luna de plata

Tell me, silver moon

¿Qué pretendes hacer?

What are you trying to do?

¿Con un niño de piel?

With a child of skin?

Ah, ah-ah-ah; ah, ah-ah-ah

Ah, ah-ah-ah; ah, ah-ah-ah

Hijo de la luna

Child of the moon

...

...

Gitano al creerse deshonrado

A Gypsy, feeling dishonored

Se fue a su mujer, cuchillo en mano

Went to his wife, with a knife in hand

¿De quién es el hijo? Me has engaña'o fijo

Who is the child's father? You've really deceived me

Y, de muerte, la hirió

And he wounded her fatally

Luego se hizo al monte

Then he fled into the mountains

Con el niño en brazos

Carrying the child in his arms

Y allí le abandonó

And abandoned him there

...

...

Luna, quieres ser madre

Moon, do you want to be a mother

Y no encuentras querer que te haga mujer

But can't find anyone to make you a woman

Dime, luna de plata

Tell me, silver moon

¿Qué pretendes hacer?

What are you trying to do?

¿Con un niño de piel?

With a child of skin?

Ah, ah-ah-ah; ah, ah-ah-ah

Ah, ah-ah-ah; ah, ah-ah-ah

Hijo de la luna

Child of the moon

...

...

Y las noches que haya luna llena

And on full moon nights

Será porque el niño esté de buenas

It’s because the child is happy

Y, si el niño llora, menguará la luna

And if the child cries, the moon dims

Para hacerle una cuna

To make him a cradle

Y, si el niño llora, menguará la luna

And if the child cries, the moon dims

Para hacerle una cuna

To make him a cradle

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
entienda /en.tjenˈda/ B1	verb - to understand
cuenta /ˈkwen.ta/ A2	verb - to count, to tell
hebra /ˈe.βɾa/ B2	noun - woman, female (archaic or poetic term)
conjuró /kɔn.xuˈɾo/ C1	verb - to conjure, to summon (literally or figuratively)
luna /ˈlu.na/ A2	noun - moon
pedía /peˈðí.a/ B1	verb - to ask for, to request
amancer /a.maˈneθaɾ/ C2	verb - to dawn, to break of day
llorando /ʝoˈɾan.do/ A2	verb - crying
pedía /peˈðí.a/ B1	verb - to ask for, to request
desposar /des.poˈsaɾ/ C2	verb - to marry off, to betroth
querer /keˈɾeɾ/ A2	verb - to want, to love
pretendes /pɾenˈden.des/ B2	verb - to pretend, to intend
hacer /aˈθeɾ/ A2	verb - to do, to make

Key Grammar Structures

• Tonto el que no entienda

  ➔ Subjunctive mood used in a noun clause.

  ➔ The phrase means 'Foolish is the one who does not understand.' Here, "entienda" is in the subjunctive mood.

• Que una hembra gitana conjuró a la luna hasta el amanecer

  ➔ Use of the past simple tense.

  ➔ This line translates to 'That a gypsy female conjured the moon until dawn.' The verb "conjuró" is in the past simple tense.

• Pero, a cambio, quiero el hijo primero

  ➔ Use of the conditional mood.

  ➔ This translates to 'But, in exchange, I want the first child.' The phrase indicates a condition.

• Que quien su hijo inmola para no estar sola

  ➔ Use of the subjunctive mood in a relative clause.

  ➔ This means 'That whoever sacrifices their child to not be alone.' The verb "inmola" is in the subjunctive mood.

• Y, si el niño llora, menguará la luna

  ➔ Use of the future tense.

  ➔ This translates to 'And if the child cries, the moon will wane.' The verb "menguará" is in the future tense.

• Maldita su estampa

  ➔ Use of the subjunctive mood in an exclamatory phrase.

  ➔ This means 'Cursed be his appearance.' The phrase expresses a strong emotion.

• Y allí le abandonó

  ➔ Use of the past simple tense.

  ➔ This translates to 'And there he abandoned him.' The verb "abandonó" is in the past simple tense.