Mandolay – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: La Flavour

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the world of late '70s disco through La Flavour's hit "Mandolay." This song offers a great opportunity to learn descriptive English vocabulary related to atmosphere, attraction, and mystique. The narrative lyrics paint a vivid picture, making it a fun and engaging way to improve your language skills while enjoying a disco classic.

[English]

Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

There's a Spanish disco in a town not far from France

Known throughout the continent where people love to dance

There's a dark-skinned lady there

Whose legs have brought her fame

She dances in the center ring, and the people call her name

Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

All the men they know her

Or at least they think they do (ha!)

She knows she can have them all

She thinks all men are fools

So she winks and smiles at them, and brings them to their knees

Leaves them with their fantasies, but the people never see

Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Oh, she can make men happy

But she'll never let them know

Mandolay, she's much too cool to let her feelings show

So she'll tease them with her moves

Confuse them with her mind

Make love to every one of them

But only with her eyes

Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

...

[Spanish]

Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

There's a Spanish disco in a town not far from France

Known throughout the continent where people love to dance

There's a dark-skinned lady there

Whose legs have brought her fame

She dances in the center ring, and the people call her name

Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

All the men they know her

Or at least they think they do (ha!)

She knows she can have them all

She thinks all men are fools

So she winks and smiles at them, and brings them to their knees

Leaves them with their fantasies, but the people never see

Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Oh, she can make men happy

But she'll never let them know

Mandolay, she's much too cool to let her feelings show

So she'll tease them with her moves

Confuse them with her mind

Make love to everyone of them

But only with her eyes

Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Say hey

Say Mandolay

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - to move rhythmically to music noun - a rhythmic movement to music
town /taʊn/ A1	noun - a populated place, smaller than a city
people /ˈpiːpl/ A1	noun - human beings in general or considered collectively
legs /lɛɡz/ A1	noun - each of the limbs on which a person or animal moves and stands
name /neɪm/ A1	noun - a word or words by which someone or something is known verb - give a name to
dark-skinned /ˌdɑːrkˈskɪnd/ B1	adjective - having a relatively dark skin color
fame /feɪm/ B2	noun - the state of being known or talked about by many people
center /ˈsentər/ A2	noun - the point equally distant from all points on the edge of something
ring /rɪŋ/ A2	noun - a circular band, typically made of precious metal and worn as jewellery noun - an enclosed area, typically circular, for sports events
men /men/ A1	noun - plural of man
fools /fuːlz/ B2	noun - a person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a silly person
knees /niːz/ A1	noun - the joint between the thigh and the lower leg in humans
fantasies /ˈfæntəsiz/ B2	noun - the faculty or activity of imagining things, especially things that are impossible or improbable.
happy /ˈhapi/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing pleasure or contentment
feelings /ˈfiːlɪŋz/ A2	noun - an emotional state or reaction
cool /kuːl/ A2	adjective - fashionably attractive or impressive
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - feel deep affection for (someone)

Key Grammar Structures

• There's a Spanish disco in a town not far from France

  ➔ Existential 'there is/are'

  ➔ Uses "There's" (There is) to introduce the existence of something. It highlights that "a Spanish disco" exists in relation to "a town not far from France".

• Known throughout the continent where people love to dance

  ➔ Relative Clause ('where')

  ➔ Uses a relative clause introduced by "where" to provide additional information about the continent. "Where" indicates a place, adding context that the continent is a place where people love to dance.

• Whose legs have brought her fame

  ➔ Relative Pronoun ('whose') indicating possession

  ➔ "Whose" shows possession; the fame belongs to her legs. It's a formal way to connect the legs to the fame.

• All the men they know her / Or at least they think they do

  ➔ Ellipsis (omission of words) / Subjunctive Mood (implied)

  ➔ In "All the men they know her," the word "think" is implied, creating an ellipsis. "Or at least they think they do" contains a hint of the subjunctive mood – it implies doubt about whether they *really* know her.

• She knows she can have them all

  ➔ Modal Verb ('can') for ability/possibility

  ➔ "Can" here indicates her ability to attract and have all the men she desires. It expresses a sense of power or control.

• She thinks all men are fools

  ➔ Present Simple Tense for General Truth

  ➔ The sentence uses the present simple tense to express a general truth or belief that she holds about all men.

• So she winks and smiles at them, and brings them to their knees

  ➔ Present Simple Tense for habitual actions, coordination with 'and'

  ➔ The present simple describes her habitual actions. "And" coordinates the verbs "winks", "smiles" and "brings" to show a sequence of actions.

• But she'll never let them know

  ➔ Future Simple with 'will' + Negative Adverb ('never')

  ➔ "Will" expresses a future action, and "never" emphasizes that this action will not occur at any point in the future.