Los Van Van, “La Maquinaria”
“La Maquinaria” is one of the first Cuban Salsa videos I fell in love with. Cuban Salsa at its best, so inclusive: young and old, black and white, beautiful and less beautiful, you and me.
This is still one of my all time favorite Timba salsa songs, certain to bring me to my dance feet.
I found the Spanish lyrics but no English translation, so I have tried to use Google Translation! I have made a few common sense corrections to Google, and there are a couple of places the Google translation is not complete. In the table below the English translation is probably still flat wrong a few places, lyrics and poems can be difficult to translate!
| La Maquinaria | The Machinary |
| _ | _ |
| ¡Atención!, para todos los bailadores del mundo | Attention!, for all the dancers of the world |
| La Maquinaria ya salió | The machinery is already on the move *1 |
| ¡Ahí na má! | This is it! *2 |
| Todo el mundo | All the world |
| _ | _ |
| ¡Oh, Oh! Te figuraste que ya yo no | Oh oh! You thought I wouldn’t do it *3 |
| ¡Oh, Oh! Te figuraste que ya yo no | Oh oh! You thought I wouldn’t do it |
| _ | _ |
| Somos una maquinaria | We are a machinery |
| Que si nos cambian los aros | What if we change the rings |
| Nos rectifican el cigüeñal | We rectify the crankshaft |
| Nunca se va a parar | It’s never going to stop |
| _ | _ |
| ¡Oh, Oh! Te figuraste que ya yo no | Oh oh! You thought I wouldn’t do it |
| ¡Oh, Oh! Te figuraste que ya yo no | Oh oh! You thought I wouldn’t do it |
| _ | _ |
| La maquinaria es un tren | The machinery is a train |
| Una guagua | A bus |
| Una rastra | A harrow |
| Un aeroplano | An airplane |
| Un camión | A truck |
| Una lancha | A boat |
| Un gran cañón | A big cannon *4 |
| _ | _ |
| ¡Oh, Oh! Te figuraste que ya yo no | Oh oh! You thought I wouldn’t do it |
| _ | _ |
| Te figuraste | You figured |
| Te lo creíste | You believed |
| Pero, yo creo que te confundiste, varón | But, I think you got confused, mate *5 |
| _ | _ |
| ¡Oh, Oh! Te figuraste que ya yo no | Oh oh! You thought I wouldn’t do it |
| _ | _ |
| Tú te creías | You believed |
| Que ya taba cansao | That I was already tired |
| Que taba achantao | That taba achantao *6 |
| Pero yo sigo plantao | But I keep planting |
| _ | _ |
| ¡Oh, Oh! Te figuraste que ya yo o | Oh oh! You thought I wouldn’t do it |
| _ | _ |
| Anda ven y súbete | Come on and get on |
| A mi maquinaria | To my machinery |
| Pa que vea | Pa you see *7 |
| Y cómo las mujeres se menean | And how women wag |
| Lo digo yo | I say so |
| _ | _ |
| ¡Oh, Oh! Te figuraste que ya yo no | Oh oh! You thought I wouldn’t do it |
| _ | _ |
| Y tú te figuraste | And you figured |
| Que no taba en talla | That did not fit in size |
| Y con mi maquinaria | And with my machinery |
| Sigo en la batalla | I’m still in the battle |
| _ | _ |
| Bueno apresúrense que | Well hurry up |
| _ | _ |
| ¡Atrévete! | Dare yourself! |
| ¡Atrévete! | Dare yourself! |
| Súbete en mi maquinaria | Get on my machinery |
| ¡Atrévete! | Dare yourself! |
| Pa que bailes con valentía | Pa to dance bravely *8 |
| ¡Atrévete! | Dare yourself! |
| Pa que nunca te arrepientas | Pa you never regret *9 |
| ¡Atrévete! | Dare yourself! |
| De bailar con los Van Van | To dance with the Van Van |
| ¡de Cuba! | from Cuba! |
| ¡Atrévete! | Dare yourself! |
| Cómo | How |
| ¡Atrévete! | Dare yourself! |
| Manos arriba | Hands up |
| ¡Atrévete!… | Dare yourself!… |
| El hombre es la más perfecta | Man is the most perfect |
| Maquinaria universal | Universal machinery |
| Imagínate si es un Van Van | Imagine if it’s a Van Van |
| Que lleva más de 40 años | Who has been more than 40 years |
| Andando | Walking |
| Inventando | Inventing |
| Creando | Creating |
| Un Sin números de locuras | A No Numbers of Follies |
| El que se nos ha atrevido | The one that has dared us |
| Para poderlo tocar | To be able to touch it |
| _ | _ |
| ¡Atrévete! | Dare yourself! |
| ¡Atrévete! | Dare yourself! |
| ¡Atrévete!… | Dare yourself!… |
*1) Google translation says “Machinery has already left”. I think “The machinery is already on the move” is better.
*2) Google translation says “There na má!” I think “This is it!” is better.
*3) Google translation says “You figured that I did not”. I think “You thought I wouldn’t do it” is better.
*4) Google Translation says “large canyon”. I think a “big cannon” is better.
*5) Google Translation says “male”. I think “mate” or “buddy” is better.
*6) “taba achantao” not translated?
*7) “Pa” not translated?
*8) “Pa” not translated?
*9) “Pa” not translated?
SalsaSelfie.com 🇨🇺 