Song guide

CAFé CON RON

Bad Bunny

CAFé CON RON by Bad Bunny, line by line: what the lyrics mean, 28 expressions explained and 454 words translated with their grammar. Learn Spanish from the song, free.

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. Por la mañana café, por la tarde ron

   Coffee in the morning, rum in the afternoon

   'Por la mañana... por la tarde' sets up a daily rhythm using 'por' to indicate time of day — a fixed Spanish pattern. The contrast of coffee (morning sobriety) and rum (afternoon celebration) is a cultural shorthand for the Puerto Rican festive lifestyle celebrated in urban Latin music.

2. Ya estamo' en la calle, sal de tu balcón

   We're already out on the street — come out onto your balcony

3. Por la mañana café, por la tarde ron

   Coffee in the morning, rum in the afternoon

4. Ya estamo' en la calle, sal de tu balcón

   We're already out on the street — come out onto your balcony

5. De Arecibo hasta Ponce, de Fajardo a Rincón

   From Arecibo to Ponce, from Fajardo to Rincón

   Arecibo, Ponce, Fajardo, and Rincón are four real municipalities of Puerto Rico positioned at different geographic extremes of the island — north, south, east, and west respectively. Naming them signals that the song's energy reaches the entire island.

6. Es la voz de todo un barrio desde Almirante a Frontón

   It is the voice of an entire neighborhood, from Almirante to Frontón

   Almirante and Frontón are specific neighborhoods or sectors within Puerto Rico, used here to ground the song in hyper-local community identity — a common technique in Puerto Rican urban music to show pride in specific barrios.

7. (Por la mañana café, por la tarde ron)

   (Coffee in the morning, rum in the afternoon)

8. (Ya estamo' en la calle, sal de tu balcón)

   (We're already out on the street — come out onto your balcony)

9. Que lo bailen en Lloréns, que lo bailen en Canale'

   Let them dance it in Lloréns, let them dance it in Canales

   Lloréns Torres and Canales (Canale') are two of the most well-known public housing projects (residenciales) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Giving them a shout-out is a direct acknowledgment of the communities where reggaeton and urban music have deep roots.

10. Hoy voy pa' la carretera con to' mis anormale'

    Today I'm hitting the road with all my weirdos

    'Mis anormale'' (my weirdos/freaks) is an affectionate term for one's close crew — people who don't fit the norm. Using 'anormal' as a term of endearment for friends is a common feature of Puerto Rican and broader Latin urban slang.

11. (Por la mañana café, por la tarde ron)

    (Coffee in the morning, rum in the afternoon)

12. (Ya estamo' en la calle, sal de tu balcón)

    (We're already out on the street — come out onto your balcony)

13. Hoy yo no quiero dormir, lo que quiero yo

    Today I don't want to sleep; what I want is

14. Es amanecеrme y bebermе un galón

    To stay up till dawn and drink a gallon

15. (Por la mañana café, por la tarde ron)

    (Coffee in the morning, rum in the afternoon)

16. (Ya estamo' en la ca—)

    (We're already at the —)

17. Brother, yo no sé ni cómo llegué a casa anoche

    Man, I don't even know how I got home last night

    'Brother' is an English loanword fully integrated into Puerto Rican Spanish slang as a casual address term, equivalent to 'man' or 'bro'. Puerto Rico's bilingual culture means English words are frequently embedded in Spanish speech without translation.

18. Clase 'e loquera y hoy me están tirando de nuevo pa' bajar pa'llá

    Total madness, and today they're dragging me back down there again

    'Clase 'e loquera' literally means 'what a class of madness' — a Puerto Rican intensifier phrase equivalent to 'total madness' or 'what a crazy scene'. 'Loquera' (from 'loco') is widely used in Caribbean Spanish to describe wild, chaotic fun.

19. Pero yo creo que hoy sí que, acho, pichaera, que no me esperen, por—

    But I think today, yeah, whatever, man — don't wait for me, because —

    'Acho' is a Puerto Rican interjection derived from 'muchacho', used like 'man' or 'dude'. 'Pichaera' is Puerto Rican slang expressing dismissal or resignation — roughly 'whatever' or 'forget it'. Both are highly local and would not be understood the same way in other Spanish-speaking countries.

