On Monday of this week (July 13) Daddy Yankee’s album Barrio Fino turned 16. I’m getting this up a little later than I would have liked, but in acknowledgement of this anniversary I figured I’d analyse “Gasolina”, the first single off of the album. Both Barrio Fino and “Gasolina” have had a huge impact on Latin music.

The official video (embedded above) has an additional minute after the song ends. If you prefer to watch the album version without the video, it can be found here.

“Gasolina” is a reggaeton song that was the lead single off of Daddy Yankee’s 2004 album Barrio Fino. It features Puerto Rican reggaeton singer Glory, who sings the line “dame más gasolina”. It became an international hit, and is regarded as having triggered the worldwide explosion of reggaeton and urban Latin music. “Gasolina” reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was so popular in the US that it let to the creation of the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart. It was the first reggaeton song to be nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year, and Billboard listed it as number nine on the “50 Greatest Latin Songs of All Time” list and number eight on the “12 Best Dancehall & Reggaeton Choruses of the 21st Century” list.

Song information from Wikipedia.

About the Artist

Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, who performs as Daddy Yankee, is a singer, songwriter, rapper, actor and record producer from Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. He is known as the “King of Reggaeton”, and is crediting with coining the term ‘reggaeton’ to describe the musical genre emerging from Puerto Rico in the mid 90’s. He first appeared on DJ Playero’s 1991 mixtape entitled Playero 34 with the song “So’ Persigueme, No Te Detengas”. Throughout the 90’s he would release solo music and appear on several of DJ Playero’s other mixtapes, which would later be regarded as the first reggaeton songs produced. His early music was successful in Puerto Rico, but not throughout Latin America.

His 2004 album Barrio Fino enjoyed international success. It won Billboard’s “Reggaeton Album of the Year” in 2005 and made history as the top-selling Latin Music album of the decade for 2000-2009. His 2017 collaboration with Puerto Rican pop singer Luis Fonsi “Despacito” was even more successful. It reached number one on nearly every Latin Billboard chart and is the most-watched YouTube video ever with more than 6.7 billion views as of February 2020. The English remix featuring Justin Bieber is the longest reigning number one song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 at 16 consecutive weeks. As of 2018 “Despacito” had broken seven Guinness World Records and sold more than 11 million records.

Daddy Yankee has won numerous international awards, and is one of the most recognized reggaeton artists within the industry. As of 2017 he had won 5 Latin Grammy Awards, 2 Billboard Music Awards, 14 Billboard Latin Music Awards, 2 Latin American Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award and 6 ASCAP Awards. He has a star on the Puerto Rican Walk of Fame, and was one of Time’s 100 most influential people in 2006. In 2009 he and was named the the “Most Influential Hispanic Artist” by CNN and in 2016 he received the “Industry Leader Award” at the Latin Billboard Awards.

Biographical information from Wikipedia

Cultural References, Idioms and Explanations

‘gata’ – This is the feminine form of the word ‘gato’ meaning cat, and is used to refer to female felines. In slang it can be used to refer to an attractive woman. However care should be taken with the use of this term in reference to people, as in some cultures it can be offensive, meaning ‘whore’.

‘que le den’ – I found translating this phrase to be quite challenging, and in viewing the other translations out there, I think I’m not alone. As an interjection ‘que le den’ means ‘up yours!’. The larger phrase ‘que le den por culo’ means ‘f*** him’ or ‘screw him’, though I have seen the shorter ‘que le den’ translated in the same manner. I think this is more the intended meaning of the lyrics.

‘duro’ – In standard Spanish the adjective ‘duro’ means ‘hard’, however in Puerto Rican slang and reggaeton it means that someone or something is ‘awesome’, ‘the best’, ‘cool’, or ‘bad ass’, or that someone is really good at what they do.

‘mamita’ – This is an example of the diminutive form in Spanish of the word ‘mami’ (see below). This form is achieved by adding ‘-ito’ to the end of masculine nouns, or ‘-ita’ to the end of feminine nouns. While it can mean less than or smaller than the normal noun, often it is simply a stylistic change, with no change in meaning. When used with names, it is a form of endearment.

‘mami’ – While this term can mean ‘mommy’, it is very often used as a slang term to refer to an attractive woman, a female romantic partner, or a close female friend. As you will often hear the term ‘girl’ used to refer to women in English language songs (come on girl, you know I love you), I have used this term in my translations.

