Historia de Taxi – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Ricardo Arjona

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the rich storytelling of 'Historia de Taxi' to master Spanish narrative structures and descriptive vocabulary. This song is special for its cinematic lyricism, making it an excellent tool for learners to understand how to weave complex emotions and plots through everyday language.

[English]

Taxi.

[music]

[music]

[music]

[music]

It was 10 o'clock at night,

I was piloting my ship.

It was my taxi, a Volkswagen

from the year '68.

It was one of those bad days where

there were no passengers.

The sequins on a dress

hailed me to stop.

It was

a beautiful blonde. She was wearing

a miniskirt.

The neckline on her back

went right to glory.

[music]

A black tear rolled down her cheek.

[music]

While the rearview mirror said, "Look

at those calves."

I saw a little bit more.

It was 10:40, I was zigzagging on

Reforma.

She told me, my name is Norma,

while she crossed her legs.

She took out a cigarette, something strange,

one of those that make you laugh.

I offered her a light in a hurry,

and my hand was shaking.

I asked her who she was crying for, and she said,

"For a guy

who thinks that because he's rich

he can come and cheat on me."

Don't fall for love, you must

pick yourself up," I told her.

"Count on me

if what you want is revenge."

And she smiled at me.

What is a taxi driver doing

seducing life?

What is a taxi driver doing

building a wound?

What is a taxi driver doing in front of

a lady?

What is a taxi driver doing with his

bedtime dreams?

I asked myself,

[music]

[music]

I saw him hugging and kissing a humble

girl.

She is of a very simple class.

I know it in case it fails.

She smiled at me in the mirror and sat

sideways.

I was mesmerized

with the foggy mirror.

[music]

She told me, "Turn at the corner, we're going

to my house."

After a couple of tequilas

we'll see what happens."

Why describe

what we did on the rug?

If it's enough to summarize that I kissed even her

shadow

and a little more.

[music]

Don't feel so alone, even if suffering

isn't the same.

My wife and my schedule

have opened an abyss.

How one suffers on both sides of the

social classes.

You suffer in your mansion.

I suffer in the slums.

She said to me, "Come with me,

so he knows I'm not alone."

She put her hair in a ponytail.

We went to the bar where he was.

We walked in, and exactly,

a girl was hugging him.

Look at how big fate is

and this city is small.

It was my wife.

[music]

What is a taxi driver doing

seducing life?

What is a taxi driver doing

building a wound?

What is a taxi driver doing when a

gentleman

coincides with his wife

in schedule and dedication?

I asked myself,

[singing]

[music]

since that night they play at

cheating on us.

They see each other in the same bar

and the blonde hails the taxi always at 10

in the same

place.

[Spanish]

Taxi.

[música]

[música]

[música]

[música]

Eran [música] las 10 de la noche,

piloteaba mi nave.

Era mi taxi, un [música] Volkswagen

del año 68.

Era [música] un día de esos malos donde

no hubo pasaje.

Las lentejuelas de [música] un traje

me hicieron la parada.

Era

una rubia [música] preciosa. Llevaba

minipalda.

El escote en su espalda [música]

llegaba justo a la gloria.

[música]

Una lágrima negra rodaba en su mejilla.

[música]

Mientras que el retrovisor decía, "Ve

que pantorrillas.

Yo vi un poco [música] más.

Eran las 10:40, [música] zigzagueaba en

Reforma.

Me dijo, me llamo Norma.

Mientras cruzaba la [música] pierna.

Saco un cigarro, [música] algo extraño

de esos que te dan risa.

Le ofrecí fuego de [música] prisa.

y me temblaba la mano. [música]

Le pregunté por quién llora y me dijo,

"Por un tipo [música]

que se cree que por rico

puede venir a engañarme. [música]

No caiga usted [música] por amores, debe

de levantarse", le dije.

[música] Cuente con [canto] un servidor

si lo que quiere es vengarse.

Y me sonrió. [música]

¿Qué es lo que hace [música] un taxista

seduciendo a la vida?

¿Qué es lo que hace un taxista

construyendo [música] una herida?

¿Qué es lo que hace un taxista enfrente

de una [música] dama?

¿Qué es lo que hace un taxista con sus

sueños de cama?

Me pregunté,

[música]

[música]

lo vi abrazando y besando a una humilde

muchacha. [música]

Es de clase muy sencilla.

