ARCOBALENO Lyrics in English by Geolier, Anuel AA
Arcobaleno literally translates to "rainbow". It's a beautiful and evocative word that brings to mind hope and beauty after a storm.
In the song, the artist uses "arcobaleno" to describe his partner, calling her his rainbow when the weather turns bad ("E si torna 'o maletiempo, Tu sî ll'arcobaleno"). This metaphor highlights her role as a source of light and comfort during difficult times, making it a powerful and memorable word in the context of the lyrics.
Geolier writes the whole first half in Neapolitan, and he spends it stacking up metaphors for one woman until they get strange enough to stick. She is “Tu sî 'na pistola sempe carica e pronta” (You're a pistol, always loaded and ready), then “Tu sî 'nu palazzo ca c''o sole fa ombra” (You're a building that casts a shadow in the sun), then a life ring that will not go under if you fall in. He is also honest that none of it is easy. “Essere nuje è complicato” (Being us is complicated), he says, and “Nuje cercamm sulamente 'o bene 'nt'ô male” (We only look for the good inside the bad), which is a fairly bleak way to describe a love song. Then the title lands in the chorus: “E si torna 'o maletiempo / Tu sî ll'arcobaleno” (And if the bad weather comes back / You are the rainbow).
Anuel AA takes the second verse in Spanish and arrives at the same idea from Puerto Rico. He quotes scripture at her, “El amor todo lo soporta, como dice la Biblia” (Love bears all things, as the Bible says), and separates the people who show up in good weather from the ones who stay: “Pero en los malos tiempo' es que vemo' quién es quién” (But in the bad times is when we see who is who). He signs off with “Tú y yo y mi pistola, los tres junto' por siempre” (You and me and my pistol, the three of us together forever), which is either very romantic or slightly worrying depending on the day.
