Song guide

A Lo Cubano

Orishas

A Lo Cubano by Orishas, line by line: what the lyrics mean, 20 expressions explained and 337 words translated with their grammar. Learn Spanish from the song, free.

89 lines translated 337 words explained 20 expressions

Lyrics with English translation, line by line

Each line as sung, what it means, and — where it needs one — why it's said that way.

  1. A lo cubano

    In the Cuban style

    'A lo cubano' is the title and hook of the song by Orishas, a Cuban hip-hop group based in Paris. The phrase sets the cultural tone: everything that follows is framed as authentically Cuban.

  2. Botella'e ron tabaco habano

    A bottle of rum, Havana tobacco

    'Botella de ron' (bottle of rum) and 'tabaco habano' (Havana tobacco/cigar) are iconic symbols of Cuban culture. A 'habano' specifically refers to a Havana cigar, considered among the finest in the world.

  3. Chicas por doquier

    Girls everywhere

  4. Ponche en Café Guano

    Punch at Café Guano

    'Café Guano' appears to be a specific venue or cultural reference in the Orishas' world, possibly a real café or a fictional Cuban gathering spot used as a symbol of community.

  5. Aquí mi vida para los mareaos

    Here is my life for the dizzy ones

    'Los mareaos' (the dizzy/woozy ones) is slang for people who are drunk or in a euphoric, disoriented state — the crowd at a party. It sets up the song as a dedication to the revelers.

  6. A lo cubano

    In the Cuban style

  7. Botella'e ron tabaco habano

    A bottle of rum, Havana tobacco

  8. Chicas por doquier

    Girls everywhere

  9. Ponche en Café Guano

    Punch at Café Guano

  10. Aquí mi vida para los mareaos

    Here is my life for the dizzy ones

  11. No no no no

    No no no no

  12. A lo cubano

    In the Cuban style

  13. Directamente de Paname

    Straight from Paname

    'Paname' is a French slang/verlan nickname for Paris, widely used in French urban culture. Orishas, being Cuban-born artists who relocated to Paris, frequently reference both cities as their dual homes.

  14. De Paris pa ser exacto

    From Paris, to be exact

  15. De Chez Oim, donde están

    From Chez Oim, where they are

    'Chez Oim' mixes French ('chez' = at the home of) with verlan slang ('oim' = 'moi' reversed, meaning 'me'). This is a hallmark of French banlieue/hip-hop slang, reflecting the group's Parisian immigrant experience.

  16. Los de la nueva generación son

    Those of the new generation are

  17. Y mira ponte en el fuego de la acción

    And look, get into the heat of the action

  18. Con presión de la lírica mística suchíca

    With the pressure of the mystical, suchíca lyric

    'Suchíca' appears to be an invented or highly localized slang word used for rhythmic and phonetic effect. It has no standard dictionary meaning and functions as a playful, made-up intensifier.

  19. La rumba ha comenzado con Anga Flaco Pro

    The party has begun with Anga Flaco Pro

    'Anga Flaco Pro' refers to members or associates of the Orishas collective. 'Anga' and 'Flaco Pro' are nicknames used within the group.

  20. El negro Yoruba, hijo'e Eleggua candela

    The Black Yoruba, son of Eleggua, fire

    'Candela' literally means 'flame/fire' but in Cuban and Caribbean slang it is an exclamation of excitement, intensity, or something being hot/amazing — similar to 'fire!' in English hip-hop.

