La china – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Porter

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a captivating journey with Porter's "La China," a song rich with Mexican heritage and spiritual depth. Learning Spanish through this track offers a unique gateway to understanding profound cultural symbolism, poetic lyricism, and the band's innovative fusion of alternative rock with traditional sounds. Its ethereal atmosphere and evocative imagery make it a special piece for anyone looking to connect with the soul of Mexican music and language.

[English]

They say she went to search in the Navel of the Moon

That it would last thirteen times twenty

That when they see the bird on the cactus

They should all shout, "We’ve arrived in the land of Aztlán!"

They should all shout, "We’ve arrived in the land of Aztlán!"

They only wait to see themselves in that place

To embrace the dream and return

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

She taught me to wait

To let go at night

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

And every night, she’ll be flying

To speak with you without saying a word

Without saying a word

Without saying a word

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

Astral beings

United one to another

Only the sky saw it

And the planets

And every night

You sang to me

Your beautiful melodies

Your beautiful melodies, ah

Ah, ah, ah

Ah, ah, ah

Ah, ah, ah

Ah, ah, ah

...

[Spanish]

Dicen que se fue a buscar en el Ombligo de la Luna

Que trece veces veinte iba a durar

Que cuando vean el ave en el nopal

Que griten todos, "¡Ya llegamos a la tierra de Aztlán!"

Que griten todos, "¡Ya llegamos a la tierra de Aztlán!"

Solo esperan verse en el lugar

Abrazar el sueño y regresar

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

Me enseñó a esperar

Desprendernos de noche

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

Y cada noche, volando estará

Hablar contigo sin emitir palabra

Sin emitir palabra

Sin emitir palabra

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

Seres astrales

Unidos uno al otro

Solo lo vio el cielo

Y los planetas

Y cada noche

Tú me cantabas

Tus bellas melodías

Tus bellas melodías, ah

Ah, ah, ah

Ah, ah, ah

Ah, ah, ah

Ah, ah, ah

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ombligo ombligo A2	noun - navel; belly button
luna luna A1	noun - moon
aztlán aztlán B2	noun (proper) - Aztlán, the legendary ancestral homeland of the Aztec peoples.
tierra tierra A1	noun - earth; ground; land
sueño sueño A2	noun - dream (sleep) / dream (wish)
regresar regresar B1	verb - to return, to go back
mexhi mexhi C1	noun (proper/neo‑lexical) - A coined term used by the artist; specific meaning defined by context.
nopal nopal B1	noun - prickly pear cactus; nopales (edible pads)
ave ave A1	noun - bird
astrales astrales B2	adjective - astral; relating to the stars or outer space
unidos unidos B1	adjective (past participle) - united; joined together
cantar cantar B1	verb - to sing
melodía melodía B1	noun - melody; a musical tune
noche noche A1	noun - night
volar volar A2	verb - to fly
esperar esperar A2	verb - to wait; to hope for
abrazar abrazar B1	verb - to hug; to embrace
palabra palabra A1	noun - word
planeta planeta B1	noun - planet
cielo cielo A1	noun - sky; heaven

Key Grammar Structures

• Dicen que se fue a buscar en el Ombligo de la Luna

  ➔ Impersonal 'se' construction + Preterite

  ➔ The 'se' construction creates an impersonal statement – 'They say that she went...' rather than specifying *who* says it. The verb 'fue' is in the preterite, indicating a completed action in the past. The phrase 'Ombligo de la Luna' is a metaphorical location.

• Que trece veces veinte iba a durar

  ➔ Imperfect Subjunctive + Periphrastic Future

  ➔ This sentence uses the imperfect subjunctive ('iba a durar') to express a future action that was expected or planned. It's a periphrastic future – 'was going to last'.

• Que griten todos, "¡Ya llegamos a la tierra de Aztlán!"

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood + Imperative

  ➔ The 'que griten' uses the subjunctive mood to express a wish or command. 'Todos' is a pronoun reinforcing the imperative 'gritos'. The exclamation is a direct address.

• Mexhi, mexhi, mexhi, mexhicana

  ➔ Repetition for emphasis + Adjective following noun

  ➔ The repetition of 'Mexhi' creates a rhythmic and emphatic effect. 'Mexhicana' is an adjective describing a feminine entity, and in Spanish, adjectives often follow the noun they modify.