Los Van Van
Havana City lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 1999
- Genre
- Son Cubano
- Length
- 6:00
Cualquiera, en la Havana
Anyone, in Havana
Tiene un amigo llamado Jose
Has a friend named Jose
Que seguro que esta alquilando
Who is surely renting
Su Chevrolet del '53
His '53 Chevrolet
Son Pepes los Joses
They're Pepes, the Joses
Los que alquilan sus Chevroleses (BIS)
Those who rent out their Chevrolets (BIS)
Y nadie sabe como esa gente
And nobody knows how those people
Sin saber inglés y un tín de español
Without knowing English and a bit of Spanish
Esta frase que está pega'
This phrase that is stuck
Se les ocurrió
They came up with
Que barbaridad
What a marvel
Si quieres vivir un mar
If you want to live a sea
De aventuras
Of adventures
Ven aquí a mi Havana
Come here to my Havana
CORO:
CHORUS:
Havana City, "Havana crazy
Havana City, 'Havana crazy
Welcome to the capital!
Welcome to the capital!
Bienvenidos a la Havana City
Welcome to Havana City
A la loca esa
To that wild one
Que todo el mundo la goza
That everyone enjoys
Te invito a tomarte
I invite you to take
Una botella de ron
A bottle of rum
Tocando guitarra y cantando
Playing guitar and singing
En el malecón
On the boardwalk
Welcome to my capital
Welcome to my capital
My old capital
My old capital
La de la plaza de la catedral
The one with the cathedral square
La Havana fascinante es la Havana marginal
The fascinating Havana is the marginal Havana
La sucia, que no es la Havana limpia de Miramar
The dirty one, which is not the clean Havana of Miramar
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- amigo
- friendA1
- aquí
- hereA1
- esa
- thatA1
- español
- SpanishA1
- pega
- glueB2
- tiene
- hasA1
- coro
- choirC1
- goza
- enjoys
- tomarte
- take you
- sus
- his/herA1
About this song
Los Van Van is a Cuban band in the son genre that helped pioneer songo in the late 1960s, blending electric instruments, jazz influences, and dance-focused son with topical lyrics. They are among Cuba’s most popular groups, known for shaping a sound that draws on African roots and island song traditions.