Song guide

SUBEME LA RADIO

Enrique Iglesias, Descemer Bueno

SUBEME LA RADIO by Enrique Iglesias, Descemer Bueno, line by line: what the lyrics mean, 23 expressions explained and 442 words translated with their grammar. Learn Spanish from the song, free.

73 lines translated 442 words explained 23 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. Súbeme la radio

    Turn up the radio for me

    'Súbeme la radio' is the title track from Enrique Iglesias's 2017 album of the same name. The song became a massive Latin pop hit, blending reggaeton and pop styles. The title phrase became iconic in Spanish-speaking pop culture.

  2. Trá-tráeme el alcohol

    Bring me the alcohol

  3. Súbeme la radio que esta es mi canción

    Turn up the radio—this is my song

  4. Siente el bajo que va subiendo

    Feel the bass getting louder

  5. Tráeme el alcohol que quita el dolor

    Bring me the alcohol that takes away the pain

  6. Hoy vamo' a juntar la luna y el sol

    Today we're going to bring the moon and the sun together

    Joining 'la luna y el sol' (the moon and the sun) is a poetic image for uniting opposites — night and day, feminine and masculine (luna is grammatically feminine, sol is masculine in Spanish). It suggests the singer wants to create something impossible or magical with the person he loves.

  7. Súbeme la radio que esta es mi canción

    Turn up the radio—this is my song

  8. Siente el bajo que va subiendo

    Feel the bass getting louder

  9. Tráeme el alcohol que quita el dolor

    Bring me the alcohol that takes away the pain

  10. Hoy vamo' a juntar la luna y el sol

    Today we're going to bring the moon and the sun together

  11. Ya no me importa nada

    I don't care about anything anymore

  12. Ni el día ni la hora

    Not the day, not the hour

  13. Si lo he perdido todo

    If I've lost everything

  14. Me has dejado en las sombras

    You've left me in the shadows

  15. Te juro que te pienso

    I swear I think about you

  16. Hago el mejor intento

    I'll do my very best

  17. El tiempo pasa lento

    Time passes slowly

  18. Y yo me voy muriendo (Y yo me voy muriendo)

    And I'm slowly dying (And I'm slowly dying)

  19. Si llega la noche y tú no contestas

    If night falls and you don't answer

  20. Te juro me quedo esperando a tu puerta

    I swear I'll wait for you at your door

  21. Vivo pasando las noches en vela

    I spend my nights awake

    'Pasar las noches en vela' (spending nights awake/sleepless) is a classic romantic and poetic image in Spanish-language song and literature, evoking the suffering of unrequited love or longing for an absent lover.

  22. Y sigo cantando bajo la luna llena

    And I keep singing under the full moon

  23. Súbeme la radio que esta es mi canción

    Turn up the radio—this is my song

  24. Siente el bajo que va subiendo

    Feel the bass getting louder

  25. Tráeme el alcohol que quita el dolor

    Bring me the alcohol that takes away the pain

  26. Hoy vamo' a juntar la luna y el sol

    Today we're going to bring the moon and the sun together

  27. Súbeme la radio que esta es mi canción

    Turn up the radio—this is my song

  28. Siente el bajo que va subiendo

    Feel the bass getting louder

  29. Tráeme el alcohol que quita el dolor

    Bring me the alcohol that takes away the pain

  30. Hoy vamo' a juntar la luna y el sol

    Today we're going to bring the moon and the sun together

  31. Huyendo del pasado

    Escaping the past

  32. En cada madrugada

    Every dawn

    'La madrugada' refers specifically to the hours between midnight and dawn — roughly 1am to 5am. It is a distinct word from 'la mañana' (morning). In Latin music, 'la madrugada' often appears as a time of loneliness, heartbreak, or late-night partying.

  33. No encuentro ningún modo

    I can't find any way

  34. De borrar nuestra historia

    To erase our story

  35. A su salud bebiendo (A su salud bebiendo)

    Drinking to her health (Cheers!)

    'A su salud' as a drinking toast is the formal/literary version of the more common 'salud' (cheers). The use of 'su' (her/his) rather than 'tu' (your) suggests the singer is toasting to the absent person rather than to someone present — drinking to drown the memory of a lost love.

