Plástico – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Willie Colón, Ruben Blades
• Album: Siembra

Lyrics & Translation

[Spanish]

[English]

Ella era una chica plástica

She was a plastic girl

De esas que veo por ahí

One of those I see around

De esas que cuando se agitan

One of those that when they get excited

Sudan Chanel Number Three

Sweat Chanel Number Three

Que sueñan casarse con un doctor

Who dream of marrying a doctor

Pues él puede mantenerlas mejor

Because he can keep them better

No le hablan a nadie si no es su igual

They don't talk to anyone who isn't their equal

A menos que sea fulano de tal

Unless it's so-and-so

Son lindas, delgadas, de buen vestir

They are pretty, slim, well-dressed

De mirada esquiva y falso reír

With a shifty gaze and a fake laugh

...

...

Él era un muchacho plástico

He was a plastic boy

De esos que veo por ahí

One of those I see around

Con la peinilla en la mano

With the comb in his hand

Y cara de yo no fui

And an "I didn't do it" face

De los que por tema y conversación

One of those who, as a topic of conversation

Discuten qué marca de carro es mejor

Discuss which car brand is better

De los que prefieren el no comer

One of those who prefer not to eat

Por las apariencias que hay que tener

Because of the appearances they must keep up

P'andar elegantes y así poder

To walk around elegant and thus be able to

Una chica plástica recoger

Pick up a plastic girl

¡Qué fallo!

What a failure!

Era una pareja plástica

They were a plastic couple

De esas que veo por ahí

One of those I see around

Él pensado solo en dinero

He thinking only of money

Ella en la moda en París

She thinking of fashion in Paris

Aparentando lo que no son

Pretending to be what they are not

Viviendo en un mundo de pura ilusión

Living in a world of pure illusion

Diciendo a su hijo de cinco años

Saying to their five-year-old child

"No juegues con niños de color extraño"

"Don't play with children of strange color"

Ahogados en deudas para mantener

Drowning in debt to maintain

Su estatus social en boda o cóctel

Their social status at a wedding or cocktail party

¡Qué fallo!

What a failure!

Era una ciudad de plástico

It was a plastic city

De esas que no quiero ver

One of those I don't want to see

De edificios cancerosos

Of cancerous buildings

Y un corazón de oropel

And a tinsel heart

Donde en vez de un sol amanece un dólar

Where instead of a sun, a dollar dawns

Donde nadie ríe, donde nadie llora

Where nobody laughs, where nobody cries

Con gente de rostros de poliéster

With people with polyester faces

Que escuchan sin oír y miran sin ver

Who listen without hearing and look without seeing

Gente que vendió por comodidad

People who sold for comfort

Su razón de ser y su libertad

Their reason for being and their freedom

...

...

Oye, latino, oye, hermano, oye, amigo

Listen, Latino, listen, brother, listen, friend

Nunca vendas tu destino

Never sell your destiny

Por el oro ni la comodidad

For gold nor comfort

Nunca descanses, pues nos falta andar bastante

Never rest, because we have a long way to go

Vamos todos adelante

Let's all move forward

Para juntos terminar

To finish together

Con la ignorancia que nos trae sugestionados

With the ignorance that brings us under suggestion

Con modelos importados que no son la solución

With imported models that are not the solution

No te dejes confundir, busca el fondo y su razón

Don't be confused, look for the bottom and its reason

Recuerda se ven las caras, pero nunca el corazón

Remember faces are seen, but never the heart

No te dejes confundir, busca el fondo y su razón

Don't be confused, look for the bottom and its reason

Recuerda se ven las caras, pero nunca el corazón

Remember faces are seen, but never the heart

Recuerda se ven las caras y jamás el corazón

Remember faces are seen and never the heart

(Se ven las caras, se ven las caras, ¡vaya! Pero nunca el corazón)

(Faces are seen, faces are seen, wow! But never the heart)

Del polvo venimos todos y allí regresaremos

From dust we all come and there we will return

Como dice la canción

As the song says

(Se ven las caras, se ven las caras, ¡vaya! Pero nunca el corazón)

(Faces are seen, faces are seen, wow! But never the heart)

Recuerda que el plástico se derrite

Remember that plastic melts

Si le da de lleno el sol

If the sun shines on it directly

(Se ven las caras, se ven las caras, ¡vaya! Pero nunca el corazón)

(Faces are seen, faces are seen, wow! But never the heart)

...

...

Dubi-dubi-dubi-rubi

Dubi-dubi-dubi-rubi

Dubi-dubi-dubi-rubi

Dubi-dubi-dubi-rubi

(Se ven las caras, se ven las caras, ¡vaya! Pero nunca el corazón)

(Faces are seen, faces are seen, wow! But never the heart)

Estudia, trabaja y sé gente primero

Study, work, and be people first

Allí está la salvación

Therein lies salvation

(Se ven las caras, se ven las caras, ¡vaya! Pero nunca el corazón)

(Faces are seen, faces are seen, wow! But never the heart)

Pero que mira, mira, no te dejes confundir

But look, look, don't be confused

Busca el fondo y su razón

Look for the bottom and its reason

(Se ven las caras, se ven las caras, ¡vaya! Pero nunca el corazón)

(Faces are seen, faces are seen, wow! But never the heart)

P'alante, p'alante, p'alante, p'alante, p'alante y así seguiremos unidos

Forward, forward, forward, forward, forward, and so we will continue united

Y al final venceremos

And in the end we will win

(Se ven las caras, se ven las caras, ¡vaya! Pero nunca el corazón)

(Faces are seen, faces are seen, wow! But never the heart)

