Hips Don't Lie – English Lyrics

• By: Shakira, Wyclef Jean
• Album: Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vibrant world of Latin rhythms and engaging storytelling with Shakira and Wyclef Jean's global hit, "Hips Don't Lie." This iconic track offers a fantastic opportunity to learn about Colombian and Haitian cultural influences in music and dance. You'll pick up everyday Spanish phrases like "Como se llama, bonita?" and "Mi casa, su casa," while experiencing the infectious energy that made this song a worldwide phenomenon. Its catchy chorus and undeniable beat make it perfect for understanding how music can communicate universal emotions and tell a story beyond words.

[English]

♪ Ladies up in here tonight ♪

♪ No fighting ♪

♪ We got the refugees up in here ♪

♪ No fighting ♪

♪ Shakira, Shakira ♪

♪ I never really knew that she could dance like this ♪

♪ She make a man wants to speak Spanish ♪

♪ Cómo se llama, sí ♪

♪ Bonita, sí ♪

♪ Mi casa ♪

♪ Shakira, Shakira ♪

♪ Oh, baby, when you talk like that ♪

♪ You make a woman go mad ♪

♪ So be wise, sí ♪

♪ And keep on, sí ♪

♪ 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 ♪

♪ All the attraction, the tension ♪

♪ Don't you see, baby, this is perfection ♪

♪ Hey, girl, I can see your body moving ♪

♪ And it's driving me crazy ♪

♪ And I didn't have the slightest idea ♪

♪ Until I saw you dancing ♪

♪ And when you walk up on the dance floor ♪

♪ Nobody cannot ignore the way you move your body, girl ♪

♪ And everything so unexpected ♪

♪ The way you right and left it ♪

♪ So you can keep on shaking it ♪

♪ I never really knew that she could dance like this ♪

♪ She make a man wants to speak Spanish ♪

♪ Cómo se llama, sí ♪

♪ Bonita, sí ♪

♪ Mi casa ♪

♪ Shakira, Shakira ♪

♪ Oh, baby, when you talk like that ♪

♪ You make a woman go mad ♪

♪ So be wise and keep on ♪

♪ Reading the signs of my body ♪

♪ I'm on tonight ♪

♪ You know my hips don't lie ♪

♪ And I am starting to feel you, boy ♪

♪ Come on, let's go, real slow ♪

♪ Don't you see, baby, así es perfecto ♪

♪ They know I am on tonight, 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 animal, half man ♪

♪ I don't, don't really know what I'm doing ♪

♪ But you seem to have a plan ♪

♪ My will and self-restraint ♪

♪ Have come to fail now, fail now ♪

♪ See, I am doing what I can, but I can't so you know ♪

♪ That's a bit too hard to explain ♪

♪ Baila en la calle de noche ♪

♪ Baila en la calle de día ♪

♪ Baila en la calle de noche ♪

♪ Baila en la calle de día ♪

♪ I never really knew that she could dance like this ♪

♪ She make a man wants to speak Spanish ♪

♪ Cómo se llama, sí ♪

♪ Bonita, sí ♪

♪ Mi casa ♪

♪ Shakira, Shakira ♪

♪ Oh, baby, when you talk like that ♪

♪ You know you got me hypnotized ♪

♪ So be wise and keep on ♪

♪ Reading the signs of my body ♪

♪ Señorita, feel the conga ♪

♪ Let me see you move like you come from Colombia ♪

♪ Ladies, sí ♪

♪ Mira en Barranquilla se baila así, say it ♪

♪ En Barranquilla se baila así ♪

♪ Yeah, she's so sexy, every man's fantasy ♪

♪ A refugee like me back with the Fugees ♪

♪ From a third world country ♪

♪ I go back like when 'Pac carried crates for Humpty Humpty ♪

♪ We leave the whole club dizzy ♪

♪ Why the CIA wanna watch us ♪

♪ Colombians and Haitians ♪

♪ I ain't guilty, it's a musical transaction ♪

♪ Bo bop so bop, no more do we snatch ropes ♪

♪ Refugees run the seas 'cause we own our own boats ♪

♪ 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 perfecto ♪

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

♪ And I am starting to feel it's right ♪

♪ The attraction, the tension ♪

♪ Baby, like this is perfection ♪

♪ No fighting ♪

♪ No fighting ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
dance /dæns/ B1	verb - to move your body to music
move /muːv/ B1	verb - to change position or place
body /ˈbɒd.i/ A2	noun - the physical structure of a person or animal
talk /tɔːk/ A2	verb - to speak in order to communicate
woman /ˈwʊm.ən/ A2	noun - an adult female person
word /wɜːd/ A2	noun - a single unit of language
signs /saɪnz/ B1	noun - indications or symbols that convey information
feeling /ˈfiː.lɪŋ/ B1	noun - an emotional state or sensation
tension /ˈtɛn.ʃən/ B2	noun - mental or emotional strain
attraction /əˈtræk.ʃən/ B2	noun - the quality of being attractive or appealing
perfection /pɜːˈfek.ʃən/ C1	noun - the quality of being perfect
moving /ˈmuː.vɪŋ/ B2	verb (used as adjective) - causing strong emotion or sympathy

Key Grammar Structures

• She make a man wants to speak Spanish

  ➔ Subject-verb agreement error; correct form: She makes a man want to speak Spanish

  ➔ The subject "She" is singular, so the verb should be "makes" not "make". Also, "want" should be followed by the infinitive "to speak".

• Nobody cannot ignore the way you move your body, girl

  ➔ Double negative. Correct form: Nobody can ignore the way you move your body, girl, or Anybody cannot ignore the way you move your body, girl. (less common)

  ➔ Using both "nobody" and "cannot" creates a double negative, which is grammatically incorrect. "Nobody can" or "Anybody cannot" (though less common) are valid ways to express the intended meaning.

• And I am starting to feel you, boy

  ➔ Use of the present continuous "am starting to feel" to describe an action happening now and developing over time. You could also use the simple present "I'm starting to..." or the present continuous "I'm feeling you" which indicates something more immediate.

  ➔ The present continuous tense is used to emphasize the gradual development of a feeling. It suggests a process is unfolding.

• I don't, don't really know what I'm doing

  ➔ Redundant repetition of "don't". Standard form: I don't really know what I'm doing

  ➔ The repeated "don't" is an example of informal speech or possibly used for emphasis in the song, but grammatically incorrect in formal writing.

• Let me see you move like you come from Colombia

  ➔ Subjunctive mood implied with "like you come from". More formal: Let me see you move as if you came from Colombia (conditional mood).

  ➔ The phrase "like you come from" is used informally to suggest a hypothetical situation. In more formal English, "as if you came from" would be used, which is a conditional clause using the past subjunctive.