‘ir a’ – The verb ‘ir’ means ‘to go’. As in English, when this verb is used with a place, it implies movement towards that place. But when it is used with another verb, it implies that that action will be preformed in the future. For example ‘I am going to the store’ ‘(voy a la tienda’) vs ‘I am going to eat’ (‘voy a comer’).

‘gustar’ – The verb ‘gustar’ is used to state that someone likes something, but the person doing the liking in the object of the sentence, not the subject. Literally this phrase means ‘[item] is pleasing to [person]’. The verb is conjugated for the item being liked, for example ‘me gusta el libro’ (singular) but ‘me gustan los libros’ (plural).

‘dejarse llevar’ – Literally translating as ‘to let oneself carry’, this phrase means ‘to get carried away’ or ‘to get swept away’.

‘vacilar’ – In standard usage this term can have a number of meanings: ‘to stagger’, ‘to tease’, ‘to kid’, ‘to dither’ or ‘to be indecisive’. In slang however this term means ‘go out’ or ‘to go out on the town’.

‘janguear’ – This is a Puerto Rican slang term meaning ‘to hang out’, created from its English equivalent.

‘encantar’ – The verb ‘encantar’ means ‘to love’, and like ‘gustar’, ‘encantar’ conjugates for the item or items being loved, and the person doing the loving is the object of the sentence.

‘perderse’ – Ordinarily this means ‘to miss’ or ‘to get lost’, however in this song I think the more literal meaning of ‘to lose oneself’ actually makes more sense.

‘party de marquesina’ – In Puerto Rican slang this means a “Garage, car port or porch party”.

‘no te me ajores’ – This should actually be ‘no te me azores’; it was altered to rhyme with ‘mejores’. ‘Azorarse’ means ‘to be alarmed’, ‘to be worried’, ‘to be scared’ or ‘to panic’.

‘gatas de to’s colore” – This is another example of a phrase that just doesn’t translate. With the dual meaning of ‘gata’ as both a cat and a woman the idea of ‘cats of all colors’ works, however to translate this as ‘women of all colors’ seems inappropriate, so I translated it as ‘women of all kinds’.

‘zorras’ – The noun ‘zorro’ means ‘fox’. As an adjective it means ‘crafty’, ‘cunning’ or ‘sly’.

‘rendir cuentas’ – Literally translating as ‘to produce accounts’, it means ‘to give an explanation’ or ‘to be held accountable’.

Song Lyrics with Grammatical Breakdown

Mouse over a term for grammatical information. A chart of the terms and grammatical information can be found here.

Gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing

[Pre-Chorus]
Zúmbalezumbar + lebuzz, hum, whirr; tease; beat, hit | verb | sec pers sing impera mambomambomambo; disorientation; deal, issue | noun | masc sing pa’parafor, to, in order to | prep | shortened to pa' in colloquial speech | para que = so that quequethat, than | conj | | para que = so that mismismy | poss adj | masc and fem pl gatasgatafem cat; attractive woman | noun | fem pl prendanprenderto fasten, pin, attach to; set fire to, ignite | verb | third pers pl subj loslosthe | def art | masc pl motore’motormotor, engine | noun | masc pl
Zúmbalezumbar + lebuzz, hum, whirr; tease; beat, hit | verb | sec pers sing impera mambomambomambo; disorientation; deal, issue | noun | masc sing pa’parafor, to, in order to | prep | shortened to pa' in colloquial speech | para que = so that quequethat, than | conj | | para que = so that mismismy | poss adj | masc and fem pl gatasgatafem cat; attractive woman | noun | fem pl prendanprenderto fasten, pin, attach to; set fire to, ignite | verb | third pers pl subj loslosthe | def art | masc pl motore’motormotor, engine | noun | masc pl
Zúmbalezumbar + lebuzz, hum, whirr; tease; beat, hit | verb | sec pers sing impera mambomambomambo; disorientation; deal, issue | noun | masc sing pa’parafor, to, in order to | prep | shortened to pa' in colloquial speech | para que = so that quequethat, than | conj | | para que = so that mismismy | poss adj | masc and fem pl gatasgatafem cat; attractive woman | noun | fem pl prendanprenderto fasten, pin, attach to; set fire to, ignite | verb | third pers pl subj loslosthe | def art | masc pl motore’motormotor, engine | noun | masc pl
Quequethat, than | conj sesehimself, herself, itself, themselves | pron | reflex, third pers sing and pl preparenprepararto prepare | verb | third pers pl impera | prepararse = prepare oneself, get ready quequethat, than | conj lolohim, it | pron | masc sing, neuter | lo que = what, whatever, which quequethat, than | conj | | lo que = what, whatever, which vienevenirto come | verb | third pers sing pres esserto be | verb | third pers sing pres pa’parafor, to, in order to | prep | shortened to pa' in colloquial speech | para que = so that quequethat, than | conj | | para que = so that lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing dendargive, hand, pass; donate; throw, hold | verb | third pers pl pres | que le den = up yours! que le den por culo = f*** him, screw him
¡Duro!durohard, tough; difficult; resilient; stiff | adj | masc sing | in PR slang/reggeaton means awesome, cool, the best, bad ass, someone who is really good at what they do
Mamita,mamimommy, attractive woman, female romantic partner, close female friend | noun | fem sing | slang, addition of dim -ita form of endearment yoyoI | pron | first pers sing sésaberto know | verb | first pers sing pres quequethat, than | conj tútúyou | pron | sec pers sing nononot | adv teteyou, to you, yourself | pron | dir and indir obj, reflex, sec pers sing mememe, to me, myself | pron | dir and indir obj, reflex, first pers sing va’ir (vas)to go | verb | sec pers sing pres | ir a + infin = to be going to do aato, into, by | prep quitarquitartake off, take from; remove, get rid of; steal, snatch | verb | infin
¡Duro!durohard, tough; difficult; resilient; stiff | adj | masc sing | in PR slang/reggeaton means awesome, cool, the best, bad ass, someone who is really good at what they do
Lolohim, it | pron | masc sing, neuter | lo que = what, whatever, which quequethat, than | conj mememe, to me, myself | pron | dir and indir obj, reflex, first pers sing gustagustarto like, to enjoy | verb | third pers sing pres | conjugated for the item being liked, ie X is pleasing to Y esserto be | verb | third pers sing pres quequethat, than | conj tútúyou | pron | sec pers sing teteyou, to you, yourself | pron | dir and indir obj, reflex, sec pers sing dejasdejarto leave | verb | sec pers sing pres | dejarse llevar = get carried away, get swept away llevarllevarto take; to carry | verb | infin | dejarse llevar = get carried away, get swept away
¡Duro!durohard, tough; difficult; resilient; stiff | adj | masc sing | in PR slang/reggeaton means awesome, cool, the best, bad ass, someone who is really good at what they do
Todostodoevery, each; whole, entire | adj | masc pl loslosthe | def art | masc pl weekend’esweekendweekend | noun | masc pl ellaellaher, she it | pron | third pers sing fem salesalirto leave; rise, come up | verb | third pers sing pres aato, into, by | prep vacilarvacilarstagger; tease, kid; dither, be indecisive; go out (on the town) | verb | infin
¡Duro!durohard, tough; difficult; resilient; stiff | adj | masc sing | in PR slang/reggeaton means awesome, cool, the best, bad ass, someone who is really good at what they do
Mimimy | poss adj | masc and fem sing gatagatafem cat; attractive woman | noun | fem sing nononot | adv paraparar(se)to stop, to stand up | verb | third pers sing pres edefrom, of | prep janguear,janguearto hang out | verb | infin porqueporquebecause | conj

[Chorus]
Aato, into, by | prep ellaellaher, she it | pron | third pers sing fem lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing gustagustarto like, to enjoy | verb | third pers sing pres | conjugated for the item being liked, ie X is pleasing to Y lalathe | def art | fem sing gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Damedar + megive me | verb + pron | sec pers sing impera másmásmore | adv gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Cómocómohow, why | adv lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing encantaencantarto love, please, make happy; to bewitch, curse, cast a spell on; haunt | verb | third pers sing pres | conjugated for the item being liked, ie X is pleasing to Y lalathe | def art | fem sing gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Damedar + megive me | verb + pron | sec pers sing impera másmásmore | adv gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Aato, into, by | prep ellaellaher, she it | pron | third pers sing fem lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing gustagustarto like, to enjoy | verb | third pers sing pres | conjugated for the item being liked, ie X is pleasing to Y lalathe | def art | fem sing gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Damedar + megive me | verb + pron | sec pers sing impera másmásmore | adv gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Cómocómohow, why | adv lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing encantaencantarto love, please, make happy; to bewitch, curse, cast a spell on; haunt | verb | third pers sing pres | conjugated for the item being liked, ie X is pleasing to Y lalathe | def art | fem sing gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Damedar + megive me | verb + pron | sec pers sing impera másmásmore | adv gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing

[Verse 1]
Ellaellaher, she it | pron | third pers sing fem prendeprenderto fasten, pin, attach to; set fire to, ignite | verb | third pers sing pres laslasthe | def art | fem pl turbinas,turbinaturbine | noun | fem sing nononot | adv discriminadiscriminardifferentiate, distinguish; discriminate against | verb | third pers sing pres
Nononot | adv sesehimself, herself, itself, themselves | pron | reflex, third pers sing and pl pierdeperderto lose; waste, leak; miss | verb | third pers sing pres | perderse = to miss; to get lost nininor; not even | conj ununa | indef art | masc sing partypartyparty | noun | masc | adopted from EN dedefrom, of | prep marquesinamarquesinashelter, roof, canopy, marquee, awning; garage | noun | fem sing
Sesehimself, herself, itself, themselves | pron | reflex, third pers sing and pl acicalaacicalarseclean oneself up, get tidied up; do oneself up, get dressed up | verb | third pers sing pres hastahastauntil; even | prep pa’parafor, to, in order to | prep lalathe | def art | fem sing esquinaesquinacorner | noun | fem sing
Lucelucirto wear, dress up in, show off; shine; impress, make an impact | verb | third pers sing pres tantanso, such; as | adv bienbienwell; very | adv quequethat, than | conj hastahastauntil; even | prep lalathe | def art | fem sing sombrasombrashadow, shade | noun | fem sing lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing combinacombinarcombine, mix; match, go together; coordinate | verb | third pers sing pres
Asesina,asesinakiller, murderer, assassin | noun | fem sing mememe, to me, myself | pron | dir and indir obj, reflex, first pers sing dominadominarto control, dominate, rule, command; be fluent in, master | verb | third pers sing pres
Jangueajanguearto hang out | verb | third pers sing pres enenin, on, during | prep carros,carrocar | noun | masc pl motorasmotoramotorcycle | noun | fem pl yyand | conj limusinaslimusinalimousine | noun | fem pl
Llenallenarto fill (up) | verb | third pers sing pres susuhis, her, its, their | poss adj | masc and fem sing tanquetanquetank | noun | masc sing dedefrom, of | prep adrenalinaadrenalinaadrenalin | noun | fem sing
Cuandocuandowhen | adv escuchaescucharto listen (to), hear | verb | third pers sing reggaetónreggaetónreggaeton | noun | masc sing enenin, on, during | prep laslasthe | def art | fem pl bocinasbocinahorn; siren; speaker, loudspeaker | noun | fem pl

[Chorus]
Aato, into, by | prep ellaellaher, she it | pron | third pers sing fem lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing gustagustarto like, to enjoy | verb | third pers sing pres | conjugated for the item being liked, ie X is pleasing to Y lalathe | def art | fem sing gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Damedar + megive me | verb + pron | sec pers sing impera másmásmore | adv gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Cómocómohow, why | adv lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing encantaencantarto love, please, make happy; to bewitch, curse, cast a spell on; haunt | verb | third pers sing pres | conjugated for the item being liked, ie X is pleasing to Y lalathe | def art | fem sing gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Damedar + megive me | verb + pron | sec pers sing impera másmásmore | adv gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Aato, into, by | prep ellaellaher, she it | pron | third pers sing fem lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing gustagustarto like, to enjoy | verb | third pers sing pres | conjugated for the item being liked, ie X is pleasing to Y lalathe | def art | fem sing gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Damedar + megive me | verb + pron | sec pers sing impera másmásmore | adv gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Cómocómohow, why | adv lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing encantaencantarto love, please, make happy; to bewitch, curse, cast a spell on; haunt | verb | third pers sing pres | conjugated for the item being liked, ie X is pleasing to Y lalathe | def art | fem sing gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Damedar + megive me | verb + pron | sec pers sing impera másmásmore | adv gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing

