Intercambio Injusto Lyrics in English by Ivan Cornejo
Intercambio translates to 'exchange' or 'trade'. It is a transactional word that you would typically hear in business, banking, or when trading physical items.
In this heartbreaking track, Ivan Cornejo flips its everyday meaning by singing about an intercambio injusto (unfair exchange). He uses this metaphor to describe the pain of fixing his partner's broken heart, only for her to take that healed heart and give it to someone else. It is a highly creative way to describe the painful imbalance of a one-sided romance.
Ever fixed someone up after a rough patch only to watch them hand that shiny, healed heart straight to somebody else? That is the exact sting Ivan Cornejo sings about in "Intercambio Injusto" (Unfair Trade). He spots his ex from afar looking glowing and radiant: "Ayer te vi / De lejos pude notar que estás feliz / Feliz con él / Feliz sin mí" ("Yesterday I saw you / From far away I could tell you're happy / Happy with him / Happy without me"). The real gut punch is how fast she moved on, acting like he is totally see-through: "Es como si fuera transparente ante tus ojos / Como si jamás nos hubiéramos conocido" ("It's as if I were transparent before your eyes / As if we had never met").
The title nails the central complaint: it was a terrible deal. He gave everything he had, helped repair her broken heart, and walked away empty-handed. He sings, "duele saber que yo te arreglé el corazón / Y tú sin pensarlo se lo diste a él" ("it hurts knowing that I fixed your heart / And without a second thought you gave it to him"). The bitterness reaches a peak when he wishes he could travel back in time to the very first day they met—just so he could walk right past her without saying hello.
