Mas Macarena Lyrics in English by Gente De Zona, Los Del Río
Jura is a formal word that means an oath or solemn pledge. In the lyric "la jura de bandera", it points to the military ceremony where recruits swear loyalty to the flag. Hearing such a weighty, official term tucked inside a party anthem makes it memorable and perfect for expanding your Spanish vocabulary.
Everyone knows the famous chorus that tells Macarena to give joy to her body because her body is built for good things: "Dale a tu cuerpo alegría Macarena / Que tu cuerpo es para darle alegría y cosa buena" (Give your body joy, Macarena / Because your body is meant for giving it joy and good things). In this revamped version, Cuban group Gente De Zona teams up with Los Del Río to bring the party straight to the Caribbean. While walking through Havana, the singer bumps into Macarena herself ("Caminando por la Habana, a Macarena yo me la encontré" [Walking through Havana, I ran into Macarena]) and asks her to dance to Cuban music instead, totally hooked on her unstoppable moves.
Beneath the breezy beat, the storytelling stays wonderfully chaotic and funny. You still get the classic story about Macarena's bad boyfriend Vitorino, whom she completely betrayed with two of his buddies during his military swearing-in ceremony ("Y en la jura de bandera el muchacho / Se la dio con dos amigos" [And during the boy's oath to the flag / She cheated on him with two friends]). In Spanish, "jura de bandera" refers to an official flag-pledging military rite, which makes her bold cheating move even wilder. Meanwhile, the Cuban singer does not care about any drama. He just wants zero stress and a lifetime of dancing: "Yo no quiero más problemas / Y quiero morirme en Cuba / Bailando la Macarena" (I don't want any more problems / And I want to die in Cuba / Dancing the Macarena).