[Verse 2]
Aquíaquíhere, now | adv somosserto be | verb | first pers pl pres loslosthe | def art | masc pl mejores,mejorbetter; best | adj | masc and fem pl nononot | adv teteyou, to you, yourself | pron | dir and indir obj, reflex, sec pers sing mememe, to me, myself | pron | dir and indir obj, reflex, first pers sing ajore’azorar (azores)to frighten, scare, alarm | verb | sec pers sing impera (neg) | azorarse = be alarmed, be worried, be scared, panic
Enenin, on, during | prep lalathe | def art | fem sing pistapistatrail; track; clue, hint | noun | fem sing nosnosus, to us, for us, ourselves, each other | pron | dir obj, indir obj, reflex, first pers pl llamanllamarto call | verb | third pers pl pres “Loslosthe | def art | masc pl Matadore'”matadormatador, bullfighter; killer | noun | masc pl
Tútúyou | pron | sec pers sing hace’hacer (haces)to do, to make | verb | sec pers sing pres quequethat, than | conj cualquieracualquieraanyone, anybody; any, any one | pron sesehimself, herself, itself, themselves | pron | reflex, third pers sing and pl enamoreenamorarto win s.o.'s heart, win s.o.'s love | verb | third pers sing impera | enamorarse = to fall in love
Cuandocuandowhen | adv bailasbailarto dance | verb | sec pers sing pres ala + elto the | prep + def art | masc sing ritmoritmorhythm | noun | masc sing dedefrom, of | prep loslosthe | def art | masc pl tambore’tambor (tambores)drum; cylinder; eardrum | noun | masc pl
Estoestothis | pron | masc sing vairto go | verb | third pers sing pres pa’parafor, to, in order to | prep laslasthe | def art | fem pl gatasgatafem cat; attractive woman | noun | fem pl dedefrom, of | prep to’stodo (todos)every, each; whole, entire | adj | masc pl colore’color (colores)color | noun | masc pl
Pa’parafor, to, in order to | prep laslasthe | def art | fem pl mayore’,mayor (mayores)oldest; biggest | superlative pa’parafor, to, in order to | prep laslasthe | def art | fem pl menore’menor (menores)youngest; smallest | superlative
Pa’parafor, to, in order to | prep laslasthe | def art | fem pl quequethat, than | conj sonserto be | verb | third pers pl pres másmásmore | adv zorraszorrocrafty, cunning, sly | adj | fem pl quequethat, than | conj loslosthe | def art | masc pl cazadore’cazador (cazadores)hunter; predator | noun | masc pl
Pa’parafor, to, in order to | prep laslasthe | def art | fem pl mujeresmujerwoman | noun | fem pl quequethat, than | conj nononot | adv apaganapagarturn off, put out, extinguish | verb | third pers pl pres sussushis, her, its, their | poss adj | masc and fem sing motore’motormotor, engine | noun | masc pl

[Bridge]
Tenemostenerto have | verb | first pers pl pres tútúyou | pron | sec pers sing yyand | conj yoyoI | pron | first pers sing algoalgosomething | pron pendientependientepending | adj | masc and fem sing
Tútúyou | pron | sec pers sing mememe, to me, myself | pron | dir and indir obj, reflex, first pers sing debesdeberbe obligated, have to, must | verb | sec pers sing pres algoalgosomething | pron yyand | conj lolohim, it | pron | masc sing, neuter sabe’saber (sabes)to know | verb | sec pers sing pres
Conmigoconmigowith me | pron ellaellaher, she it | pron | third pers sing fem sesehimself, herself, itself, themselves | pron | reflex, third pers sing and pl pierdeperderto lose; waste, leak; miss | verb | third pers sing pres | perderse = to miss; to get lost
Nononot | adv lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing rinderendirperform, yield, produce; defeat; exhaust | verb | third pers sing pres | rendir cuentas = give an explanation, be held accountable cuentascuentasum; bill; account | noun | fem pl | rendir cuentas = give an explanation, be held accountable aato, into, by | prep nadienadieno one, nobody | pron
Tenemostenerto have | verb | first pers pl pres tútúyou | pron | sec pers sing yyand | conj yoyoI | pron | first pers sing algoalgosomething | pron pendientependientepending | adj | masc and fem sing
Tútúyou | pron | sec pers sing mememe, to me, myself | pron | dir and indir obj, reflex, first pers sing debesdeberbe obligated, have to, must | verb | sec pers sing pres algoalgosomething | pron yyand | conj lolohim, it | pron | masc sing, neuter sabe’saber (sabes)to know | verb | sec pers sing pres
Conmigoconmigowith me | pron ellaellaher, she it | pron | third pers sing fem sesehimself, herself, itself, themselves | pron | reflex, third pers sing and pl pierdeperderto lose; waste, leak; miss | verb | third pers sing pres | perderse = to miss; to get lost
Nononot | adv lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing rinderendirperform, yield, produce; defeat; exhaust | verb | third pers sing pres | rendir cuentas = give an explanation, be held accountable cuentascuentasum; bill; account | noun | fem pl | rendir cuentas = give an explanation, be held accountable aato, into, by | prep nadienadieno one, nobody | pron