  21. Escucha como suena no hay más na

    Listen to how it sounds, there is nothing more

  22. Sonido fuerte, ardiente y pegajoso

    Loud sound, burning and catchy

  23. Si te rozo te destrozo

    If I graze you, I destroy you

  24. Mi flow que calma sin fatiga a los nerviosos

    My flow that calms the nervous ones without fatigue

  25. Con mi conexión controlando bien mi lengua

    With my connection, controlling my tongue well

  26. Pegao hasta el techo quiero que lo entiendas

    Stuck to the ceiling — I want you to understand that

  27. A lo cubano

    In the Cuban style

  28. Botella'e ron tabaco habano

    A bottle of rum, Havana tobacco

  29. Chicas por doquier

    Girls everywhere

  30. Ponche en Café Guano

    Punch at Café Guano

  31. Aquí mi vida para los mareaos

    Here is my life for the dizzy ones

  32. A lo cubano

    In the Cuban style

  33. Botella'e ron tabaco habano

    A bottle of rum, Havana tobacco

  34. Chicas por doquier

    Girls everywhere

  35. Ponche en Café Guano

    Punch at Café Guano

  36. Aquí mi vida para los mareaos

    Here is my life for the dizzy ones

  37. No hay quien me pare

    There is no one to stop me

  38. Aquí mira voy a seguir

    Look, I am going to keep going

  39. Yo represento ron, mulata, cuba hasta el fin

    I represent rum, mulata, Cuba to the end

  40. Mi Orishas como un imperio voy a construir

    My Orishas, like an empire, I am going to build

    'Orishas' are the deities of the Yoruba religion practiced in Cuba as Santería. The group named themselves after these spirits, asserting a connection to Afro-Cuban spiritual heritage. Here the word doubles as both the group's name and a reference to the divine.

  41. Yo te dejo mi tema como mi emblema cest fini

    I leave you my track as my emblem — c'est fini

    'C'est fini' is French for 'it's finished/done'. The code-switch to French mid-line is characteristic of Orishas' bilingual/bicultural style, blending Cuban Spanish with Parisian French slang.

  42. No no te vayas

    No, don't go

  43. Mi gente Orishas, el mundo pa la valla

    My Orishas people, the world to the stands

    'La valla' in Cuban slang can refer to a cockfighting arena (valla de gallos), which is a traditional Cuban pastime. The phrase 'el mundo pa la valla' could mean 'the whole world to the arena', calling everyone to witness the spectacle.

  44. De oriente hasta occidente gritamos a la batalla

    From east to west we shout to battle

    'De oriente hasta occidente' references the geography of Cuba itself: Oriente is the eastern province (birthplace of much Afro-Cuban culture and music) and Occidente is the western region including Havana.

  45. Mi gente en talla

    My people in full force

  46. Y todo el Yack se te desmaya

    And all the Yack faints on you

  47. Y te me callas

    And you go quiet on me

  48. Ya te lo dijo el Guerrero

    The Warrior already told you

  49. Ruzzo, Flaco Pro y Roldán

    Ruzzo, Flaco Pro and Roldán

  50. De Paname a Quivicán

    From Paname to Quivicán

    'Quivicán' is a small municipality in the Mayabeque province of Cuba. Its mention alongside Paris (Paname) underscores the group's identity as Cubans living in France — spanning from a tiny Cuban town to the French capital.

  51. Con un estilo rumbero

    With a rumba style

    'Rumbero' derives from 'rumba', the Afro-Cuban musical and dance genre. A 'rumbero' is someone who plays, dances, or embodies the rumba spirit — used here as a badge of authentic Cuban cultural identity.

  52. Hay que quitarse el sombrero

    You have to take your hat off

  53. Frente a mi Orishas hip hop

    In front of my Orishas hip hop

  54. Sal de la cueva conejo

    Come out of the cave, rabbit

  55. Que llegó tu guaguancó, guagancooo

    Your guaguancó has arrived, guaguancóoo

    'Guaguancó' is one of the three main styles of Cuban rumba, characterized by a competitive, flirtatious dance between a man and a woman. It is deeply rooted in Afro-Cuban tradition and is considered one of the most authentic expressions of Cuban popular music.

  56. A lo cubano

    In the Cuban style

  57. Botella'e ron tabaco habano

    A bottle of rum, Havana tobacco

  58. Chicas por doquier

    Girls everywhere

  59. Ponche en Café Guano

    Punch at Café Guano

  60. Aquí mi vida para los mareaos

    Here is my life for the dizzy ones

  61. A lo cubano

    In the Cuban style

  62. Botella'e ron tabaco habano

    A bottle of rum, Havana tobacco

  63. Chicas por doquier

    Girls everywhere

  64. Ponche en Café Guano

    Punch at Café Guano

  65. Aquí mi vida para los mareaos

    Here is my life for the dizzy ones

  66. A la degüello estoy

    I am at full throttle

    'A la degüello' references the military bugle call 'El Degüello', historically played to signal that no prisoners would be taken. It was famously played at the Battle of the Alamo. In Spanish slang it means going at something with total aggression and no mercy.

