El Ratón Lyrics in English by Diego el Cigala
Vacilar is a versatile Spanish verb that can mean to hesitate or to waver, but in many Latin American contexts, especially in casual speech and music, it means to fool around, have a good time, or just hang out and enjoy life.
In "Porque no puede vacilar" ("Because he can't fool around"), the song uses the word to show someone being warned against living too carelessly, as if taking things too lightly could cost him something important.
El Ratón is a playful Afro-Latin jazz tune in which Diego el Cigala tells the comic tale of a restless tomcat trying to sneak out for some nighttime fun. Every time the cat vaults a fence or slips into the backyard, his ever-watchful sweetheart tracks him down and spoils the party. The lively maracas and call-and-response shouts paint the scene of a bustling barrio where gossip spreads faster than the music itself.
The twist arrives when we learn that all the commotion comes from something as tiny as un ratón – a mouse scurrying out from any random fence. Cigala uses this trivial creature as a metaphor: troubles and rumors may look huge when we are in the spotlight, but sometimes they are no more than a little mouse hiding in the dark. The song’s contagious rhythms invite you to dance while its lyrics remind you to keep life’s hassles in perspective and laugh at the small things that chase us around.
