Sonero Mayor – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe
• Album: Cosa Nuestra

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vibrant world of Spanish through 'Sonero Mayor'! This track is perfect for learners looking to master rhythmic vocabulary and understand the art of spontaneous expression. Its infectious energy and call-and-response structure make it a special gateway to experiencing the soul of Latin American salsa culture.

[English]

To all the critics

Who want to criticize me

...

The sonero has arrived

...

To every single one of you

Now I'm going to dedicate

My song and my improvisation

I am a sonero, the greatest sonero

...

Ae ae, good rumbero, watch out now that the sonero has arrived

...

And come, come, I say it so you can dance

Hey, little rumbero from Pueblo Nuevo, the sonero has arrived

Hey, come, come, come on, dance it, move it, let it flow

Damn!

...

Two soneros, here comes the sonero

Ae, ae, good rumbero, and come, come, I'm dying to dance

...

The sonero doesn't play around, he swears it to you

So that you dance, gentleman, come on, I'm dying for this rumba

Sonero, here comes the sonero

I'll sing to you plenty, and if I have to, I'll sing to you in Hong Kong too

...

Here comes the sonero

Here comes the sonero

...

Here comes the sonero

Ae, ae, good rumbero

Here comes the sonero

Damn!

...

Here comes the sonero

Ae, ae, good rumbero

And come, come, I'm getting desperate

Oh, I love the sound of those drums

Here comes the sonero

Ae, ae, ae, ae, ea

Here comes the sonero

Hey, give me a beat on the cajon, that's good, man!

Here comes the sonero

Sonero, sonero, sonero

...

Oh, little sonero, oh, great sonero

...

[Spanish]

A todos los criticones

Que me quieran criticar

Llegó el sonero

A todos y a cada uno

Ahora voy a dedicar

Mi canto y soneo

Soy sonero, sonero mayor

Ae ae rumbero bueno cuida'o ahora que a llegado el sonero

Y ven y ven lo digo yo para que baile

Hay rumberito de pueblo nuevo he a llegado el sonero

Hay ven ven ven bailalo caminalo la cuelalo

Diablo

Dos sonero aquí llego el sonero

Ae, ae, rumbero bueno y ven, y ven me muero

El sonero no se vacuna el te lo jura

Para que baile caballero ven ven la rumba me muero

Sonero, aqui llegò el sonero

Que yo te canto por monton y si me toca también te canto en hon Kong

Aqui llego el sonero

Aqui llego el sonero

Aqui llego el sonero

Ae, ae, rumbero bueno

Aqui llego el sonero

Diablo

Aqui llego el sonero

Ae, ae, rumbero bueno

Y Ven ven que me desespero

Hay me gustan hay los cueros

Aqui llego el sonero

Ae, ae, ae, ae, ea

Aqui llego el sonero

Hay dame un golpe de cajon que bueno camaraa

Aqui llego el sonero

Sonero, sonero, sonero

Ay sonerito, ay soneraso

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
criticones kɾitiˈkones B2	noun - people who are overly critical or fault-finding
sonero soˈneɾo C2	noun - a singer of son music, especially one who improvises
dedicar dediˈkaɾ B1	verb - to address or offer something to someone
rumbero rumˈbeɾo B2	noun - a person who enjoys rumba and dancing
canto ˈkanto A1	noun - singing or a song
baile ˈbaile A1	verb - to dance
diablo ˈdjaβlo A2	noun - devil; also used as an exclamation
vacuna baˈkuna B1	verb - to vaccinate
jura ˈxuɾa B2	verb - to swear or vow
caballero kaβaˈʝeɾo A2	noun - gentleman
desespero desesˈpeɾo B2	verb - to lose hope or become desperate
cueros ˈkweɾos B2	noun - skins (used to refer to drum skins)
golpe ˈgolpe A2	noun - hit, strike, or beat
cajon kaˈxon B1	noun - cajon (percussion instrument)
camara kaˈmaɾa B1	noun - friend/pal (slang, derived from 'camarada')

Key Grammar Structures

• A todos los criticones que me quieran criticar

  ➔ Subjunctive mood (queran)

  ➔ The subjunctive "queran" is used because it refers to hypothetical critics who haven't necessarily criticized yet.

• Ahora voy a dedicar / Mi canto y soneo

  ➔ Periphrastic future (Ir + a + infinitive)

  ➔ The structure "voy a dedicar" indicates an action the speaker is about to perform immediately.

• cuida'o ahora que a llegado el sonero

  ➔ Present perfect (ha llegado)

  ➔ The colloquial usage of "a llegado" (ha llegado) indicates an action that just occurred.

• Y ven y ven lo digo yo para que baile

  ➔ Imperative (ven) and Subjunctive purpose (para que baile)

  ➔ "Ven" is the command form of venir, while "para que baile" triggers the subjunctive after "para que".

• si me toca también te canto en hon Kong

  ➔ First conditional (si + presente + presente/futuro)

  ➔ This indicates a real condition: if the situation "me toca" (it's my turn) happens, the action follows.

• Que yo te canto por monton

  ➔ Direct object pronoun (te)

  ➔ "Te" refers to the person being sung to.

• me gustan hay los cueros

  ➔ Verb 'Gustar' with plural subject

  ➔ Since "los cueros" is plural, the verb is "gustan" instead of "gusta".

• Ay sonerito, ay soneraso

  ➔ Diminutive (-ito) and Augmentative (-aso) suffixes

  ➔ -ito adds a sense of affection or smallness, while -aso adds a sense of greatness or intensity.