20. El humo empañó el camino y no pude recordar

    The smoke clouded the way and I couldn't remember

21. El camino pa' mi casa, hoy me vuelves a invitar

    The road home — and now you're inviting me out again today

22. Yo me iba a quedar tranquilo, pero si quiere' vacilar

    I was going to take it easy, but if you want to have a good time...

23. Sube tú pa' la montaña porque hoy yo me quedo acá

    You go up the mountain — I'm staying right here today

24. Ven subiendo, ven subiendo, que no le vamo' a bajar

    Come on up, come on up — we're not going to back down

25. Sube tú pa' la montaña, hoy yo me quedo acá

    You go up the mountain; I'm staying here today

26. Ven subiendo, ven subiendo, que no le vamo' a bajar

    Come on up, come on up — we're not going to back down

27. Sube tú pa' la montaña, hoy yo me quedo acá (Dile, dile, dile algo)

    You go up the mountain; I'm staying here today (Say something, say something, say something)

28. Allá abajo (Allá abajo), allá abajo (Allá abajo) no se me ha perdido na' (Na')

    Down there, way down there, I haven't lost a thing

29. Están arriba en el monte los código' de verdad (Suban pa'cá pa' que vean)

    The real codes are up on the mountain (Come up here so you can see them)

    'Los código' de verdad' (the real codes) is slang for authentic values, street wisdom, or the unwritten rules of one's community. In urban Latin music, 'tener código' means having integrity and loyalty. The mountain is presented as the place where these real values live, contrasted with the lowlands.

30. Ven subiendo (¿Qué?), ven subiendo (Ey, ey), que no le vamo' a bajar

    Come on up (What?), come on up (Hey, hey) — we're not going to back down

31. Sube tú pa' la montaña, hoy yo me quedo acá (¿Qué se hace hoy?, ¿qué se hace hoy?)

    You go up the mountain; I'm staying here today (What are we doing today? What are we doing today?)

32. Hoy se bebe, hoy se bebe y nadie nos va a parar

    Today we're drinking, today we're drinking, and no one is going to stop us

33. El samurai está en brillo y el combo va a chinchorrear (Ponle, ponle, ponle, ponle, ponle)

    The samurai is on fire and the crew is going bar-hopping (Go for it, go for it, go for it, go for it, go for it)

    'El samurai' is likely a nickname for one of the artists or a member of the crew — a common practice in Puerto Rican urban music where performers adopt warrior or fighter aliases. 'Estar en brillo' (to be in shine/glow) is slang for being at peak performance or on fire. 'Combo' refers to the crew or group. 'Chinchorrear' refers to visiting chinchorros — roadside open-air bars/food stalls iconic to Puerto Rican culture, especially in mountain towns.

34. Ven subiendo (Vamo'), ven subiendo (Dale pa'cá), que no le vamo' a bajar (No le vamo' a bajar)

    Come on up (Let's go!), come on up (Come on over!), we're not going to let it die down

35. Sube tú pa' la montaña, hoy yo me quedo acá

    You go up the mountain; I'm staying here today

36. Ey, ten cuida'o, ten cuida'o (Uy) cuando te toque bajar

    Hey, be careful, be careful (Oops) when it's your turn to head down

37. Que no te vaya' por risco y te tengamos que buscar

    Don't go wandering off a cliff — or we'll have to come looking for you

38. (Yo te vo'a decir algo pa' que sepa')

    (I'm going to tell you something so you know)

39. En el monte hoy se rompe

    It's going off in the mountains today

40. Desde que sale el sol hasta que se esconde

    From sunrise to sunset

41. En el monte hoy se rompe

    It's going off in the mountains today

42. Chillando goma, botando humo, dale, ponle

    Screeching tires, billowing smoke — come on, step on it

    'Chillando goma' (screeching tires) and 'botando humo' (throwing smoke) are vivid images of cars doing burnouts or drifting — a reference to the car culture associated with mountain road gatherings in Puerto Rico, where groups meet on winding mountain roads to show off vehicles.

43. En el monte hoy se rompe

    It's going off in the mountains today

44. Suban pa'cá pa' que sientan el torque

    Come on up here so you can feel the torque

    'El torque' (torque) is a direct reference to car engine power, reinforcing the automotive theme of the mountain gathering. Using a technical English loanword like 'torque' in a Spanish lyric is typical of Puerto Rican urban music's blending of languages and car-culture vocabulary.