Lo sé [música] por si falla.

me sonreía en el espejo y se sentaba de

lado.

Yo estaba idiotizado [música]

con el espejo empañado.

[música]

Me dijo, "Doble en la esquina, iremos

hasta mi casa. [música]

Después de un par de tequilas

veremos [música] qué es lo que pasa.

Para que describir [música]

lo que hicimos en la alfombra.

Si basta [música] con resumir que le

besé hasta la [canto] sombra

y un poco más. [música]

[música]

No se sienta usted tan sola. Sufraunque

no es lo mismo.

Mi mujer [música] y mi horario

han abierto un abismo. [música]

Cómo se sufre ambos lados de las clases

sociales. [música]

Usted sufre en su mansión.

Yo sufro en los arrabales.

Me dijo, "Vente [música][canto] conmigo,

que sepa no estoy sola."

Se hizo en el pelo una cola.

Fuimos al bar donde [música] estaba.

Entramos precisamente, [música]

la abrazaba una chica.

Mira si es grande [música] el destino y

esta ciudad es chica.

Era mi mujer. [música]

[música]

¿Qué es lo que hace un taxista

seduciendo a la vida?

¿Qué es lo que hace un taxista [música]

construyendo una herida?

¿Qué es lo que hace un taxista cuando un

caballero

coincide [música] con su mujer en

horario y esmero?

Me pregunté, [música]

[canto]

[música]

desde aquella noche ellos juegan a

engañarnos.

Se ven [música] en el mismo bar

y la rubia para el taxi siempre a las 10

en el mismo

lugar.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
piloteaba pi-lo-te-a-ba B2	verb - to pilot/drive
lentejuelas len-te-hue-las C1	noun - sequins
preciosa pre-cio-sa A2	adjective - beautiful/precious
escote es-co-te B1	noun - neckline/cleavage
retrovisor re-tro-vi-sor B2	noun - rearview mirror
pantorrillas pan-to-rri-llas B2	noun - calves (leg)
zigzagueaba zig-za-gue-a-ba C1	verb - to zigzag
vengarse ven-gar-se B2	verb - to take revenge
seduciendo se-du-cien-do B2	verb - seducing
herida he-ri-da A2	noun - wound/hurt
idiotizado i-dio-ti-za-do C1	adjective - stunned/dazed/gullible
empañado em-pa-ña-do B2	adjective - foggy/steamed up
alfombra al-fom-bra A2	noun - carpet
abismo a-bis-mo B2	noun - abyss/gulf
arrabales a-rra-ba-les C1	noun - outskirts/slums
destino des-ti-no A2	noun - destiny/fate
esmero es-me-ro C1	noun - care/diligence

Key Grammar Structures

• Eran las 10 de la noche, piloteaba mi nave.

  ➔ Imperfect tense (Pretérito Imperfecto)

  ➔ Used "Eran" and "piloteaba" to set the background scene in the past.

• Me dijo, me llamo Norma mientras cruzaba la pierna.

  ➔ Preterite vs. Imperfect

  ➔ "Dijo" is a completed action (Preterite), while "cruzaba" is a simultaneous action in progress (Imperfect).

• No caiga usted por amores, debe de levantarse.

  ➔ Formal imperative (Usted) and Periphrastic verb (Deber de + infinitive)

  ➔ "Caiga" is the subjunctive used as a formal command, and "debe de" indicates moral obligation.

• Cuente con un servidor si lo que quiere es vengarse.

  ➔ Conditional structure (Si clause)

  ➔ The "Si" clause presents a condition for the action "Cuente".

• Me dijo: "Doble en la esquina, iremos hasta mi casa."

  ➔ Future tense (Futuro próximo)

  ➔ "Iremos" indicates an action that will happen later.

• Para qué describir lo que hicimos en la alfombra.

  ➔ Preterite (Pretérito Indefinido)

  ➔ "Hicimos" refers to a completed action in the past.

• Mi mujer y mi horario han abierto un abismo.

  ➔ Present Perfect (Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto)

  ➔ "Han abierto" describes an action that started in the past and has relevance in the present.

• Se hizo en el pelo una cola.

  ➔ Reflexive verb (Verbo reflexivo)

  ➔ "Se hizo" indicates the subject is performing the action for herself.