[Pre-Chorus]
Zúmbalezumbar + lebuzz, hum, whirr; tease; beat, hit | verb | sec pers sing impera mambomambomambo; disorientation; deal, issue | noun | masc sing pa’parafor, to, in order to | prep | shortened to pa' in colloquial speech | para que = so that quequethat, than | conj | | para que = so that mismismy | poss adj | masc and fem pl gatasgatafem cat; attractive woman | noun | fem pl prendanprenderto fasten, pin, attach to; set fire to, ignite | verb | third pers pl subj loslosthe | def art | masc pl motore’motormotor, engine | noun | masc pl
Zúmbalezumbar + lebuzz, hum, whirr; tease; beat, hit | verb | sec pers sing impera mambomambomambo; disorientation; deal, issue | noun | masc sing pa’parafor, to, in order to | prep | shortened to pa' in colloquial speech | para que = so that quequethat, than | conj | | para que = so that mismismy | poss adj | masc and fem pl gatasgatafem cat; attractive woman | noun | fem pl prendanprenderto fasten, pin, attach to; set fire to, ignite | verb | third pers pl subj loslosthe | def art | masc pl motore’motormotor, engine | noun | masc pl
Zúmbalezumbar + lebuzz, hum, whirr; tease; beat, hit | verb | sec pers sing impera mambomambomambo; disorientation; deal, issue | noun | masc sing pa’parafor, to, in order to | prep | shortened to pa' in colloquial speech | para que = so that quequethat, than | conj | | para que = so that mismismy | poss adj | masc and fem pl gatasgatafem cat; attractive woman | noun | fem pl prendanprenderto fasten, pin, attach to; set fire to, ignite | verb | third pers pl subj loslosthe | def art | masc pl motore’motormotor, engine | noun | masc pl
Quequethat, than | conj sesehimself, herself, itself, themselves | pron | reflex, third pers sing and pl preparenprepararto prepare | verb | third pers pl impera | prepararse = prepare oneself, get ready quequethat, than | conj lolohim, it | pron | masc sing, neuter | lo que = what, whatever, which quequethat, than | conj | | lo que = what, whatever, which vienevenirto come | verb | third pers sing pres esserto be | verb | third pers sing pres pa’parafor, to, in order to | prep | shortened to pa' in colloquial speech | para que = so that quequethat, than | conj | | para que = so that lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing dendargive, hand, pass; donate; throw, hold | verb | third pers pl pres | que le den = up yours! que le den por culo = f*** him, screw him
¡Duro!durohard, tough; difficult; resilient; stiff | adj | masc sing | in PR slang/reggeaton means awesome, cool, the best, bad ass, someone who is really good at what they do
Mamita,mamimommy, attractive woman, female romantic partner, close female friend | noun | fem sing | slang, addition of dim -ita form of endearment yoyoI | pron | first pers sing sésaberto know | verb | first pers sing pres quequethat, than | conj tútúyou | pron | sec pers sing nononot | adv teteyou, to you, yourself | pron | dir and indir obj, reflex, sec pers sing mememe, to me, myself | pron | dir and indir obj, reflex, first pers sing va’ir (vas)to go | verb | sec pers sing pres | ir a + infin = to be going to do aato, into, by | prep quitarquitartake off, take from; remove, get rid of; steal, snatch | verb | infin
¡Duro!durohard, tough; difficult; resilient; stiff | adj | masc sing | in PR slang/reggeaton means awesome, cool, the best, bad ass, someone who is really good at what they do
Lolohim, it | pron | masc sing, neuter | lo que = what, whatever, which quequethat, than | conj mememe, to me, myself | pron | dir and indir obj, reflex, first pers sing gustagustarto like, to enjoy | verb | third pers sing pres | conjugated for the item being liked, ie X is pleasing to Y esserto be | verb | third pers sing pres quequethat, than | conj tútúyou | pron | sec pers sing teteyou, to you, yourself | pron | dir and indir obj, reflex, sec pers sing dejasdejarto leave | verb | sec pers sing pres | dejarse llevar = get carried away, get swept away llevarllevarto take; to carry | verb | infin | dejarse llevar = get carried away, get swept away
¡Duro!durohard, tough; difficult; resilient; stiff | adj | masc sing | in PR slang/reggeaton means awesome, cool, the best, bad ass, someone who is really good at what they do
Todostodoevery, each; whole, entire | adj | masc pl loslosthe | def art | masc pl weekend’esweekendweekend | noun | masc pl ellaellaher, she it | pron | third pers sing fem salesalirto leave; rise, come up | verb | third pers sing pres aato, into, by | prep vacilarvacilarstagger; tease, kid; dither, be indecisive; go out (on the town) | verb | infin
¡Duro!durohard, tough; difficult; resilient; stiff | adj | masc sing | in PR slang/reggeaton means awesome, cool, the best, bad ass, someone who is really good at what they do
Mimimy | poss adj | masc and fem sing gatagatafem cat; attractive woman | noun | fem sing nononot | adv paraparar(se)to stop, to stand up | verb | third pers sing pres edefrom, of | prep janguear,janguearto hang out | verb | infin porqueporquebecause | conj

