José-Luis Orozco is an author and recording artist whose work draws upon th… Read Full Bio ↴José-Luis Orozco is an author and recording artist whose work draws upon the rich heritage of the Spanish-speaking world. Through his music José-Luis Orozco has sought to expose a wider audience to Spanish language children's traditions and promote Latin American culture. It is his desire to pass on this heritage to the children of today so that they may take pleasure in passing it on to the children of tomorrow.

La Bamba
José-Luis Orozco Lyrics

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La Bamba by Valens Richie
Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Se necesita una poca de gracia
a Una poca de gracia para mi para ti
ya Arriba y arriba
ay arriba y arriba por ti sere
Por ti sere

Por ti sere
Baila bamba (repeat)
Yo no soy marinero
Yo no soy marinero
Soy capitan
Soy capitan
Soy capitan
Bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Se necesito una poca de gracia
a Una poca de gracia para mi para ti
ya Arriba y arriba

Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Se necesita una poca de gracia
a Una poca de gracia para mi para ti
ya Arriba y arriba
ay arriba y arriba por ti sere
Por ti sere
Bamba la bamba

Bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of José-Luis Orozco's song La Bamba are centered around the lively and energetic Mexican folk dance with the same name. The singer impresses upon the listeners that to dance the bamba, a little bit of grace is needed. The phrase is repeated several times in the song to emphasize its importance. The singer then goes ahead to say that he will go up and up for the person he is dancing with. He drops some hints about his background by saying that he is not a sailor but a captain, which could be taken as a metaphorical reference to his mastery of the dance.

The singer switches back to the main theme of the song, stressing that to successfully dance the bamba, a little bit of grace is required. He once again states that for the person he is dancing with, he will go up and up. The song closes with the repeated refrain of "Bamba la bamba," which refers to the name of the dance. Overall, the lyrics of La Bamba are easy to understand and convey the joy and energy that are a hallmark of the dance.

Line by Line Meaning

Para bailar la bamba
To dance the bamba

Se necesita una poca de gracia
A little bit of grace is needed

a Una poca de gracia para mi para ti
A little bit of grace for you and for me

ya Arriba y arriba
Up and up now

ay arriba y arriba por ti sere
Up and up for you I'll be

Por ti sere
I'll be there for you

Baila bamba
Dance the bamba

Yo no soy marinero
I'm not a sailor

Soy capitan
I'm a captain

Bamba la bamba
Bamba, the bamba

Para bailar la bamba
To dance the bamba