  67. Y vengo dando tacazos

    And I come delivering blows

  68. Ya se pa que cuerpazo el dj tira trazo

    Now I know what a body the DJ is laying down

  69. El control de tu mente rebaso, paso, doy

    I surpass the control of your mind, I pass, I go

  70. Al momento preciso pa' los mariachis

    At the precise moment for the mariachis

  71. Que escriben pa tirarlo al precipicio

    Who write to throw it into the abyss

  72. Dejen ese oficio, te saque de quicio

    Drop that trade, I drove you crazy

  73. Miko Niko la Amenaza poniendo Paname de a pico

    Miko Niko la Amenaza putting Paname on its head

    'Miko Niko la Amenaza' (Miko Niko the Threat) is the rap alias of one of the featured artists on this track. 'La Amenaza' (The Threat) is a common type of aggressive hip-hop nickname.

  74. Y ahora te lo disparo en chino, chino

    And now I fire it at you in Chinese, Chinese

  75. Voy a adelantal

    I am going to advance

  76. La constitución

    The constitution

  77. Del quinto mandamiento dice

    Of the fifth commandment says

  78. En el saglado liblo de la métrica flematica

    In the sacred book of the phlegmatic meter

    Lines 77-80 feature deliberate phonetic misspellings: 'saglado' for 'sagrado', 'liblo' for 'libro', 'flematica' for 'flemática', 'desceleblarte' for 'descelebrarte'. This mimics a Cuban/Caribbean accent where 'r' between consonants or in certain positions is pronounced like 'l', used here for comic and stylistic effect.

  79. Que guarda el señor tiempo y tu centro

    Which the lord of time and your center keeps

  80. Del cual yo soy honorable emperador

    Of which I am the honorable emperor

  81. Y utilizo mi lengua como un tenedor

    And I use my tongue like a fork

  82. Para desceleblarte a ti so melón

    To celebrate you, you melon

    'So melón' is a Spanish insult. 'Melón' (melon) is used colloquially to call someone a fool or an airhead, similar to calling someone a 'blockhead' in English. The word 'so' before it intensifies the insult.

  83. Miko Niko la Amenaza

    Miko Niko la Amenaza

  84. Bye bye flow

    Bye bye flow

  85. A lo cubano

    In the Cuban style

  86. Botella'e ron tabaco habano

    A bottle of rum, Havana tobacco

  87. Chicas por doquier

    Girls everywhere

  88. Ponche en Café Guano

    Punch at Café Guano

  89. Aquí mi vida para los mareaos

    Here is my life for the dizzy ones

Expressions and idioms in “A Lo Cubano”

The lines that don't mean what the dictionary says.

