Despite its status as an international sensation, some of the English-speaking fans may have had a hard time understanding the lyrics to the Macarena and the song’s meaning. In the first section of this page, we’ll provide the words to the English language version of the song. In the second section, we will provide the Spanish version, that is to say, the original, lyrics to the song.
One last note, different translations of the song have yielded different lyrics (and interpretations) depending on the translator. Remember that translations into English to Spanish may vary based on who the translator is. Some reasons why translations may be different include:
- Cultural Differences: Spanish and English have different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, which can lead to differences in idioms, expressions, and phrasing. Some words may have different meanings or connotations in one language than in the other, making it difficult to translate them exactly.
- Grammatical Differences: Spanish and English have different grammatical structures, which can make it difficult to translate certain phrases or sentences word for word. For example, Spanish uses more gendered language and has a different system for verb conjugation than English.
- Contextual Differences: The context in which a word or phrase is used can greatly affect its meaning. Translators may have difficulty understanding the intended meaning of a word or phrase if they don’t have enough context.
- Machine Translation Limitations: Machine translation tools, such as Google Translate, may not always provide accurate translations due to the limitations of the algorithms used. They may not be able to pick up on nuances in the language or properly interpret the meaning of certain words or phrases.
English Lyrics to The Macarena
See below for the full lyrics to the song Macarena, translated into English, which begins with the song’s iconic chorus. Note this is the English language version of the song, for the words in the Spanish version language please see the section below.
(Chorus)
Give your body joy Macarena
That your body is to give you joy and good thing
Give your body joy, Macarena
Hey Macarena
Give your body joy Macarena
That your body is to give joy and good thing
Give your body joy, Macarena
Hey Macarena
(Verse 1)
Macarena has a boyfriend
named Vitorino’s last name
That the boy swears in the flag swear
He gave it to two friends
Macarena has a boyfriend’s name
That is called Vitorino surname
And in the jury the boy
gave it to him with two friends
(Chorus)
Give your body joy Macarena
That your body is to give joy and good thing
Give your body joy, Macarena
Hey Macarena
Give your body joy Macarena
That your body is to give joy and good thing
Give your body joy, Macarena
Hey macarena
(Verse 2)
Macarena Macarena Macarena
What do you like the summers of Marbella
Macarena Macarena Macarena
What do you like the guerrilla movement
(Chorus)
Give your body joy Macarena
That your body is to give joy and good thing
Give your body joy, Macarena
Hey Macarena
Give your body joy Macarena
That your body is to give joy and good thing
Give your body joy, Macarena
Hey Macarena
(Verse 3)
Macarena sounds with the English Court
And you buy the most modern models
He would like to live in New York
And flirting a new boyfriend
Macarena sounds with the English Court
And he buys the most modern models.
He would like to live in New York
and tie a new boyfriend.
(Chorus)
Give your body joy Macarena
That your body is to give joy and good thing
Give your body joy, Macarena
Hey Macarena
Give your body joy Macarena
That your body is to give joy and good thing
Give your body joy, Macarena
Hey Macarena
(Bridge)
Macarena has a boyfriend whose
name is Vitorino’s surname
And on the boy’s sworn flag
He gave it to two friends
Macarena has a boyfriend’s name
That is called Vitorino’s surname
And in the boy swears on the flag
He gave it to two friends
(Chorus)
Give your body joy Macarena
That your body is to give you joy and good thing
Give your body joy, Macarena
Hey Macarena
Give your body joy Macarena
That your body is to give joy and good thing
Give your body joy, Macarena
Hey Macarena
Lyrics to the Spanish Version of the Song
As promised, below are the lyrics to the Spanish language version of the same song.
Dale a tu cuerpo alegria Macarena
Que tu cuerpo es pa’ darle alegria y cosa buena
Dale a tu cuerpo alegria, Macarena
Hey Macarena
Macarena tiene un novio que se llama
Que se llama de apellido Vitorino,
Que en la jura de bandera el muchacho
Se metio con dos amigos
{X2}
{Au Refrain, x2}
Macarena sueña con El Corte Ingles
Que se compra los modelos mas modernos
Le gustaria vivir en Nueva York
Y ligar un novio…
Now that you know the lyrics, now go learn how to do the Macarena dance. You’ll thank us the next time you are at an uncomfortable wedding or ceremony.