Learn Spanish with Vallenato Music with these 11 Song Recommendations (Full Translations Included!)

Vallenato
LF Content Team | Updated on 2 February 2023
Learning Spanish with Vallenato is a great way to learn Spanish! Learning with music is fun, engaging, and includes a cultural aspect that is often missing from other language learning methods. So music and song lyrics are a great way to supplement your learning and stay motivated to keep learning Spanish!
Below are 11 Vallenato song recommendations to get you started learning Spanish! We have full lyric translations and lessons for each of the songs recommended below, so check out all of our resources. We hope you enjoy learning Spanish with Vallenato!
CONTENTS SUMMARY
1. Robarte Un Beso (To Steal A Kiss From You)
Carlos Vives, Sebastian Yatra
Son muchos años que pasaron sin decir te quiero
Y en verdad te quiero
Pero encuentro formas de engañar mi corazón
Son muchos años que pasaron sin robarte un beso
Many years passed without saying I love you
And I really love you
But I find ways to deceive my heart
Many years passed without stealing a kiss from you

“Robarte Un Beso” is a lively vallenato-pop confession where Carlos Vives and Sebastián Yatra muster the courage to turn years of silent affection into one daring request: “let me steal a kiss.” The singers reminisce about old songs, shared laughter and the flutter of mariposas (butterflies) that still spark between them. Each lyric is a playful plea to break the ice, crank up the music and capture that long-awaited moment that goes straight to the soul.

At its heart, the track celebrates the thrill of rediscovered love. By blending Vives’s classic vallenato flavor with Yatra’s youthful charisma, it paints a picture of two people who have always cared for each other yet never spoke up. Now they lean on music, humor and a little bit of cheeky bravado to say what words alone could not: “I want you to fall in love and never leave.” The result is an infectious reminder that sometimes the sweetest romance begins with a stolen kiss and an old song you both adore.

2. La Bicicleta (The Bicycle)
Carlos Vives, Shakira
Nada voy a hacer
Rebuscando en las heridas del pasado
No voy a perder
Yo no quiero ser un tipo de otro lado
I will do nothing
Digging in the wounds of the past
I'm not going to lose
I don't want to be a guy from the other side

Hop on the saddle and feel the Caribbean breeze - 'La Bicicleta' is a sun-soaked tour of Colombia where Carlos Vives and Shakira invite us to pedal through their memories. With an infectious vallenato rhythm, they celebrate the freedom of a simple bike ride that glides from Santa Marta to Barranquilla, past sparkling beaches and lively plazas, all while hearts beat in sync with the accordion.

The song is both love letter and hometown postcard. The bicycle becomes a symbol of uncomplicated happiness, of living in the present instead of poking at old scars. Through playful verses, Vives praises Shakira’s unique charm and she, in turn, boasts about the coastal landscapes so dazzling that even Piqué might trade Barcelona for Tayrona. Every chorus opens a little note kept close to the heart, repeating that dream and affection have been alive for a long time. In short, 'La Bicicleta' invites you to feel the joy of love, friendship, and cultural pride while cruising to a beat that refuses to slow down.

3. La Bicicleta (The Bicycle)
Shakira, Carlos Vives
Nada voy a hacer
Rebuscando en las heridas del pasado
No voy a perder
Yo no quiero ser un tipo de otro lado
I will do nothing
Digging in the wounds of the past
I'm not going to lose
I don't want to be a guy from the other side

Shakira and Carlos Vives invite you on a sun-soaked bike ride along Colombia’s Caribbean coast. 🇨🇴🚲 La Bicicleta celebrates living descomplicado - free of past wounds, hair in the wind, heart beating to vallenato rhythms. Each pedal stroke is a promise of love, friendship, and pride in hometown treasures such as Barranquilla, Santa Marta, and the dazzling Tayrona National Park.

The lyrics feel like a handwritten note tucked in your pocket: I dream of you, I love you so much. Between playful shout-outs to Shakira’s partner Piqué and vivid images of dancing hips, the song blends romance with cultural sightseeing. Its message is clear: true happiness lies in simple moments, local music, and a trusty bicycle that can carry you - and your beloved - absolutely everywhere.

4. Vivir Bailando (Living Dancing)
Silvestre Dangond, Maluma
Y yo aquí pensando que tú eres bonita
Ay, creo que si lo intento puedo enamorarte
No es casualidad que te tenga cerquita
A poca distancia pa' poder besarte
And I'm here thinking that you are pretty
Oh, I think that if I try I can make you fall in love
It's not a coincidence that I have you close
At a short distance to be able to kiss you

Vivir Bailando is an irresistible vallenato–pop invitation to drop everything, take someone by the hand, and let the music lead the way. Silvestre Dangond and Maluma serenade a dazzling crush who is so close they can almost taste the kiss, confessing that past escapades were simply a search for real affection. Now, with playful swagger, they promise moonlit safaris across the bedroom, barefoot walks around the world, and even a noisy household full of kids—if she’s up for the adventure.