  36. Mientras me quede aliento (Mientras me quede aliento)

    As long as I have breath left (As long as I have breath left)

  37. Sólo le estoy pidiendo (Sólo te estoy pidiendo)

    I'm only asking you (I'm only asking you)

  38. Romper este silencio (Romper este silencio)

    To break this silence (To break this silence)

  39. Súbeme la radio que esta es mi canción

    Turn up the radio—this is my song

  40. Siente el bajo que va subiendo

    Feel the bass getting louder

  41. Tráeme el alcohol que quita el dolor

    Bring me the alcohol that takes away the pain

  42. Hoy vamo' a juntar la luna y el sol

    Today we're going to bring the moon and the sun together

  43. Súbeme la radio que esta es mi canción

    Turn up the radio—this is my song

  44. Siente el bajo que va subiendo

    Feel the bass getting louder

  45. Tráeme el alcohol que quita el dolor

    Bring me the alcohol that takes away the pain

  46. Hoy vamo' a juntar la luna y el sol

    Today we're going to bring the moon and the sun together

  47. Ando loco y desesperado en busca de tu amor

    I'm going crazy and desperate searching for your love

  48. No me dejes en esta soledad te pido

    Don't leave me in this loneliness, I beg you

  49. Nena, te digo, vuelve conmigo

    Baby, I'm telling you, come back to me

    'Nena' is a common term of endearment in Latin American Spanish, equivalent to 'baby' or 'girl'. It is widely used in reggaeton and Latin pop to address a romantic partner.

  50. Si tú me llamas, te juro que pa' allá voy yo

    If you call me, I swear I'll be right there

  51. Quiero verte ya, ya no aguanto más

    I want to see you now—I can't take it anymore

  52. Quiero darte calor solo una vez más

    I want to hold you close just one more time

  53. Ya no aguanto más, quiero verte ya

    I can't take it anymore—I want to see you now

  54. Hoy

    Today

  55. Yo no te miento

    I'm not lying to you

  56. Todavía te espero

    I'm still waiting for you

  57. Sabes bien que te quiero

    You know very well that I love you

  58. No sé vivir sin ti

    I don't know how to live without you

  59. Yo no te miento

    I'm not lying to you

  60. Todavía te espero

    I'm still waiting for you

  61. Sabes bien que te quiero

    You know very well that I love you

  62. No sé vivir sin ti

    I don't know how to live without you

  63. Súbeme la radio que esta es mi canción

    Turn up the radio—this is my song

  64. Siente el bajo que va subiendo

    Feel the bass getting louder

  65. Tráeme el alcohol que quita el dolor

    Bring me the alcohol that takes away the pain

  66. Hoy vamo' a juntar la luna y el sol

    Today we're going to bring the moon and the sun together

  67. Súbeme la radio que esta es mi canción

    Turn up the radio—this is my song

  68. Siente el bajo que va subiendo

    Feel the bass getting louder

  69. Tráeme el alcohol que quita el dolor

    Bring me the alcohol that takes away the pain

  70. Hoy vamo' a juntar la luna y el sol

    Today we're going to bring the moon and the sun together

  71. Súbeme la radio

    Turn up the radio for me

  72. Trá-tráeme el alcohol

    Bring me the alcohol

  73. Súbeme la radio

    Turn up the radio for me

Expressions and idioms in “SUBEME LA RADIO”

