BEBÉ Lyrics in English by Camilo, El Alfa
Coro literally means "chorus", like the part of a song that repeats. However, in Dominican slang, the phrase hacer coro means "to hang out", "to join in", or "to go along with the group".
In this bachata track, Dominican artist El Alfa sings, "A mis amigos en la calle no les hago coro", which means "I don't hang out with my friends on the street". He's expressing that he's so consumed by thoughts of his love interest that he's ignoring his friends and his social life, making this a fantastic and authentic piece of slang to learn.
Colombian singer Camilo teams up with Dominican artist El Alfa for "BEBÉ", and the mood is pure heartbreak disguised as a dance track. Right from the start, Camilo sets a miserable scene: "El lado de tu cama que estaba caliente se está congelando" ("The side of your bed that used to be warm is freezing"). Instead of sleeping, he is stuck staring at his phone while old photos torture him. The core question of the song is painfully blunt: "¿Por qué no me llamas? ¿Es que no me extrañas?" ("Why aren't you calling me? Don't you miss me?"). He is not interested in running away or finding someone new, confessing "Yo no quiero alas para volar a otro lugar" ("I don't want wings to fly somewhere else"); he just wants his partner back in bed.
When El Alfa jumps in, the desperation cranks up to eleven with some classic Dominican flair. He claims he cannot even eat anymore without her, dropping the phrase "no les hago coro" to his friends in the street. In Dominican slang, "hacer coro" means hanging out or shooting the breeze, so he is literally saying he is ditching his buddies because he can only focus on her. He even mixes in Spanglish to beg for immediate attention: "Dámelo hoy, no me digas tomorrow" ("Give it to me today, don't tell me tomorrow"). It is exaggerated, a little needy, and completely infectious as both singers dance their way through pure romantic withdrawal.