45. En el monte hoy se rompe

    It's going off in the mountains today

46. Me vo'a dar otra en lo que los muchacho' hacen el corte

    I'm going to have another one while the guys take a break

Expressions and idioms in “CAFé CON RON”

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

Ya estamo' en la calle We're already out on the street

'Ya' + present tense signals that an action is already underway. It adds immediacy — 'already' or 'right now' — and is one of the most common ways Spanish marks that something has happened or is happening at this very moment.

sal de tu balcón come out onto your balcony

'Sal' is the irregular 2nd-person singular imperative of 'salir' (to go out/leave). The construction 'sal de' means 'come out of / leave'. Irregular imperatives like this (sal, ven, di, ten, pon) are high-frequency and worth memorising as a set.

Que lo bailen Let them dance it

'Que' + present subjunctive is the standard Spanish pattern for a 3rd-person command ('let them do something'). The subject does the action but is not directly addressed — the speaker is wishing or commanding indirectly.

voy pa' la carretera I'm heading out on the road

'Ir a / ir pa'' + a destination expresses movement toward a place. 'Pa'' is a colloquial (especially Caribbean) shortening of 'para', used constantly in informal speech and song.

no quiero dormir I don't want to sleep

'Querer' + infinitive is the standard Spanish pattern for 'to want to do something'. No preposition is needed between the conjugated verb and the infinitive, unlike English 'want to'.

lo que quiero yo what I want

'Lo que' is a fixed relative pronoun meaning 'what' or 'that which'. It nominalises the following clause. The subject pronoun 'yo' is placed after the verb for emphasis — a common poetic inversion in song lyrics.

amanecerme to stay up through the night until dawn

'Amanecer' literally means 'to dawn / for day to break'. With the reflexive clitic '-me', it becomes a pronominal verb meaning 'to be awake when dawn comes' — i.e., to stay up all night. The reflexive shifts the meaning from an impersonal event to a personal experience.

beberme un galón to drink a whole gallon (myself)

Adding the reflexive clitic '-me' to 'beber' (beberme) is a common colloquial intensifier in Spanish. It implies consuming the entire quantity completely, often with relish. Compare 'comerse un pastel' (to eat a whole cake). This is sometimes called the 'ethical dative' or reflexive of interest.

de nuevo again / once more

'De nuevo' is a fixed adverbial phrase meaning 'again'. It is interchangeable with 'otra vez' in most contexts. Neither is deducible word-for-word: 'de' (of/from) + 'nuevo' (new) together mean 'again'.

me están tirando de nuevo they're dragging me again

'Estar' + gerund forms the present progressive in Spanish, equivalent to English 'to be doing something'. 'De nuevo' is a fixed adverbial phrase meaning 'again / once more'. Note that 'tirar de' (to pull/drag) governs the preposition 'de'.

vuelves a invitar you're inviting me again

'Volver a' + infinitive is a periphrastic construction meaning 'to do something again'. It is the most natural way to express repetition of an action in Spanish, more idiomatic than saying 'invitar de nuevo'.

me quedo I stay / I'm staying

'Quedarse' (reflexive) means 'to stay / to remain in a place'. The plain verb 'quedar' has different meanings (to be left over, to arrange to meet, to fit). The reflexive clitic 'me' is essential to convey 'staying put'.

me iba a quedar tranquilo I was going to take it easy

'Ir a' + infinitive in the imperfect tense ('iba a') expresses an intention or plan that was in progress but may not have been completed — equivalent to English 'was going to'. This is a very common periphrastic construction for past intentions.

yo me quedo acá I'm staying right here

'Quedarse' + location adverb ('acá' = here) is the standard way to say 'I'm staying here'. 'Acá' is preferred over 'aquí' in Latin American Spanish, especially in the Caribbean, and often implies motion toward the speaker's position.

no le vamo' a bajar we're not going to back down / let it drop

'Ir a' + infinitive ('vamos a bajar') expresses a near-future intention. The indirect object pronoun 'le' here refers to the energy/vibe/party — 'we're not going to lower it (the level)'. This is a colloquial use of 'bajar' meaning to reduce intensity.

ven subiendo come on up

'Venir' + gerund is a periphrastic construction expressing movement toward the speaker while performing an action. 'Ven subiendo' literally means 'come (while) going up' — a vivid way to invite someone to approach by climbing.

