En Bajo Perfil Lyrics in English by Cruz Cafuné

Zaguán is a traditional Spanish word for an entrance hall, passageway, or vestibule leading into a house. It is more specific and evocative than the everyday word entrada, making it a memorable vocabulary choice.

In the song, the narrator mentions taking the keys from the furniture in the zaguán and hiding them so nobody finds out. The word helps create the secretive, clandestine atmosphere of the couple’s relationship.

Cruz Cafuné’s “En Bajo Perfil” follows a couple trying to keep their relationship hidden while building a life they cannot quite afford. The narrator buys condoms, rolling papers, and other supplies, borrows cars, and pays for flights “pa’ mantenerlo clandestino” [to keep it secret]. She chooses him even though the relationship is forbidden, and the pair joke about naming their future collective “broke niños” [broke kids]. That joke says a lot: they are short on money, but rich in plans, asking for “dos añitos” [two years] to make things work. The repeated phrase “en bajo perfil” [under the radar, keeping a low profile] turns secrecy into their everyday routine.

The second verse moves between distance, travel, sex, smoking, and guilt. They arrange visits every couple of months, then remember trips to places including Merzouga and “la Haya” [The Hague]. The line “Creímos que iba a ser así siempre” [We thought it would always be like this] suddenly gives the song a darker turn, followed by “te jodí para siempre” [I messed you up forever]. Even with that regret, the chorus returns to their secret world: hiding keys, searching for each other, making schemes, and “siempre golfiando” [always fooling around or acting mischievously]. It is a funny, messy love story with borrowed cars, expensive flights, locked doors, and the knowledge that the same secrecy that protected them may also have damaged them.