Lila Downs
Ofrenda lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 1994
- Genre
- Cumbia
- Length
- 3:10
Entre las nubes del cielo
Among the clouds in the sky
Hay un lugar escondido
There's a hidden place
Es el valor de mi gente
It's the courage of my people
Es el valor que he perdido
It's the courage that I've lost
En la polaca del pueblo
In the town's polka
Chistes que llama a la suerte
Jokes that call for luck
Dios nos escoge el destino
God chooses our fate
Y a su ahijadito la muerte
And death for his little godson
En el camino pa'l norte
On the road up north
Un tecolote me habló
An owl spoke to me
Me dijo muchacho de nube
He told me, boy of the clouds
¿Por dónde dejaste tu amor?
Where did you leave your love?
Le dije que dicen los viejos
I told him what the elders say
Y yo no lo voy a negar
And I won't deny it
No pidas al santo un milagro
Don't ask the saint for a miracle
Tú mismo te tienes que armar
You have to equip yourself
Mi amor lo dejé en las tres cruces
I left my love at the three crosses
Me armé con sombrero y guitarra
I armed myself with a hat and guitar
Prometí el 24 de junio
I promised on June 24th
Volver a la tierra de mi alma
To return to the land of my soul
El día de San Juan Bautista
The day of Saint John the Baptist
Yo voy a mirar a mi amor
I'm going to gaze at my love
Una troque pintada de roja
A truck painted in red
Un coyote que me haga un favor
A coyote to do me a favor
Le rezo al San Juan de mi tierra
I pray to Saint John of my land
Le rezo que tenga valor
I pray for him to have courage
Si llego a caer en el norte
If I happen to fall in the north
Que manden mi cuerpo en su honor
Let them send my body in his honor
Si llego a caer en el norte
If I happen to fall in the north
Que manden mi cuerpo en su honor
Let them send my body in his honor
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Key vocabulary
- cielo
- skyA2
- destino
- fateB2
- caer
- to fallB1
- cuerpo
- bodyC1
- escondido
- hiddenB2
- valor
- courageB2
- he
- I haveA2
- perdido
- lostB1
- polaca
- Polish woman
- chistes
- jokesB1
About this song
Lila Downs is a Mexican-born singer-songwriter and performer. She makes Indigenous Mexican-rooted music that blends North American jazz and Latin American folk, and is known for albums such as Ofrenda and for receiving Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.