Yolanda Lyrics in English by Pablo Milanés
Raudal literally means 'torrent' or 'flood', often referring to a rapid flow of water. However, it's frequently used metaphorically to describe an abundance or an overwhelming flow of something.
In "Yolanda," Pablo Milanés sings, "Que pongan freno a lo que siento ahora a raudales" (That they put a stop to what I feel now in torrents/abundantly). Here, a raudales vividly expresses the overwhelming, uncontrollable flood of his emotions, making it a powerful and evocative word choice that goes beyond simple everyday vocabulary.
Pablo Milanés wrote "Yolanda" in 1970 for his wife, Yolanda Benet, just days after the birth of their daughter — and the song opens by admitting the format can't hold what he means: "Esto no puede ser no más que una canción" ("This can't be more than a song"). He spends the rest of it proving that wrong anyway, circling back to "Te amo" ("I love you") until it becomes "Eternamente te amo" ("Eternally I love you").
The verses stay physical rather than abstract: her hand ("Por eso a veces sé que necesito tu mano" — "That's why sometimes I know I need your hand"), the fear of being truly known ("Este temor de hallarme descubierto" — "This fear of finding myself uncovered"), her face at the window in the closing image. It ends the way it built — not one declaration but her name, repeated: "Eternamente Yolanda" ("Eternally Yolanda"). Decades on, it's still the song most Cuban trova fans reach for first, and Milanés himself said its fame outgrew his own.