no se me ha perdido na' I haven't lost a thing (down there)

'Perdérsele algo a alguien' is a pronominal construction meaning 'to have nothing to lose / nothing of mine is lost there'. The double pronoun 'se me' combines the impersonal/reflexive 'se' with the dative 'me' (for me/on me). 'Na'' is a colloquial elision of 'nada'.

pa' que vean so that they can see

'Para que' + subjunctive expresses purpose ('so that / in order that'). The subjunctive is obligatory after 'para que' when the subjects of the two clauses differ. This is one of the most important subjunctive triggers in Spanish.

nadie nos va a parar no one is going to stop us

'Ir a' + infinitive expresses near-future intention or certainty. 'Nadie' (no one) as subject requires a singular verb. Note that Spanish does not use double negation with 'nadie' when it precedes the verb — 'nadie nos va a parar' is correct, not 'nadie no nos va a parar'.

va a chinchorrear is going to go bar-hopping

'Ir a' + infinitive expresses near-future plans. 'Chinchorrear' is a Puerto Rican verb derived from 'chinchorro' (a roadside food-and-drink stall). The construction shows how 'ir a' attaches to any infinitive, including highly local slang verbs.

ten cuida'o be careful

'Tener cuidado' is a fixed expression meaning 'to be careful'. 'Ten' is the irregular 2nd-person singular imperative of 'tener'. The -d- in 'cuidado' is elided in casual Caribbean speech, producing 'cuida'o' — a very common feature of Puerto Rican pronunciation.

cuando te toque bajar when it's your turn to go down

'Tocarle a alguien' is a fixed expression meaning 'to be someone's turn' or 'for something to fall to someone'. 'Te toque' uses the present subjunctive because 'cuando' referring to a future event always triggers the subjunctive in Spanish.

tengamos que buscar we have to go looking for you

'Tener que' + infinitive expresses obligation ('to have to do something'). Here it appears in the present subjunctive ('tengamos que') because it follows 'que no te vayas... y' in a chain of subjunctive clauses expressing a warning.

yo te vo'a decir algo pa' que sepa' I'm going to tell you something so you know

'Ir a' + infinitive ('vo'a decir') expresses near-future intention. 'Pa' que' + subjunctive ('sepa'') expresses purpose. The elision 'vo'a' for 'voy a' and 'sepa'' for 'sepas' are characteristic of Caribbean Spanish informal speech.

desde que sale el sol hasta que se esconde from sunrise to sunset

'Desde que' + present tense and 'hasta que' + present tense frame a duration. 'Se esconde' uses the reflexive 'esconderse' (to hide itself) as a poetic way to describe the sun setting — the sun 'hides itself'. This is a common literary device in Spanish.

pa' que sientan el torque so they can feel the torque

'Para que' + subjunctive ('sientan') expresses purpose. 'Sentir' (to feel) is a stem-changing verb (e→ie in present indicative, e→ie in present subjunctive). The subjunctive is required here because the purpose clause has a different subject from the main clause.

me vo'a dar otra I'm going to have another one

'Darse' + a drink/food item is a colloquial reflexive construction meaning 'to treat oneself to' or 'to have' something. 'Me vo'a dar otra' = 'I'm going to have another (drink)'. The reflexive 'me' adds the sense of doing it for oneself, with pleasure.

en lo que los muchacho' hacen el corte while the guys take a break

'En lo que' is a colloquial Caribbean Spanish conjunction meaning 'while / as'. It is equivalent to 'mientras' in standard Spanish. 'Hacer el corte' is a colloquial expression meaning 'to take a break / to cut out for a moment'.

Vocabulary to learn from “CAFé CON RON”

The words the song uses most.

• subir go up / climb verb ·15
• ir I go / I am going verb ·13
• estar we are verb ·8
• venir come verb ·8
• bajar to go down / to descend verb ·7
• quedar to stay / to remain verb ·6
• poner put it on / go for it verb ·6
• la mañana morning / tomorrow noun ·5
• el café coffee noun ·5
• la tarde afternoon / evening noun ·5
• el ron rum noun ·5
• la calle street noun ·5

Verbs in the song, and the form being sung

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

Grammar you'll meet in this song

• Present44
• Imperative32
• Present subjunctive9
• Preterite3
• Imperfect1

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