El Gran Varón Lyrics in English Willie Colón

Meet Simón, the so-called gran varón (great man) who turns his father’s dreams upside down. Willie Colón spins a vivid story that begins in a 1956 hospital room, where Don Andrés rejoices at having a son. Raised under strict machismo rules, Simón is expected to copy his father’s path, yet when he moves abroad he embraces his true identity: living openly as a woman, wearing skirts, lipstick, and a large purse. A surprise visit exposes the transformation, and Andrés’s refusal to accept it sets off a heartbreaking chain of silence.

The chorus warns, “Palo que nace doblado, jamás su tronco endereza” (a tree born bent will never straighten), underscoring the futility of trying to “fix” someone’s nature. As gossip, stigma, and an unnamed illness (widely understood as AIDS) close in, Simón dies alone in 1986, while his father is left with regret and bitterness. Colón’s salsa classic is both a cautionary tale and a plea for compassion: accept people as they are, or risk living in your own private hell of intolerance. The horns may be lively, but the message is a powerful lesson on gender identity, societal judgment, and unconditional love.