Las 4 Camionetas – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Beto Quintanilla

Lyrics & Translation

[Spanish]

[English]

1980 es el año que acontece

1980 is the year that happens

La judicial federal

The federal police

Con Roberto se aparece

Appears with Roberto

Sabemos que mueves yerba con tus tíos y tu jefe

We know you move grass with your uncles and your boss

Roberto les contestó

Roberto replied to them

"La mota ni la conozco"

"I don't even know what marijuana is"

Por la familia Gonzales

For the Gonzales family

Por cada uno yo respondo

I take responsibility for each one

Si un soplon nos tiene envidia

If a snitch envies us

¿Por qué no le sale al toro?

Why doesn't he face the bull?

Se presentó Luis Gonzales

Luis Gonzales showed up

A hablar con el comandante

To talk to the commander

Yo les doy medio millón

I’ll give you half a million

Pa que a Beto bien lo traten

So that Beto is treated well

Somos hombres de negocios

We are business men

No hemos sido traficantes

We have not been traffickers

Le contestó el federal

The federal replied

"Dóbleme la cantidad"

"Double the amount for me"

Deme 50 mil dólar

Give me 50 thousand dollars

Pa dejarlo en libertad

To set him free

Y las cuatro camionetas

And the four trucks

O se queda como está

Or he stays as he is

Llegó una orden de arriba

An order came from above

Al penal de Matamoros

To the prison in Matamoros

Que soltaran a Roberto

To release Roberto

Que les devolvieran todo

To return everything to them

Decían los federales

The federals said

"Se nos desamarró el toro"

"The bull got loose on us"

Contra todos los Gonzales

Against all the Gonzales

Había orden de aprehensión

There was an arrest warrant

Pero no fueron por ellos

But they didn't go for them

Por faltarles decisión

For lacking the resolve

Sabían que para aprehenderlos

They knew that to apprehend them

Habría clientes pa'l panteón

There would be clients for the cemetery

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
camionetas /kamjoneˈtas/ A2	noun - vans or trucks
federal /ˈfɛdərəl/ B1	adjective - relating to a system of government in which several states form a unity but remain independent in internal affairs
negocios /neˈɡoθjos/ A2	noun - businesses or affairs
traficantes /tɾafiˈkantes/ B2	noun - traffickers
orden /ˈoɾðen/ A2	noun - order or command
libertad /liβeɾˈtað/ B1	noun - freedom or liberty
familia /faˈmilja/ A1	noun - family
soplon /soˈplon/ B2	noun - informer or snitch
cantidad /kanˈtidad/ B1	noun - quantity or amount
clientes /kliˈentes/ A2	noun - clients or customers
aprehensión /apɾeˈhensjon/ B2	noun - apprehension or arrest
decisión /deθiˈsjon/ B1	noun - decision
mota /ˈmota/ B2	noun - marijuana
tío /ˈtio/ A1	noun - uncle
jefe /ˈxe.fe/ A2	noun - boss or chief
toro /ˈtoɾo/ A2	noun - bull

Key Grammar Structures

• La judicial federal

  ➔ Use of the definite article 'la' + noun to specify a particular entity.

  ➔ 'La' is the feminine singular definite article used before feminine nouns to specify particular entities.

• Sabemos que mueves yerba con tus tíos y tu jefe

  ➔ Use of the present indicative tense 'sabemos' (we know) + subordinate clause with present tense.

  ➔ 'Sabemos' is the first person plural form of 'saber' (to know) in the present tense, used here to indicate knowledge of an ongoing situation.

• Por la familia Gonzales

  ➔ Use of 'por' + noun phrase to indicate 'for' or 'on behalf of'.

  ➔ 'Por' is a preposition commonly used to express motivation, cause, or in this case, to indicate for whom or on behalf of whom an action is performed.

• Se presentó Luis Gonzales

  ➔ Use of reflexive verb 'se presentó' (he/she/it appeared/presented themselves) in the simple past tense.

  ➔ 'Se presentó' is a reflexive construction in the preterite tense, meaning 'he/she/they appeared' or 'introduced themselves'.

• Le contestó el federal

  ➔ Use of indirect object pronoun 'le' + past tense of 'contestar' (to answer).

  ➔ 'Le' is an indirect object pronoun meaning 'to him/her/you', and 'contestó' is the third person singular past tense of 'contestar' (answered).

• Decían los federales

  ➔ Use of the imperfect tense 'decían' (they were saying /used to say).

  ➔ 'Decían' is the third person plural imperfect tense of 'decir' (to say), used to describe ongoing or repeated past actions.

• Habría clientes pa'l panteón

  ➔ Use of the conditional perfect 'habría' + noun phrase to express hypothetical situations or future-in-the-past possibility.

  ➔ 'Habría' is the conditional tense of 'haber' used to indicate hypothetical scenarios or actions that would occur under certain conditions.