Me Llaman Calle Lyrics in English by Manu Chao
Deshora means 'ungodly hour' or an inopportune time. It's a fantastic, evocative word for describing something happening outside of a normal schedule, usually very late at night.
In the song, the narrator sings "Me llaman guapa, siempre a deshora" (They call me beautiful, always at an ungodly hour). This single word powerfully illustrates her marginalized life on the streets, where compliments and attention only come during these strange, lonely moments.
This song is an incredible piece of storytelling from the perspective of a prostitute who calls herself "the street". Manu Chao gives her a voice that is tired, proud, and full of contradictions. She describes her life as a mechanical routine, going through the city "Como maquinita por la gran ciudad" (Like a little machine through the big city). She's called many things by the people who use her, from "puta" (whore) to "princesa" (princess), but she takes the name the world gives her and makes it her own.
What's so powerful is how she holds onto her dignity. Despite being "calle sufrida" (suffering street) and "calle cansada / De tanto amar" (tired street / from loving so much), she insists, "No me rebajo" (I don't lower myself). She dreams that one day a good man will come for her, but even without that, she declares that her core self is not for sale: "Mi corazón no es de alquilar" (My heart is not for rent). She finds a strange honor in her identity, saying of the name people call her, "Es mi nobleza" (It is my nobility).
