"Quiero Estar Contigo" by Selena Quintanilla-Perez, English translation of lyrics
"I Want To Be With You"
Lyrics: A.B. Quintanilla III (Selena's brother)
Album: Anthology, 1998
Style: Tejano, ranchera, happy love song
Country: USA (Texas), with Mexican heritage
Listen:
Selena! Beloved singer who helped make the bridge for Spanish music and Latino artists in the United States. You went mainstream at a time when Mexican-Americans were still confined to Spanish-only media. Thank you for paving the way for many other entertainers after you. You could have become so much bigger if you hadn't been killed almost 20 years ago on March 31, 1995.
Even if she's gone, we still love Selena. She was kind, uncorrupted, and talented. Listed to her upbeat and hopeful love song at YouTube here.
[Expand embedded video]
By the way: This is the 300th song posted to Songlations!
Since November 2007 to March 2015: 89 months, 300 songs, ~3.4 songs/month.
Thank you for your support all these years.
Translation:
Quiero estar contigo por una eternidad.
Yo quiero verte sonreír; no quiero verte llorar.
Quisiera darte un beso y regalarte mi cariño,
Que es lo más precioso que yo tengo para dar.
I want to be with you for an eternity.
I want to see you smile; I don't want to see you cry.
I would like to give you a kiss and give you my affection,
Which is the the most precious thing I have to give.
-Coda-
Yo quiero estar contigo.
Yo quiero estar contigo.
Si no puedo estar contigo,
No quiero estar con nadie más.
I want to be with you.
I want to be with you.
If I can't be with you,
I don't want to be with anyone else.
Yo quiero estar contigo.
Yo quiero estar contigo.
Y compartir la vida contigo
Pa' siempre, mi amor.
{Sí, señor.}
I want to be with you.
I want to be with you.
And share my life with you
Forever, my love.
{Yes, sir!}
Quiero estar contigo y nunca dejarte ir.
Yo quiero vernos juntos; yo quiero vernos feliz.
Quisiera darte el cielo y toditas las estrellas
Para que nunca, nunca, nunca me dejes de amar.
I want to be with you and never let you go.
I want to see us together; I want to see us happy.
I would like to give you the sky and all the little stars
So that you never, never, never stop loving me.
[Repeat from coda]
Translation Notes:
Pa' siempre, mi amor.
pa' = para
This contraction is common in Mexican Spanish, although I see it in other dialects as well sometimes.
---
Sí, señor.
Yes, sir!
This is an example of a Grito Mexicano (Mexican cry, Mexican yell). It's common in ranchera music. It's a way of releasing positive emotion and letting people know that you're happy.
---
Quisiera darte el cielo y toditas las estrellas.
I would like to give you the sky and all the little stars.
Here is an example of the -ito/-ita diminutive suffix added to something other than the noun. When the diminutive suffix is added to units of measurement and similar words, it emphasizes exactness. She doesn't just want to give her lover all the stars, but every single little star!
Lyrics: A.B. Quintanilla III (Selena's brother)
Album: Anthology, 1998
Style: Tejano, ranchera, happy love song
Country: USA (Texas), with Mexican heritage
Listen:
Selena! Beloved singer who helped make the bridge for Spanish music and Latino artists in the United States. You went mainstream at a time when Mexican-Americans were still confined to Spanish-only media. Thank you for paving the way for many other entertainers after you. You could have become so much bigger if you hadn't been killed almost 20 years ago on March 31, 1995.
Even if she's gone, we still love Selena. She was kind, uncorrupted, and talented. Listed to her upbeat and hopeful love song at YouTube here.
[Expand embedded video]
Click to viewBy the way: This is the 300th song posted to Songlations!
Since November 2007 to March 2015: 89 months, 300 songs, ~3.4 songs/month.
Thank you for your support all these years.
Translation:
Quiero estar contigo por una eternidad.
Yo quiero verte sonreír; no quiero verte llorar.
Quisiera darte un beso y regalarte mi cariño,
Que es lo más precioso que yo tengo para dar.
I want to be with you for an eternity.
I want to see you smile; I don't want to see you cry.
I would like to give you a kiss and give you my affection,
Which is the the most precious thing I have to give.
-Coda-
Yo quiero estar contigo.
Yo quiero estar contigo.
Si no puedo estar contigo,
No quiero estar con nadie más.
I want to be with you.
I want to be with you.
If I can't be with you,
I don't want to be with anyone else.
Yo quiero estar contigo.
Yo quiero estar contigo.
Y compartir la vida contigo
Pa' siempre, mi amor.
{Sí, señor.}
I want to be with you.
I want to be with you.
And share my life with you
Forever, my love.
{Yes, sir!}
Quiero estar contigo y nunca dejarte ir.
Yo quiero vernos juntos; yo quiero vernos feliz.
Quisiera darte el cielo y toditas las estrellas
Para que nunca, nunca, nunca me dejes de amar.
I want to be with you and never let you go.
I want to see us together; I want to see us happy.
I would like to give you the sky and all the little stars
So that you never, never, never stop loving me.
[Repeat from coda]
Translation Notes:
Pa' siempre, mi amor.
pa' = para
This contraction is common in Mexican Spanish, although I see it in other dialects as well sometimes.
---
Sí, señor.
Yes, sir!
This is an example of a Grito Mexicano (Mexican cry, Mexican yell). It's common in ranchera music. It's a way of releasing positive emotion and letting people know that you're happy.
---
Quisiera darte el cielo y toditas las estrellas.
I would like to give you the sky and all the little stars.
Here is an example of the -ito/-ita diminutive suffix added to something other than the noun. When the diminutive suffix is added to units of measurement and similar words, it emphasizes exactness. She doesn't just want to give her lover all the stars, but every single little star!