Hips Don't Lie – English Lyrics

• By: Shakira, Wyclef Jean

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the vibrant rhythms of 'Hips Don't Lie' to pick up upbeat Spanish slang and improve your listening comprehension. This song is the perfect gateway into the blend of English and Spanish pop, helping you grasp how bilingual artists bridge cultural gaps through music.

[English]

Ladies up in here tonight.

No fighting.

We got the refugees over here, man.

>> No [music] fighting. Shakira, Shakira.

>> I never really knew that she could dance

like this. She make a man want to speak

Spanish. Como se [music] llama?

>> Hey!

>> Bonita.

>> Hey!

>> Chica.

>> Shakira, Shakira.

>> Oh, baby, when you talk like [music]

that,

you make a woman go mad.

So, be wise [music] and keep on

reading the signs of my body.

I'm on tonight, you know my hips [music]

don't lie, and I'm starting to feel it's

right.

All the attraction, the tension. Don't

you see, baby, this is perfection.

>> Hey, yeah.

>> [music]

>> I can see your body moving, and it's

driving me crazy. And I

>> [music]

>> didn't have the slightest idea

until you danced it.

>> The way you walk up on the dance floor

>> nobody can ignore.

>> The way you move your body girl

>> and everything's so unexpected, the way

you ride it and lift it.

>> [music]

>> So, you could keep on shaking it.

>> I never really knew that she could dance

like this.

She make a man want to speak Spanish.

[music] Como se llama?

>> Hey!

>> Bonita.

>> Hey!

>> Chica.

>> Shakira.

>> Oh, baby, when you talk [music] like

that,

you make a woman go mad.

So, be wise

and keep on

>> [music]

>> reading the signs of my body.

I'm on tonight, you know my hips don't

lie, and I'm starting to feel it's

right. Come on, let's go. Real slow.

Don't you see, baby, she is perfection.

Baby, I know I'm on tonight, you know my

hips don't lie, and I'm starting to feel

it's right. All the attraction,

the tension. Don't you see, baby, this

is perfection. Oh, boy, I can see your

body moving. Half man, half man,

I [music] don't don't really know what

I'm doing, but you seem to have a

problem

on my own. So frustrating. I've come to

fail now, fail now. See, I'm doing what

I can, but I can't, oh, you know that's

too hard to explain. hey, hey.

Let's go.

>> [music]

[music]

>> Oh, baby, when you talk like [music]

that,

you know you got the rhythm of time.

So, be wise and keep on

>> [music]

>> reading the signs of my body.

>> [music]

>> Ladies, sing.

>> [music]

>> She's so sexy [music] that you might

fantasize a refugee like me back with

the Fugees from a third world country. I

go back like when Pop carried crates for

Humpty Hump. We lead a whole club

>> [music]

>> easy. Nobody see I want to watch your

Colombian Asian. I ain't guilty of some

musical transaction. Bo bo bo bo No more

[music] do we snatch rope. Refugees run

the seas cuz we on our own boat.

>> Oh, I'm on tonight. My hips don't lie

and I'm starting to feel you, boy. Come

on, let's go real slow.

Baby, like this is perfection.

Oh, you know I'm on tonight. [music] My

hips don't lie and I'm starting to feel

it's right. The attraction,

the tension.

Baby, like this is perfection.

>> No fighting.

>> No fighting.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
attraction /əˈtrækʃən/ B2	noun - the action or power of evoking interest or liking
perfection /pərˈfɛkʃən/ B2	noun - the state or quality of being perfect
tension /ˈtɛnʃən/ B2	noun - mental or emotional strain
wise /waɪz/ B2	adjective - having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgment
frustrating /ˈfrʌstreɪtɪŋ/ B2	adjective - causing annoyance or upset
rhythm /ˈrɪðəm/ B2	noun - a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound
fantasize /ˈfæntəsaɪz/ C1	verb - to indulge in daydreaming
guilty /ˈɡɪlti/ B1	adjective - responsible for a specified wrongdoing
unexpected /ˌʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/ B2	adjective - not regarded as likely to happen
transaction /trænˈzækʃən/ B2	noun - an instance of buying or selling something
hips /hɪps/ A2	noun - a projection of the pelvis and upper thigh bone on each side of the body
refugee /ˌrɛfjuˈdʒiː/ B2	noun - a person who has been forced to leave their country
ignore /ɪɡˈnɔːr/ A2	verb - to refuse to take notice of
sexy /ˈsɛksi/ A2	adjective - sexually attractive
mad /mæd/ A2	adjective - very foolish or annoyed

Key Grammar Structures

• I never really knew that she could dance like this.

  ➔ Modal verb for ability in the past (could).

  ➔ "Could" is used here as the past tense of "can" to describe a general ability in the past.

• She make a man want to speak Spanish.

  ➔ Causative verb (make + object + bare infinitive).

  ➔ The structure "make someone do something" indicates that the subject influences or causes another person to act.

• I'm starting to feel it's right.

  ➔ Gerund/Infinitive after verb 'start'.

  ➔ The verb "start" can be followed by either the gerund (-ing) or infinitive (to + verb) with little difference in meaning.

• I didn't have the slightest idea until you danced it.

  ➔ Past Simple negative and time clause with 'until'.

  ➔ "Until" is used here to mark the point in time when the state changed.

• She's so sexy that you might fantasize.

  ➔ Result clause (so + adjective + that).

  ➔ The "so... that" structure is used to show a consequence or degree of a quality.

• I ain't guilty of some musical transaction.

  ➔ Colloquial negation (ain't).

  ➔ "Ain't" is a colloquial contraction used in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) for "am not", "is not", or "are not".

• You know you got the rhythm of time.

  ➔ Simple Past used for 'have got' (possession/state).

  ➔ "Got" is the past participle of "get", used here as part of the idiomatic phrase "to have got" meaning to possess.

• Refugees run the seas cuz we on our own boat.

  ➔ Ellipsis of the verb 'are'.

  ➔ In informal or song lyrics, the verb "are" can be omitted for rhythm or poetic effect.