Catalina – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Rosalía, Raül Refree
• Album: LOS ÁNGELES

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw emotion of the Spanish language through 'Catalina.' This song is a perfect gateway to learning 'cante jondo,' offering a glimpse into the poetic intensity and phonetic depth of traditional Andalusian expression.

[English]

Get out of my sight, you're torturing me

Get out of my sight, you're torturing me

Because you're bringing back memories I was forgetting

Because you're bringing back memories I was forgetting

Put your hand here, Catalina

Put your hand here

Put your hand here, it's so cold

Look, I think I'm going to die

...

The girl I had went to Germany and hasn't come back

The girl I had went to Germany and hasn't come back

I'm going to Germany, and not for fun

To take a poison, for I want to die

Put your hand here, it's so cold

Put your hand here, my Catalina

Look, I think I'm going to die

Put your hand here, it's so cold

Put your hand here, my Catalina

Look, I think I'm going to die

Look, I think I'm going to die

Look, I think I'm going to die

Look, I think I'm going to die

Little hand of my heart

You know well enough that I am dying

And I beg you and entrust you

To call a notary

And also my first cousin

I'd like to make a will

Like those non-gypsies with substance

Write me down, Mr. Notary

Write me down a curtain

For every hole, a neighbor could fit

Write me down, Mr. Notary

Write me down a broken painting

Since even God knows not what saint it once was

Write me down, Mr. Notary

Write me down, Mr. Notary

Write me down an olive grove

That I've never sown and never will

Write me down, Mr. Notary

Write me down a shotgun

That no longer has a barrel or a ramrod

Write me down, Mr. Notary

...

[Spanish]

Quítate de mi presencia que me estás martirizando

Quítate de mi presencia que me estás martirizando

Que a la memoria me traes cosas que estaba olvidando

Que a la memoria me traes cosas que estaba olvidando

Ponme la mano aquí, Catalina

Ponme la mano aquí

Ponme la mano aquí que la tienes fría

Mira que me voy a morir

La china que tenía se fue a Alemania y no ha volvi'o

La china que tenía se fue a Alemania y no ha volvi'o

Yo a Alemania me voy y no a divertirme

A tomar un veneno, yo quiero morirme

Ponme la mano aquí que la tienes fría

Ponme la mano aquí, Catalina mía

Mira que me voy a morir

Ponme la mano aquí que la tienes fría

Ponme la mano aquí, Catalina mía

Mira que me voy a morir

Mira que me voy a morir

Mira que me voy a morir

Mira que me voy a morir

'Manito de mi corazón

Que bien tú sabrás que me estoy muriendo

Y te pi'o y te encomiendo

Que llames a un escribano

También a mi primo hermano

Quisiera hacer testamento

Como esos payos con fundamento

Apúnteme usted, señor escribano

Apúnteme usted una cortina

Que en por cada agujero cabe una vecina

Apúnteme usted, señor escribano

Apúnteme un cuadro rompi'o

Que ya ni Dios sabe del santo que ha sido

Apúnteme usted, señor escribano

Apúnteme usted, señor escribano

Apúnteme usted un olivar

Que nunca ha sembrado ni que sembrará

Apúnteme usted, señor escribano

Apúnteme usted una escopeta

Que no tiene ya ni cañón ni baqueta

Apúnteme usted, señor escribano

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
presencia pre-SEN-thya B2	noun - presence
martirizando mar-ti-ri-THAN-do C2	verb - tormenting
memoria me-MO-rya A2	noun - memory
olvidando ol-vi-THAN-do A2	verb - forgetting
fría FRYA A1	adjective - cold
morir mo-RIR A1	verb - to die
divertirse di-ver-TIR-se A2	verb - to have fun
veneno be-NE-no B1	noun - poison
escribano es-kri-BA-no C2	noun - notary/clerk
testamento tes-ta-MEN-to B2	noun - will/testament
fundamento fun-da-MEN-to B2	noun - foundation/basis/reason
cortina kor-TI-na A2	noun - curtain
agujero a-gu-HE-ro A2	noun - hole
vecina be-THI-na A1	noun - neighbor
olivar o-li-BAR C1	noun - olive grove
sembrado sem-BRA-do B1	verb - sown/planted
escopeta es-ko-PE-ta B2	noun - shotgun

Key Grammar Structures

• Quítate de mi presencia que me estás martirizando

  ➔ Imperative + Present Progressive

  ➔ The "tú" form imperative "quítate" is used for emphasis, followed by "estás martirizando" to show an ongoing, painful action.

• Que a la memoria me traes cosas que estaba olvidando

  ➔ Imperfect indicative for background actions

  ➔ The use of "estaba olvidando" (imperfect) describes a process that was happening in the past before being interrupted by the memory.

• Mira que me voy a morir

  ➔ Periphrastic future (ir a + infinitive)

  ➔ "Voy a morir" expresses an imminent future or a strong certainty about a future state.

• La china que tenía se fue a Alemania y no ha volvi'o

  ➔ Present Perfect (Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto)

  ➔ "No ha volvi'o" (ha vuelto) indicates an action that started in the past and has relevance to the present.

• 'Manito de mi corazón / Que bien tú sabrás que me estoy muriendo

  ➔ Future as probability/conjecture

  ➔ "Tú sabrás" here is not referring to the future, but rather expressing a conjecture: "you surely know".

• Y te pi'o y te encomiendo / Que llames a un escribano

  ➔ Subjunctive mood (Present)

  ➔ After verbs of request like "pedir" (pi'o) or "encomendar", the subjunctive "llames" is required for the dependent clause.

• Que en por cada agujero cabe una vecina

  ➔ Verb 'caber' (to fit)

  ➔ The verb "caber" is irregular in the first person present ("quepo"), here used in the third person "cabe" meaning a neighbor fits in the hole.