Paloma Negra Lyrics in English by Buika, Lila Downs, Buika

Parranda refers to a lively party or a spree of partying, often implying a night out with friends, music, and drinks. It's a word that evokes a sense of revelry and carefree indulgence.

In "Paloma Negra," the singer uses parranda to describe the lover's frequent and perhaps irresponsible partying, contrasting it with their own longing and suffering. The line "Ya agarraste por tu cuenta la parranda" (You've taken the party into your own hands) highlights the lover's independent and wild behavior, which is a central theme of the song's heartbreak.

Buika's "Paloma Negra" is a powerful song about the pain of a love that just won't let go, even when it probably should. The singer is exhausted from crying, saying, "Ya me canso de llorar y no amanece" [I'm tired of crying and it doesn't get light]. She's caught between wanting to curse her lover and wanting to pray for them, and she's even scared to look for them, or to find them where her friends say they go.

It's a push and pull of emotions. One moment, she wants to tear herself away from the pain, to "arrancarme ya los clavos de mi penar" [tear out the nails of my suffering]. But then, her eyes can't live without seeing her lover's eyes, and her affection waits for them again with the dawn. She calls her lover a "Paloma negra" [black dove] who has taken to partying, asking, "dónde, dónde andarás" [where, where will you be?]. She begs them to stop playing with her "onda parrandera" [partying vibe], because their caresses should only be hers. Even though she loves them madly, she tells them not to come back, calling them "la reja de un penar" [the bars of a sorrow]. Ultimately, she wants to be free and live her life with someone who loves her, asking for strength because she's dying to go look for that freedom.