Behind the flirtatious lines and Colombian shout-outs to Valledupar, Urumita, and Medellín, the song carries a bright message: life is better when you dance through it with someone who makes your heart race. Every accordion riff sparks the same yearning as the lyrics—to live, love, and laugh in an endless spin of rhythm, romance, and joyful spontaneity.

5. La Última Vez (The Last Time)
Silvestre Dangond
No eres más que vanidad
Hasta lastima me das
Piensas que el mundo gira a tus pies
Y que puedes tener todo lo que te imaginas
You're nothing more than vanity
I even pity you
You think that the world turns at your feet
And that you can have everything that you imagine

Feel the accordion roar and the guacharaca rattle as Silvestre Dangond shouts his final ¡adiós! to a vain, self-centered lover. In “La Última Vez,” the Colombian star turns heartbreak into a victory parade: after countless empty apologies and nights of pretending, he rips this toxic romance out of his chest and swears that every look, touch, and sigh they share today will be the last. The chorus repeats that decisive phrase — "la última vez" — like a rallying cry for anyone ready to break free.

Behind the lively Vallenato beat lies a message of self-respect and liberation. What starts as sorrow (“Mucho tuve que sufrir”) ends in relief (“Hoy respiro con tranquilidad”) as the singer walks away, leaving prideful tears in his ex’s eyes. It is a song that celebrates closing the door on emotional chaos and dancing forward with newfound peace, proving that sometimes the best revenge is simply reclaiming your happiness.

6. Cásate Conmigo (Marry Me)
Silvestre Dangond, Nicky Jam
El amor, el amor no se acaba
El amor se transforma
Y se queda en el alma
Por amor, por amor se perdona
Love, love doesn't end
Love transforms
And it stays in the soul
For love, for love one forgives

“Cásate Conmigo” is a joyful vallenato-pop proposal that bursts with celebration. Colombian star Silvestre Dangond teams up with reggaetón icon Nicky Jam to turn a simple question—Will you marry me?—into a musical fiesta. Over lively accordion riffs and urban beats, the singers declare that real love never disappears; it only transforms and makes both partners stronger. They promise forgiveness for any past mistakes, paint themselves as husband, lover, and best friend all at once, and even joke about becoming “president” and “first lady.” The message is clear: destiny brought them together, and they are ready to face sun or storm hand in hand.

Listening feels like being invited to the happiest wedding in town. The chorus repeats the heartfelt plea “Cásate conmigo” (Marry me) while the verses highlight loyalty, resilience, and unshakable faith in the relationship. It is an uplifting reminder that true commitment means dancing through life’s highs and lows together—accordion, perreo, and all!

7. Vivo Pensando En Ti (I Live Thinking About You)
Felipe Peláez, Maluma
Yo no sé qué va a pasar
Pero sé que pongo en riesgo
Nuestros días de amistad
Ay no sé cómo sucedió
I don't know what's going to happen
But I know that I put at risk
Our days of friendship
Oh I don't know how it happened

Felipe Peláez and Maluma take us straight into the sweet turmoil of falling for your best friend. Over the warm accordion and percussion of classic vallenato, the narrator confesses that a simple friendship has grown into something explosive. He knows he is “putting our days of friendship at risk,” yet he cannot help it: daydreams, late-night fantasies, and a racing heart have hijacked his routine, and every thought circles back to ella.

The song captures that dizzy moment when you wonder whether to hide your feelings or jump in head-first. It is a playful tug-of-war between fear and desire: “We can stay just friends… but how about we try being more, right here in my room?” With affectionate nicknames like “mi princesa” and “mi refugio,” he paints love as both adventure and safe haven. “Vivo Pensando En Ti” is an invitation to take the gamble, to turn a confidant into a soulmate, and to let a friendship blossom into a lifetime of dancing, laughter, and endless vallenato vibes.

8. La Tierra Del Olvido (The Land Of Oblivion)
Carlos Vives, Fanny Lu, Fonseca, Maluma, Andrea Echeverry, Coral Group, Cholo Valderrama, Her
Como la luna que alumbra
Por la noche los caminos
Como las hojas al viento
Como el sol espanta el frío
Like the moon that lights up
the roads at night
Like leaves in the wind
Like the sun chases the cold

La Tierra Del Olvido feels like a love letter written with sunlight, ocean tides, and mountain breezes. Carlos Vives and his all-star Colombian friends compare their beloved to nature’s most comforting sights: the moon lighting a path, the sun chasing away cold, the sea longing for the river. Every line says, “You hold the key to my heart; without your love, I would die.” Whether the “you” is a treasured person or the very soil of Colombia, the emotion is the same - an unbreakable bond fueled by desire, hope, and awe.