[Chorus]
Aato, into, by | prep ellaellaher, she it | pron | third pers sing fem lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing gustagustarto like, to enjoy | verb | third pers sing pres | conjugated for the item being liked, ie X is pleasing to Y lalathe | def art | fem sing gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Damedar + megive me | verb + pron | sec pers sing impera másmásmore | adv gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Cómocómohow, why | adv lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing encantaencantarto love, please, make happy; to bewitch, curse, cast a spell on; haunt | verb | third pers sing pres | conjugated for the item being liked, ie X is pleasing to Y lalathe | def art | fem sing gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Damedar + megive me | verb + pron | sec pers sing impera másmásmore | adv gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Aato, into, by | prep ellaellaher, she it | pron | third pers sing fem lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing gustagustarto like, to enjoy | verb | third pers sing pres | conjugated for the item being liked, ie X is pleasing to Y lalathe | def art | fem sing gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Damedar + megive me | verb + pron | sec pers sing impera másmásmore | adv gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Cómocómohow, why | adv lele(to) him, (to) her, (to) them, it, you | pron | indir obj, third pers sing encantaencantarto love, please, make happy; to bewitch, curse, cast a spell on; haunt | verb | third pers sing pres | conjugated for the item being liked, ie X is pleasing to Y lalathe | def art | fem sing gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing
Damedar + megive me | verb + pron | sec pers sing impera másmásmore | adv gasolinagasolinagasoline | noun | fem sing

Lyrics with Translation

Songs in any language often leave room for multiple interpretations. Following is my interpretation of the song lyrics.

Gasolina
Gasoline

[Pre-Chorus]
Zúmbale mambo pa’ que mis gatas prendan los motore’
Get the mambo humming so that my girls start their motors
Zúmbale mambo pa’ que mis gatas prendan los motore’
Get the mambo humming so that my girls start their motors
Zúmbale mambo pa’ que mis gatas prendan los motore’
Get the mambo humming so that my girls start their motors
Que se preparen que lo que viene es pa’ que le den
Let them get ready because what’s coming is to screw them
¡Duro!
Awesome!
Mamita, yo sé que tú no te me va’ a quitar
Mamita, I know you’re not gonna take me away
¡Duro!
Awesome!
Lo que me gusta es que tú te dejas llevar
What I like is that you get carried away
¡Duro!
Awesome!
Todos los weekend’es ella sale a vacilar
Every weekend she goes out on the town
¡Duro!
Awesome!
Mi gata no para ‘e janguear, porque
My girl doesn’t stop hanging out because

