A song to commemorate Puerto Rico seven years after Hurricane Maria: Bad Bunny releases Una Velita, let’s discover the English lyrics and their meaning.
On September 20, 2017, Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 hurricane that became one of the worst natural disasters in the island’s history. The hurricane completely destroyed Puerto Rico’s electrical grid, plunging the entire island into darkness: it knocked out 95% of cell phone towers, isolating many communities for weeks, and even water services were disrupted, leaving people without clean water. Thousands of people were displaced, with many Puerto Ricans migrating out of the country, and hospitals and healthcare systems were overwhelmed for a long time: it was a tragedy that exposed the social and economic inequalities on the island, a wound still open in the memory of Puerto Rican people.
As one of the most prestigious artists from Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny released a new song, Una Velita, for the 7th anniversary of that tragedy. It’s an intense song that refreshes our memory about what happened that day. In this article, we will analyze the song lyrics and their meaning, and you’ll also find the official streaming and the complete English translation at the end. Let’s go!
Una Velita: the song lyrics & meaning
In Una Velita, Bad Bunny reminds us of what happened when Hurricane Maria destroyed Puerto Rico: the song lyrics reference the social aspects of that tragedy and also send a political message about the government’s role in it. “Una Velita” means “a small candle” in Spanish, a way to commemorate that sad event. The candle also appears in the song’s official streaming, as you can see at the end of this article.
The song begins with poetic lines describing the arrival of the storm: the sky getting darker, the sea getting furious, and, after all that, the hurricane’s effect on society.
The sky is darkening
And the wind is already blowing
The sea is getting furious
And the mountain is praying
Una Velita returns to how Puerto Rican people survived that tragedy. The community was isolated for many days, without electricity, clean water, and signal. People tried to help each other, focusing on what was before their eyes: normality was gone, all routines were disrupted, and nothing could make you feel safe again.
Obviously, the light will go out, God knows it will never return
The bridge they took so long to build, thе river has grown and will break it
A couple of songs saved on my phone for when the signal goes out
Don’t forget the old lady over there who lives alone, we need to help her
Remember that we’re all from here, it’s up to the people to save the people
Among the most discussed lines of the song, Una Velita also contains an explicit reference to the government and the political party currently in charge: one of the ending lines mentions the palm tree, the symbol of the New Progressive Party, the political party that governs Puerto Rico in these days. The song expresses the hope that, one day, people will “take down” that palm tree.
Don’t send me anything from the government, those bastards will hide it
They’re going out on the streets just for photos, they can all go to hell
Five thousand were left to die, and that we’ll never forget
The palm tree they want to use to hang the country, one of these days we’ll take it down
Far different than the songs Bad Bunny typically releases, Una Velita must be considered an exceptional milestone in Bad Bunny’s recent discography: a song that talks to the hearts of Puerto Rican people in a particular moment of their lives. The official Youtube video has been flooded with comments from people who loved the music and appreciated the symbolic gesture, coming from an artist who can really give visibility to what’s happening in Puerto Rico right now.
Read other popular song lyrics and their meaning on Auralcrave
The official streaming and the English lyrics
How did this moment come?
The year flies by
But this month always drags on
It’s serious and threatening
The sky is darkening
And the wind is already blowing
The sea is getting furious
And the mountain is praying
Ayy, it’s starting to rain, it’s gonna happen again
Here comes the storm, comes the storm
It’s starting to rain, it’s gonna happen again
Here comes the storm, who will save us?
And may God protect Puerto Rico
In the name of the Father, the Son
And of the Holy Spirit, may God protect my song
I don’t want a tarp, I want His mantle, ayy
Obviously, the light will go out, God knows it will never return
The bridge they took so long to build, thе river has grown and will break it
A couple of songs saved on my phone for when the signal goes out
The signal has already been given and they don’t wanna see it, it’s just that the Puerto Ricans have to wake up
Don’t forget the old lady over there who lives alone, we need to help her
Remember that we’re all from here, it’s up to the people to save the people
Don’t send me anything from the government, those bastards will hide it
They’re going out on the streets just for photos, they can all go to hell
Five thousand were left to die, and that we’ll never forget
The palm tree they want to use to hang the country, one of these days we’ll take it down
And hopefully, and hopefully, and hopefully, and hopefully, it doesn’t come, no
And hopefully, and hopefully, and hopefully, and hopefully, it doesn’t come, no
And hopefully, and hopefully, and hopefully, and hopefully, it doesn’t come, no
It doesn’t come, no, but
It’s starting to rain, it’s gonna happen again
Here comes the storm, comes the storm
It’s starting to rain, it’s gonna happen again
Here comes the storm, who will save us?
Tell me if you wanna spend it with me
Tell me if you wanna spend it with me
Tell me if you wanna spend it with me, eh-eh
So that we don’t sleep alone, that we sleep embraced
Nothing scares me if you’re by my side
Light a little candle to see your face before I go to bed
I’m waiting for the sun to come out
For the sun to come out
The sun will come out, ah-ah
I’m waiting for the sun to come out
For the sun to come out
The sun will come out
