Menguar means "to wane" or "to diminish," a verb most famously used to describe the moon's phases. It's a key word in this song's hauntingly beautiful final image.
The lyrics say, "Y, si el niño llora, menguará la luna para hacerle una cuna" (And if the child cries, the moon will wane to make him a cradle). This poetic line transforms the moon from a celestial body into a loving mother, creating a powerful and unforgettable ending to the tragic legend.
This song tells a dark and beautiful fairy tale. It's a legend about a gypsy woman who makes a deal with the moon. She desperately wants to marry a gypsy man, so she prays all night, "Llorando pedĂa / Al llegar el dĂa desposar un calĂ©" (Crying, she asked / when day came, to marry a gypsy man). The moon agrees, but demands a terrible price: her firstborn child. The moon seems lonely itself, with the chorus asking, "Luna, quieres ser madre / Y no encuentras querer que te haga mujer" (Moon, you want to be a mother / and you can't find a love to make you a woman).
The woman gets her husband, but when their son is born, he has pale skin and grey eyes, "Blanco como el lomo de un armiño" (White as an ermine's back). The husband, believing he's been cheated on, flies into a rage. In a truly tragic turn, he kills his wife and abandons the baby in the mountains. The moon then adopts the child, and the legend says the moon's phases are now tied to the baby's moods. When the moon is full, the baby is happy, and when he cries, the moon wanes to become a cradle for him, "menguará la luna / Para hacerle una cuna" (the moon will wane / to make him a cradle).
Mecano was a pioneering Spanish pop band formed in Madrid in 1981, consisting of Ana Torroja and brothers Nacho and JosĂ© MarĂa Cano. They are celebrated as one of the best-selling Spanish bands of all time, with over 20 million records sold worldwide. Known for their evolution from synth-pop and new wave sounds to more acoustic pop rock infused with diverse genres such as flamenco, bossa nova, and salsa, Mecano left a lasting imprint on Spanish and Latin American music scenes.
Their hits include timeless classics like "Hijo de la luna," "Me cuesta tanto olvidarte," and the groundbreaking "Mujer contra mujer," which was adapted into several languages and became a worldwide number one hit. Their music inspired a successful musical, Hoy no me puedo levantar, viewed by over 1.5 million spectators across Spain and Mexico. Though their original run ended in the early 1990s, Mecano's innovative style and cultural impact continue to resonate with new generations of music lovers.