Pero señoras y señores

But ladies and gentlemen

(Se ven las caras) en medio del plástico también se ven las caras de esperanza

(Faces are seen) in the middle of the plastic, faces of hope are also seen

(Se ven las caras) se ven las caras orgullosas que trabajan por una Latinoamérica unida

(Faces are seen) faces of pride are seen that work for a united Latin America

(Se ven las caras) y por un mañana de esperanza y de libertad

(Faces are seen) and for a tomorrow of hope and freedom

(Se ven las caras)

(Faces are seen)

Se ven las caras de trabajo y de sudor (se ven las caras)

Faces of work and sweat are seen (faces are seen)

De gente de carne y hueso que no se vendió (se ven las caras)

Of people of flesh and blood who have not sold out (faces are seen)

De gente trabajando, buscando el nuevo camino (se ven las caras)

Of people working, looking for the new path (faces are seen)

Orgullosa de su herencia y de ser latino (se ven las caras)

Proud of their heritage and of being Latino (faces are seen)

De una raza unida, la que Bolívar soñó (se ven las caras)

Of a united race, the one Bolívar dreamed of (faces are seen)

¡Siembra!

Sow!

Panamá (¡presente!)

Panama (present!)

Puerto Rico (¡presente!)

Puerto Rico (present!)

México (¡presente!)

Mexico (present!)

Venezuela (¡presente!)

Venezuela (present!)

Perú (¡presente!)

Peru (present!)

República Dominicana (¡presente!)

Dominican Republic (present!)

Cuba (¡presente!)

Cuba (present!)

Costa Rica (¡presente!)

Costa Rica (present!)

Colombia (¡presente!)

Colombia (present!)

Honduras (¡presente!)

Honduras (present!)

Ecuador (¡presente!)

Ecuador (present!)

Bolivia (¡presente!)

Bolivia (present!)

Argentina (¡presente!)

Argentina (present!)

Nicaragua sin Somoza (¡presente!)

Nicaragua without Somoza (present!)

El barrio (¡presente!)

The neighborhood (present!)

La esquina (¡presente!)

The corner (present!)

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
plástico /ˈplastiko/ B1	noun - plastic adjective - artificial, superficial
sueñan /ˈsweɲan/ B1	verb - dream
mantener /man.teˈneɾ/ B2	verb - maintain, support
lindas /ˈlindas/ A2	adjective - pretty, beautiful
delgadas /delˈɡaðas/ A2	adjective - thin, slim
vestir /besˈtiɾ/ A2	verb - to dress, to wear
mirada /miˈɾaða/ B1	noun - look, gaze
falso /ˈfalso/ A2	adjective - false
peinilla /peiˈniʎa/ B2	noun - small comb
apariencias /apaˈɾjenθjas/ B2	noun - appearances
dinero /diˈneɾo/ A1	noun - money
moda /ˈmoða/ A2	noun - fashion
mundo /ˈmundo/ A1	noun - world
ilusión /iluˈsjon/ B1	noun - illusion
ciudad /θjuˈðað/ A1	noun - city
corazón /ko.ɾaˈθon/ A1	noun - heart

Key Grammar Structures

• Ella era una chica plástica

  ➔ Imperfect tense (era) to describe characteristics in the past.

  ➔ The use of the imperfect tense, 'era,' indicates a continuous or habitual state in the past, describing the girl's enduring characteristic as being a 'plastic' girl.

• De esas que cuando se agitan Sudan Chanel Number Three

  ➔ Relative clauses with 'que' and reflexive verbs (se agitan)

  ➔ 'De esas que...' introduces a relative clause defining the type of girl. 'Se agitan' is a reflexive verb meaning 'they stir/shake themselves', emphasizing their artificiality.

• Que sueñan casarse con un doctor Pues él puede mantenerlas mejor

  ➔ Subjunctive mood (sueñan) expressing desires and ability (puede). 'Pues' as a causal conjunction.

  ➔ 'Sueñan' is in the present subjunctive, expressing a general desire or dream. 'Pues' connects the dream to the doctor's financial ability. 'Mejor' is an adverb of comparison

• Aparentando lo que no son Viviendo en un mundo de pura ilusión

  ➔ Gerund phrases (Aparentando, Viviendo) to describe simultaneous actions.

  ➔ Both 'Aparentando' and 'Viviendo' use the gerund to describe how the couple live - by pretending and living in illusion simultaneously.

• Diciendo a su hijo de cinco años "No juegues con niños de color extraño"

  ➔ Imperative mood (No juegues) for giving commands and indirect speech with quotation marks.

  ➔ 'No juegues' is a negative command in the imperative mood, showing the parents' discriminatory attitude. Direct speech enclosed in quotation marks shows the exact words spoken.

• Donde en vez de un sol amanece un dólar

  ➔ Use of 'en vez de' to express substitution.

  ➔ 'En vez de' indicates that instead of a sun, a dollar dawns, highlighting the city's materialistic values.

• Nunca vendas tu destino

  ➔ Negative imperative (vendas) with possessive adjective (tu)

  ➔ 'Nunca vendas' is a negative command in the subjunctive, urging listeners not to sell their destiny. 'Tu destino' uses a possessive adjective to emphasize personal ownership.

• Recuerda se ven las caras, pero nunca el corazón

  ➔ Impersonal 'se' (se ven) and contrastive conjunction 'pero'.

  ➔ 'Se ven las caras' uses the impersonal 'se' to mean 'faces are seen' or 'appearances are visible.' 'Pero' contrasts this with the deeper, unseen aspect: the heart.