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

Súbeme la radio Turn up the radio for me
The verb subir (to go up / to raise) is used here in the imperative with the clitic 'me' attached, forming súbeme. The clitic 'me' is an indirect object pronoun meaning 'for me'. This pattern — imperative verb + clitic — is extremely common in Spanish commands: súbeme (raise it for me), tráeme (bring me), dime (tell me).
va subiendo is getting louder / is rising
ir + gerund is a periphrastic construction in Spanish that expresses a gradual, ongoing process — similar to English 'to keep doing' or 'to be progressively doing'. Here, 'va subiendo' means the bass is gradually getting louder, not just that it goes up once.
vamo' a juntar we're going to bring together
ir a + infinitive is the standard Spanish periphrastic future, equivalent to English 'going to do something'. 'Vamo'' is a colloquial, song-lyric elision of 'vamos'. The construction signals near-future intention: vamos a juntar = we are going to bring together.
ya no me importa I don't care anymore
importar works like English 'to matter' — the subject is the thing that matters, and the person is expressed with an indirect object pronoun. 'Me importa' = 'it matters to me'. Adding 'ya no' (no longer / not anymore) gives 'it no longer matters to me', i.e. 'I don't care anymore'.
lo he perdido todo I have lost everything
This is the present perfect tense in Spanish: haber (conjugated) + past participle. 'He perdido' = 'I have lost'. The direct object pronoun 'lo' anticipates 'todo' (everything) — a common Spanish construction where the object is doubled by a pronoun.
me has dejado you have left me
Another present perfect construction: has dejado = you have left/abandoned. The clitic 'me' is the indirect object (me). Dejar can mean 'to leave', 'to let', or 'to abandon' depending on context — here it means 'to abandon'.
en las sombras in the shadows
The phrase 'en las sombras' is a fixed poetic expression meaning 'in the dark' or 'in the shadows', used metaphorically to describe being abandoned, forgotten, or left in emotional darkness.
te pienso I think about you
In standard Spanish, 'pensar en alguien' (to think about someone) requires the preposition 'en'. However, in colloquial Latin American Spanish — especially in song lyrics — 'te pienso' (I think you) drops the preposition, using the direct object pronoun 'te' instead. This is a regional/informal construction.
me voy muriendo I'm slowly dying
irse + gerund is a periphrastic construction expressing a gradual process, often with emotional weight. 'Me voy muriendo' does not mean 'I am going to die' (that would be 'voy a morir') — it means 'I am gradually dying / dying little by little'. The reflexive 'me' intensifies the personal, ongoing nature of the action.
me quedo esperando I'll stay waiting
quedarse (reflexive) means 'to stay / to remain', which is different from plain quedar (to be left over, or to arrange to meet). Here, 'me quedo esperando' = 'I stay waiting' — quedarse + gerund expresses remaining in a state or continuing an action.
noches en vela sleepless nights / nights awake
'En vela' is a fixed Spanish expression meaning 'awake' or 'keeping vigil'. It comes from the tradition of keeping a candle (vela) burning through the night. 'Pasar la noche en vela' = to spend the night awake/sleepless. The word 'vela' alone means 'candle' or 'sail', but 'en vela' as a phrase means 'awake'.
sigo cantando I keep singing
seguir + gerund is a periphrastic construction meaning 'to keep doing something / to continue doing something'. It is one of the most common verbal periphrases in Spanish: sigo cantando = I keep singing, sigues esperando = you keep waiting.
huyendo del pasado fleeing from the past
huir de = to flee from. The preposition 'de' contracts with the masculine article 'el' to form 'del'. The gerund 'huyendo' here functions as a participial phrase describing the subject's ongoing state — a common lyrical construction where a gerund opens a line without an explicit subject.
a su salud to her health / cheers
'A su salud' is the Spanish toast equivalent to 'cheers' or 'to your health'. The possessive 'su' is ambiguous — it can mean 'his', 'her', 'your' (formal), or 'their'. In this lyric, the singer appears to be drinking to the health of the person he has lost.
mientras me quede aliento as long as I have breath left
This is a subjunctive construction: 'mientras' (while / as long as) + subjunctive is used when the time clause refers to an uncertain or hypothetical future. 'Me quede aliento' uses the subjunctive of quedar, meaning 'breath remains to me'. The indirect object 'me' indicates the breath belongs to the speaker.
estoy pidiendo I am asking
estar + gerund forms the Spanish present progressive, equivalent to English 'I am doing'. 'Estoy pidiendo' = 'I am asking / I am requesting'. This construction emphasises that the action is happening right now, in this moment.
en busca de in search of
'En busca de' is a fixed prepositional phrase meaning 'in search of / looking for'. It is more formal and literary than 'buscando' (searching for), and is commonly used in song lyrics and poetry to add dramatic weight.
ando loco I'm going crazy
andar + adjective is a colloquial construction in Spanish (especially Latin American) meaning 'to be in a certain state'. 'Ando loco' = 'I'm going around crazy / I'm acting crazy'. It is similar to estar but implies a more active, ongoing, or temporary condition.
vuelve conmigo come back to me
volver + conmigo uses the imperative of volver (to return / to come back) with the prepositional pronoun 'conmigo' (with me). Note that Spanish uses 'conmigo' (not 'con mí') — the preposition 'con' fuses with the first-person pronoun to form a single word.
pa' allá voy yo I'll be right there
'Pa'' is a colloquial elision of 'para', very common in informal speech and song lyrics. 'Para allá' means 'toward there / over there'. The subject pronoun 'yo' is placed at the end for emphasis — Spanish normally drops subject pronouns, so including 'yo' here stresses that it is specifically the speaker who will go.
ya no aguanto más I can't take it anymore
'Ya no' means 'no longer / not anymore'. 'Aguantar' means 'to endure / to put up with / to stand'. 'Más' here means 'anymore'. Together, 'ya no aguanto más' is a very common colloquial expression meaning 'I can't stand it anymore / I can't take it anymore'.
una vez más one more time
'Una vez' means 'one time / once'. 'Una vez más' is a fixed expression meaning 'one more time / once more'. It is used frequently in both everyday speech and song lyrics.
no sé vivir sin ti I don't know how to live without you
saber + infinitive means 'to know how to do something' — it expresses ability or knowledge of a skill, not just factual knowledge. 'No sé vivir' = 'I don't know how to live'. This is different from 'no puedo vivir' (I can't live), which expresses inability rather than not knowing how.

Vocabulary to learn from “SUBEME LA RADIO”

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.

subir turn up for me

sung: súbeme
subir — present tense
yo subo
tú subes
él / ella / usted sube
nosotros subimos
vosotros subís
ellos / ustedes suben

ir goes / is going

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

traer bring me

sung: trá-tráeme irregular
traer — present tense
yo traigo
tú traes
él / ella / usted trae
nosotros traemos
vosotros traéis
ellos / ustedes traen

ser is

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

sentir feel

sung: siente irregular
sentir — present tense
yo siento
tú sientes
él / ella / usted siente
nosotros sentimos
vosotros sentís
ellos / ustedes sienten

Grammar you'll meet in this song

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