[Chorus]
A ella le gusta la gasolina
She likes gasoline
Dame más gasolina
Give me more gasoline
Cómo le encanta la gasolina
How she loves gasoline
Dame más gasolina
Give me more gasoline
A ella le gusta la gasolina
She likes gasoline
Dame más gasolina
Give me more gasoline
Cómo le encanta la gasolina
How she loves gasoline
Dame más gasolina
Give me more gasoline

[Verse 1]
Ella prende las turbinas, no discrimina
She ignites the turbines, she doesn’t discriminate
No se pierde ni un party de marquesina
She doesn’t miss even one garage/porch party
Se acicala hasta pa’ la esquina
She gets dressed up even to go to the corner
Luce tan bien que hasta la sombra le combina
She shines so well that even the shadow coordnates with her
Asesina, me domina
Assassin, she dominates me
Janguea en carros, motoras y limusinas
Hanging out in cars, motorcycles and limousines
Llena su tanque de adrenalina
She fills her tank with adrenaline
Cuando escucha reggaetón en las bocinas
When she hears reggaeton through the speakers

[Chorus]
A ella le gusta la gasolina
She likes gasoline
Dame más gasolina
Give me more gasoline
Cómo le encanta la gasolina
How she loves gasoline
Dame más gasolina
Give me more gasoline
A ella le gusta la gasolina
She likes gasoline
Dame más gasolina
Give me more gasoline
Cómo le encanta la gasolina
How she loves gasoline
Dame más gasolina
Give me more gasoline

[Verse 2]
Aquí somos los mejores, no te me ajore’
Here we’re the best, don’t be alarmed
En la pista nos llaman “Los Matadore'”
On the track they call us “The Matadors”
Tú hace’ que cualquiera se enamore
You make anyone fall in love
Cuando bailas al ritmo de los tambore’
When you dance to the rythm of the drums
Esto va pa’ las gatas de to’s colore’
This goes for women of all kinds
Pa’ las mayore’, pa’ las menore’
For the oldest ones, for the youngest ones
Pa’ las que son más zorras que los cazadore’
For those who are more cunning than the hunter
Pa’ las mujeres que no apagan sus motore’
For the women who don’t turn off their engines

[Bridge]
Tenemos tú y yo algo pendiente
You and I have something pending
Tú me debes algo y lo sabe’
You owe me something and you know it
Conmigo ella se pierde
With me she loses herself
No le rinde cuentas a nadie
She’s not accountable to anyone
Tenemos tú y yo algo pendiente
You and I have something pending
Tú me debes algo y lo sabe’
You owe me something and you know it
Conmigo ella se pierde
With me she loses herself
No le rinde cuentas a nadie
She’s not accountable to anyone

[Pre-Chorus]
Zúmbale mambo pa’ que mis gatas prendan los motore’
Get the mambo humming so that my girls start their motors
Zúmbale mambo pa’ que mis gatas prendan los motore’
Get the mambo humming so that my girls start their motors
Zúmbale mambo pa’ que mis gatas prendan los motore’
Get the mambo humming so that my girls start their motors
Que se preparen que lo que viene es pa’ que le den
Let them get ready because what’s coming is to screw them
¡Duro!
Awesome!
Mamita, yo sé que tú no te me va’ a quitar
Mamita, I know you’re not gonna take me away
¡Duro!
Awesome!
Lo que me gusta es que tú te dejas llevar
What I like is that you get carried away
¡Duro!
Awesome!
Todos los weekend’es ella sale a vacilar
Every weekend she goes out on the town
¡Duro!
Awesome!
Mi gata no para ‘e janguear, porque
My girl doesn’t stop hanging out because

[Chorus]
A ella le gusta la gasolina
She likes gasoline
Dame más gasolina
Give me more gasoline
Cómo le encanta la gasolina
How she loves gasoline
Dame más gasolina
Give me more gasoline
A ella le gusta la gasolina
She likes gasoline
Dame más gasolina
Give me more gasoline
Cómo le encanta la gasolina
How she loves gasoline
Dame más gasolina
Give me more gasoline