A lo cubano in the Cuban style
'a lo + adjective' is a fixed Spanish pattern meaning 'in the style/manner of'. It is used to describe doing something in a particular way, e.g. 'a lo grande' (in a big way), 'a lo loco' (like crazy).
Botella'e ron bottle of rum
'Botella'e' is a lyrical elision of 'botella de', where the preposition 'de' is contracted and attached to the noun. This kind of elision is very common in Caribbean Spanish song and speech.
pa ser exacto to be exact
'pa' is a colloquial, especially Caribbean and hip-hop, shortening of 'para'. Here 'para ser exacto' means 'to be exact / to be precise', a fixed phrase used to clarify a statement.
ponte en el fuego de la acción get into the heat of the action
'ponerse en' is a reflexive verb + preposition construction meaning 'to put oneself into / to get into'. 'Ponerse' (reflexive of 'poner') shifts meaning from 'to put' to 'to put oneself / to get into a state or situation'.
ha comenzado has begun
'haber + past participle' forms the present perfect tense in Spanish. 'Ha comenzado' = 'has begun/started'. This construction is used for actions recently completed or with present relevance.
no hay más na there is nothing more
'no hay más nada' (colloquially shortened to 'na') is a Caribbean Spanish expression meaning 'there is nothing more / that's all there is'. 'Hay' is the impersonal form of 'haber' used to express existence.
quiero que lo entiendas I want you to understand it
'querer que + subjunctive' is the standard Spanish construction for expressing a desire that someone else do something. The subjunctive 'entiendas' is triggered because the subject of 'querer' (I) differs from the subject of 'entender' (you).
No hay quien me pare There is no one to stop me
'no hay quien + subjunctive' is a fixed construction meaning 'there is no one who can...'. The subjunctive 'pare' is used because the existence of such a person is negated and hypothetical.
voy a seguir I am going to keep going
'ir a + infinitive' is the standard Spanish periphrastic future, equivalent to English 'going to + verb'. It expresses near-future intention. 'Seguir' here means 'to continue / to keep going'.
voy a construir I am going to build
Another instance of 'ir a + infinitive' expressing future intention. This construction is extremely common in spoken and sung Spanish as an alternative to the simple future tense.
no te vayas don't go
'no te vayas' is the negative imperative of 'irse' (the reflexive/pronominal form of 'ir'). The negative imperative in Spanish requires the subjunctive form: 'no + subjunctive'. 'Irse' (to go away/leave) differs from plain 'ir' (to go somewhere).
se te desmaya faints on you
The construction 'se + indirect object pronoun + verb' (here 'se te desmaya') expresses an unplanned or unexpected event that affects someone. It is sometimes called the 'accidental se'. Literally 'it faints itself on you', conveying that the event happens to the person involuntarily.
te me callas you go quiet on me
'te me + verb' stacks two object pronouns: 'te' (reflexive, you) and 'me' (indirect, on me/to my detriment). This double-pronoun construction conveys that the action of going quiet affects the speaker personally. It is a colloquial, expressive pattern common in Caribbean Spanish.
Hay que quitarse el sombrero You have to take your hat off
'hay que + infinitive' expresses impersonal obligation, equivalent to 'one must / you have to'. It has no specific subject. 'Quitarse el sombrero' is also an idiomatic expression meaning 'to take one's hat off (in admiration)', i.e. to show respect or admiration for something impressive.
Sal de la cueva Come out of the cave
'salir de' is a verb + governed preposition construction meaning 'to come out of / to leave'. The preposition 'de' is required after 'salir' when specifying the place exited. Here it is used figuratively to tell someone to stop hiding.
A la degüello at full throttle / going for the kill
'a la degüello' is a fixed military/idiomatic expression derived from 'degüello' (throat-cutting, the bugle call signaling no quarter). Used figuratively it means 'going all out / at full intensity / no mercy'.
vengo dando tacazos I come delivering blows
'venir + gerund' is a periphrastic construction expressing an ongoing action that has been building up as the subject arrives. It emphasizes the continuous, progressive nature of the action, similar to 'I come doing X' or 'I keep doing X as I arrive'.
te saque de quicio I drove you crazy
'sacar de quicio' is a fixed idiomatic expression meaning 'to drive someone crazy / to exasperate someone'. Literally 'quicio' is the hinge or frame of a door; to take something off its hinge means to throw it completely off balance.
Voy a adelantal I am going to advance
Another 'ir a + infinitive' periphrastic future construction. 'Adelantal' is a phonetic/dialectal spelling of 'adelantar' (to advance/move forward), reflecting the rapper's Cuban-influenced pronunciation where final 'r' is rendered as 'l'.
so melón you melon / you idiot
'so' placed before a noun or insult is a colloquial Spanish intensifier used to address someone disparagingly, similar to 'you (big) ...!'. 'Melón' (melon) is used as a slang insult meaning 'idiot / blockhead' in Spanish.

Vocabulary to learn from “A Lo Cubano”

The words the song uses most.

Verbs in the song, and the form being sung

Present tense for each; the highlighted row is the one you'll hear.

haber has

sung: ha irregular
haber — present tense
yo he
tú has
él / ella / usted ha / hay
nosotros hemos
vosotros habéis
ellos / ustedes han

ir I go / I am going

sung: voy irregular
ir — present tense
yo voy
tú vas
él / ella / usted va
nosotros vamos
vosotros vais
ellos / ustedes van

ser to be

sung: son irregular
ser — present tense
yo soy
tú eres
él / ella / usted es
nosotros somos
vosotros sois
ellos / ustedes son

estar they are

sung: están irregular
estar — present tense
yo estoy
tú estás
él / ella / usted está
nosotros estamos
vosotros estáis
ellos / ustedes están

mirar look

sung: mira
mirar — present tense
yo miro
tú miras
él / ella / usted mira
nosotros miramos
vosotros miráis
ellos / ustedes miran

Grammar you'll meet in this song

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