Solo En Mis Sueños Lyrics in English by La Santa Cecilia, Luis Enrique
Cenzontle is the Nahuatl word for 'mockingbird'. It's a beautiful and somewhat rare word to find in popular Spanish songs, making it stand out.
In the lyrics, "Un cenzontle me contaba de ese querer celestial" (A mockingbird told me about that celestial love), the bird acts as a messenger of love, adding a touch of poetic folklore to the song. Its inclusion evokes a sense of tradition and natural beauty.
La Santa Cecilia bring in salsa singer Luis Enrique for a song built entirely around distance. The chorus keeps circling back to the same complaint: "Solo en mis sueños" (Only in my dreams), then answers itself, "Tengo tus besos" (I have your kisses). Whatever is happening between the singer and this person, it only happens once everyone's asleep.
The verses stay close to the ground before that: "Me gusta tu sonrisa, me gusta tu mirada" (I like your smile, I like your gaze) is about as far as things have gone in real life. Luis Enrique's part pushes the song into full salsa, horns and all, and even calls in a witness: "Un cenzontle me contaba de ese querer celestial" (A mockingbird told me about that heavenly kind of love). But the plainest line is the one that lands hardest: "Duermo despierto, ay qué dolor" (I sleep awake, oh what pain) - wanting someone so badly that sleep stops working as an escape.
