¡Ay Calavera Catrina! is a lively face-off with Mexico’s most stylish symbol of death. TEMPUS QUARTET’s Japanese songwriter steps into a Día de Muertos dreamscape, staring down the elegant skeleton lady who lurks beneath her feathered hat. The singer feels Death’s cold power—“hasta el cuero se me enchina” (my skin crawls)—yet mocks her menace with defiant humor. Each verse turns into a musical talisman: if you really want to hurt me, don’t let me sing, because every lyric makes him stronger, pushing the grim reaper back to her “desdichado espejo” (wretched mirror).
Beneath the playful bravado lies a universal truth: we all carry Death’s mark, but our voice, art, and laughter can keep her at bay—at least for today. The narrator accepts that one day “la flaca” will win, yet he chooses the timing himself. Until then he dances, taunts, and belts out this spirited corrido-meets-classical anthem, celebrating life’s resilience in the very shadow of the grave.