When was the last time someone dedicated you a song?
Carlos Vives has always had that gift.
He doesn’t just sing about love.
He sings about memory. About land. About roots. About time passing but feelings staying.
In Te Dedico, he reflects on something we quietly know:
We don’t write love letters the way we used to.
We don’t look into each other’s eyes enough.
We don’t dedicate songs like before.
And so he does.
The song feels like:
- A tribute to traditional romance
- A reminder of Colombian culture
- A love letter to long-term love
- A nod to his own musical legacy
For Spanish learners, this one is excellent because:
- Clear pronunciation
- Repetition of core phrases
- Cultural references
- Beautiful but accessible vocabulary
Level: A2–B1
🎧 Listen First
Carlos Vives – Te Dedico (Official Video)
This one feels like sunlight through a window.
🎵 Te Dedico – Spanish → English Translation [Carlos Vives]
Ya no se escribe de amores, ya no se escuchan canciones
Love is no longer written about, songs are no longer heard
De esas para enamorar
The kind that make you fall in love
Y aunque no sea como un Lama, son esas cosas del alma
And even if I’m not like a lama, they’re those things from the soul
Que te quiero regalar
That I want to give you
Porque a las mujeres como tú
Because women like you
Solo las podemos adorar, y yo
We can only adore them, and I
Soy un tipo simple e imperfecto
I’m a simple and imperfect guy
Que ha vivido más del cuento y cada día te quiere más
Who has lived beyond the story and loves you more every day
Te dedico cada palabra y cada verso
I dedicate every word and every verse to you
La cumbia que llevo en los huesos
The cumbia I carry in my bones
Y que bailamos en las Fiestas del Caimán
And that we danced at the Fiestas del Caimán
Te dedico de mi guitarra cada arpegio
I dedicate every arpeggio from my guitar to you
Aquella carta en el colegio
That letter from school
Que prometimos para siempre conservar
That we promised to keep forever
Te dedico
I dedicate it to you
Ya no se mira a los ojos, no se enamora con flores
People no longer look into each other’s eyes, they don’t fall in love with flowers
Ya no se saca a bailar
They no longer ask someone to dance
Como el sol sobre tu cara, son esas cosas bacanas
Like the sun on your face, those are the cool beautiful things
Que te voy a dedicar
That I’m going to dedicate to you
Me gusta mirarte cuando estás durmiendo
I like watching you when you’re sleeping
Me gustan las curvas que tiene tu cuerpo
I like the curves your body has
Tus libros, tus gafas y tus sentimientos
Your books, your glasses, and your feelings
Pasaron edades, pasaron inviernos
Ages passed, winters passed
Pasaron cometas, tiranos y reinos
Comets, tyrants, and kingdoms passed
En cambio, contigo nunca pasa el tiempo
But with you, time never passes
Te dedico todas las aves y las olas
I dedicate all the birds and the waves to you
El sol cuando apenas se asoma
The sun when it just begins to rise
Y con sus rayos nos comienza a saludar
And with its rays begins to greet us
Te dedico de mi guitarra cada arpegio
I dedicate every arpeggio from my guitar to you
Aquella carta en el colegio
That letter from school
Que prometimos para siempre conservar
That we promised to keep forever
Te dedico
I dedicate it to you
Te dedico La Reina, Si No Te Hubieras Ido
I dedicate “La Reina,” “If You Hadn’t Left” to you
Olvídate de todo y los Cuatro Caminos
“Forget Everything” and “The Four Roads”
Te dedico Bonita, Arroyito, A Dios Le Pido
I dedicate “Bonita,” “Arroyito,” “I Ask God”
Te dedico Hasta Viejitos y La Tierra del Olvido
I dedicate “Until We’re Old” and “The Land of Forgetting”
Cuando Pasan los Años, La Provincia con Egidio
“When the Years Pass,” “La Provincia” with Egidio
Un Beso y una Flor y este corazón partido
“A Kiss and a Flower” and this broken heart
Te dedico mil horas de rock argentino
I dedicate a thousand hours of Argentine rock to you
El Amor de Mi Tierra y el último disco
“The Love of My Land” and the latest album
📚 Vocabulary & Cultural Layer (The Important Part)
🎶 1. “Te dedico”
Structure:
Dedicar + direct object + indirect object
Te dedico esta canción.
Te dedico mi vida.
It means:
“I dedicate this to you.”
Romantic. Formal. Deeply intentional.
🦴 2. “La cumbia que llevo en los huesos”
Literal:
“The cumbia I carry in my bones.”
Meaning:
Music is identity.
In Colombian culture:
Cumbia = roots, coast, ancestry.
“En los huesos” suggests:
It’s not learned. It’s inherited.
🌅 3. “Son esas cosas del alma”
Things of the soul.
Spanish uses “alma” poetically often:
- Con el alma
- Desde el alma
- Del alma
It signals sincerity.
⏳ 4. “Contigo nunca pasa el tiempo”
With you, time doesn’t pass.
Not literal.
It means:
Time feels suspended.
Beautiful romantic construction.
🌊 5. Cultural References
The final verse references multiple Latin classics, including Vives’ own songs.
He is dedicating:
His past work.
His legacy.
His history.
It’s meta.
It’s a career tribute inside a love song.
🧠 Quiz Yourself
1️⃣ “Te dedico” uses:
A. Reflexive structure
B. Indirect object pronoun
C. Subjunctive
D. Imperative
E. Conditional
2️⃣ “Llevo en los huesos” suggests:
A. Physical pain
B. Cultural identity
C. Illness
D. Age
E. Injury
3️⃣ “Nunca pasa el tiempo” expresses:
A. Literal time stopping
B. Fear
C. Emotional timelessness
D. Anger
E. Obligation
4️⃣ “Ya no se escribe” is:
A. Passive se construction
B. Imperfect tense
C. Command
D. Future tense
E. Subjunctive
5️⃣ “Que prometimos para siempre conservar” uses:
A. Present tense
B. Conditional
C. Preterite
D. Subjunctive
E. Future
✅ Answers
1-B, 2-B, 3-C, 4-A, 5-C
Final Thoughts
Carlos Vives isn’t chasing trends here.
He’s preserving something.
A slower kind of love.
A handwritten letter kind of love.
A dance-you-outside kind of love.
And maybe that’s what makes Te Dedico feel different.
If you want help learning Spanish through songs that carry culture, not just rhythm:
📩 Write to me at
Because sometimes the most modern thing you can do is love the old way.
Spanish Songs, Translated 
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