Las Mujeres Lyrics in English by Carlos Vives, Juanes
Vaina is a quintessential Colombian slang word and one of the most versatile in the entire Spanish language. While it can literally mean "thing" or "stuff," its meaning changes dramatically with context.
In this song, Carlos Vives sings, "¡Hombre, qué vaina las mujeres!" He uses it as an exclamation of frustration, similar to saying, "Man, what a pain women are!" or "What a nuisance!" Learning vaina is a key step to understanding the soul of Colombian Vallenato music and everyday conversation.
Two of Colombia's biggest musical heavyweights, Carlos Vives and Juanes, join forces here for a lively vallenato track that turns romantic ruin into pure comedy. The track kicks off with a heavy dose of Colombian flair: “Hombre qué vaina las mujeres” ("Man, what a mess women are"). The word vaina is essential everyday Colombian slang for "a thing," "a hassle," or "trouble." In this story, the singers claim their souls are in total torment because the women in their lives dumped them, leaving them broke, loveless, and forgotten (“sin dinero y sin cariño” ["without money and without affection"]). Even their old party friends (amigos de la parranda) have turned their backs out of resentment, baffled by how completely ruined the two men ended up.
Instead of staying bitter, Carlos and Juanes turn their self-pity into a back-and-forth joke, calling each other out by their full names—Juan Esteban (Juanes's real name) and Carlos Vives, plus a nod to vallenato composer Carlos Huertas. They complain about carrying scars on their chests, yet the track refuses to end on a sad note. Carlos insists that true love is still out there: “Porque todavía existe corazones sinceros, y no sólo el dinero, es la dicha completa” ("Because sincere hearts still exist, and money alone isn't complete happiness"). It is a playful reminder that even when you are flat broke and dumped, good music and high spirits will pull you through.