When joropo strings, Pacific marimbas, and Vallenato accordions join forces, the song turns into a joyful parade across the country’s map. Verses shout out the plains, the Amazon, La Guajira, and every mountain in between, reminding listeners that Colombia grows stronger when its diverse voices sing together. In the end, La Tierra Del Olvido is both a passionate serenade and a proud anthem, urging us never to forget the place - or the people - that feel like home.

9. Las Mujeres (Women)
Carlos Vives, Juanes
Ay las mujeres, las mujeres, las mujeres
Hombre qué vaina las mujeres
Ellas son las que tienen en tormento mi alma
Arruinada y sin calma porque ya no me quieren
Oh the women, the women, the women
Man, what a thing, the women
They are the ones who have my soul in torment
Ruined and without calm because they don't love me anymore

From the first accordion notes, “Las Mujeres” plunges us into a whirlwind of playful heartbreak. Carlos Vives and Juanes trade verses like two buddies on a barstool, sighing ¡qué vaina las mujeres! as they list the damage: empty pockets, wounded pride, and friends who simply do not understand. Every chorus is a cheeky reminder that lost love can sting even more than an empty wallet.

Still, beneath the good-natured grumbling lies true vallenato optimism. The singers swear they will keep searching for a woman who cares about heart, not cash, proving that sincere affection is still out there if you keep dancing. The track turns romantic misfortune into a sing-along celebration of laughter, resilience, and the unbreakable hope of finding real love.

10. Eso Es Mondar (That's Peeling)
Carlos Vives, DJ Marimonda, El Elvis Cienaguero
Dj Marimonda
Para las Marimondas del mundo
Hay palabras del idioma que se han hecho a mala fama
Y aunque la justicia aclama las llaman vulgaridad
DJ Marimonda
For the Marimondas of the world
There are words in the language that have gotten a bad name
And even though justice defends them, they're called vulgarity

Eso Es Mondar is a joyful crash course in Caribbean Colombian slang. Carlos Vives, joined by DJ Marimonda and El Elvis Cienaguero, turns one mischievous word — mondar (or la mondá) — into the star of the show. In the dictionary it simply means to peel a fruit, yet on the streets of Barranquilla it can express almost anything: surprise, frustration, admiration, even a rallying cry during Carnival. With rapid-fire verses, playful shout-outs to local legends, and nods to the beloved Junior soccer team, the song celebrates how language in the Colombian coast is alive, inventive, and irresistibly musical.

Beyond the linguistic lesson, the track is a pep-talk wrapped in cumbia and porro rhythms. When life’s motor refuses to start, when politicians disappoint, or when the neighbor will not stop making noise, the chorus advises: sigue pa’lante y dile que eso es mondá — keep moving forward and let the magic word release the stress. By reclaiming a “naughty” term and turning it into a badge of resilience, Vives invites listeners to laugh, dance, and shout together. The result is a sonic Carnival where wit, community spirit, and linguistic pride peel away the gloom, leaving nothing but rhythm and joy. ¡Que viva el Carnaval! ¡Y que viva la mondá!

11. Tarde Lo Conoci (Late I Met Him)
Patricia Teheran y las diosas del vallenato
Yo no pense que usted me fuera a despertar
Esta grande ilusión que tengo yo que tengo yo
Yo no me imagine que no te iba a encontrar
Ese tipo de hombre que queria yo que queria yo
I didn't think that you would wake up
This big illusion that I have, that I have
I didn't imagine that I wouldn't find you
That kind of man that I wanted, that I wanted

Tarde Lo Conocí is a heartfelt vallenato confession where the singer discovers a love that arrives too late. Patricia Teherán gives voice to a woman who, upon meeting the man of her dreams, realizes he is already committed to someone else. Torn between respect for his relationship and the intensity of her own feelings, she admits that she would have given her whole life to unravel the secrets hidden in his beautiful eyes. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of stolen glances, nervous tremors, and whispered hopes while she tries to keep her growing passion discreet.

Despite knowing the odds are stacked against her, the narrator refuses to give up. She clings to the hope that one day she will feel his skin and call his love her own, repeating the bittersweet lament: “Si primero lo hubiera visto yo, seguramente fuera su mujer.” The song captures the universal ache of meeting the right person at the wrong time, balancing longing, daring, and the quiet optimism that love might still find a way.