Asi Se Habla – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Babasonicos
• Album: Anoche

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the biting social commentary of Babasonicos' "Así Se Habla." Learning this song provides insight into Argentine rock's tradition of direct critique, using vivid, colloquial Spanish to express widespread frustration with social, religious, and economic structures. Its raw energy and complex wordplay make it a special piece for understanding contemporary Latin American cultural dialogue.

[English]

It could be your Christian education

You see ghosts everywhere

It could be your social aversion

What keeps you away from bars

Come on, I want an explanation

Come on, I want an explanation

Come on, I want an explanation

Come on, I want an explanation

It could be your racial condition

Or your place of privilege

It must be work, damn it

To earn like an idiot

Come on, I want an explanation

Come on, I want an explanation

Come on, I want an explanation

Come on, I want an explanation

Maybe my health insurance

Doesn't protect me from anger

Maybe they misunderstood me

I won't swallow the nonsense

Come on, I want an explanation

Come on, I want an explanation

Come on, I want an explanation

Come on, I want an explanation

I want an explanation

I want an explanation

I want an explanation

I want an explanation

...

[Spanish]

Será tu educación cristiana

Ves fantasma' en todas partes

Será tu aversión social

Lo que te aleja de los bares

Vamos, quiero una explicación

Vamos, quiero una explicación

Vamos, quiero una explicación

Vamos, quiero una explicación

Será tu condición racial

O tu lugar de privilegio

Será, trabajar cabrón

Para ganar como un pendejo

Vamos, quiero una explicación

Vamos, quiero una explicación

Vamos, quiero una explicación

Vamos, quiero una explicación

Será que mi obra social

No me protege de la rabia

Será que me cogieron mal

Que no me trago la charada

Vamos, quiero una explicación

Vamos, quiero una explicación

Vamos, quiero una explicación

Vamos, quiero una explicación

Quiero una explicación

Quiero una explicación

Quiero una explicación

Quiero una explicación

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
educación /eðukaˈsjon/ B1	noun - education
cristiana /kɾisˈtjana/ B1	adjective - Christian (feminine)
fantasma /fanˈtasma/ A2	noun - ghost; phantom
aversión /aβerˈsjon/ B2	noun - aversion; strong dislike
alejar /aˈlexaɾ/ B1	verb - to distance; to keep away
bares /ˈbaɾes/ A2	noun - bars (places that serve drinks)
condición /kondiˈsjon/ B2	noun - condition; situation
racial /raˈsjal/ B2	adjective - racial
privilegio /pɾiβiˈlexio/ C1	noun - privilege; special right
trabajar /tɾaβaˈxaɾ/ A1	verb - to work
ganar /ɡaˈnaɾ/ A1	verb - to win; to earn
pendejo /penˈdexo/ C2	noun - idiot; fool (vulgar)
obra /ˈoβɾa/ B1	noun - work; piece (of art, construction, etc.)
proteger /pɾo.teˈxeɾ/ B1	verb - to protect
rabia /ˈraβja/ A2	noun - anger; rage
coger /koˈxeɾ/ B1	verb - to grab; to catch
tragar /tɾaˈɣaɾ/ B1	verb - to swallow
charada /tʃaˈɾaða/ B2	noun - charade; pretence
explicación /eksplikaˈsjon/ B1	noun - explanation

Key Grammar Structures

• [translate:Será tu educación cristiana]

  ➔ Future tense with 'ser' used for speculation

  ➔ The form 'Será' indicates a guess—something like 'Maybe it’s your Christian upbringing.'

• [translate:Ves fantasmas en todas partes]

  ➔ Present tense of 'ver' used for habitual perception

  ➔ The verb 'Ves' shows a repeated pattern—‘You see ghosts everywhere.’

• [translate:Lo que te aleja de los bares]

  ➔ Relative clause using 'Lo que'

  ➔ ‘Lo que’ means ‘what’ or ‘that which,’ introducing the clause as the subject of discussion.

• [translate:Vamos, quiero una explicación]

  ➔ Imperative ‘Vamos’ used to urge action

  ➔ ‘Vamos’ literally means ‘Let’s go,’ but here it functions like ‘Come on!’

• [translate:Será tu condición racial]

  ➔ Future tense speculation again

  ➔ ‘Será’ again gives a tone of uncertain reasoning: ‘Maybe it’s your racial condition.’

• [translate:Será trabajar cabrón]

  ➔ Infinitive after future tense verb used metaphorically

  ➔ ‘Será trabajar cabrón’ loosely means ‘Maybe it’s working hard,’ where ‘trabajar’ is the noun-like infinitive.

• [translate:Para ganar como un pendejo]

  ➔ Purpose clause with 'para' + infinitive

  ➔ ‘Para ganar’ means ‘in order to earn,’ showing the purpose of working hard.

• [translate:Será que me cogieron mal]

  ➔ ‘Será que’ used to express uncertainty or rhetorical question

  ➔ ‘Será que me cogieron mal’ means ‘Could it be they caught me wrong?,’ a rhetorical doubt.

• [translate:Que no me trago la charada]

  ➔ Negative reflexive construction with ‘tragarse’

  ➔ ‘No me trago’ literally means ‘I don’t swallow,’ here meaning ‘I don’t buy the lie.’