Las Cuatro Y Diez
Luis Eduardo Aute/Silvio Rodríguez Lyrics

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Fue en ese cine, te acuerdas,
en una mañana al este del edén,
James Dean tiraba piedras
a una casa blanca, entonces te besé.

Aquella fue la primera
vez, tus labios parecían de papel,
y a la salida en la puerta

nos pidió un triste inspector nuestros carnets.
Luego volví a la academia
para no faltar a clases de francés,
tú me esperaste hora y media
en esta misma mesa, yo me retrasé.

Quieres helado de fresa
o prefieres que te pida ya el café.
Cuéntame cómo te encuentras
aunque se que me responderás: muy bien.
Ten, esta foto es muy fea,
el más pequeño acababa de nacer
oiga, me trae la cuenta,
calla, que fui yo quién te invitó a comer.
No te demores, no sea
que no llegues a la hora al almacén.

Llámame el día que puedas,
date prisa que ya son las cuatro y diez

Overall Meaning

The song "Las Cuatro y Diez" by Luis Eduardo Aute / Silvio Rodríguez is a nostalgic love story of a couple’s first kiss in a movie theater. The opening lines set the scene of the movie theater where James Dean is throwing rocks at a white house, and this moment becomes significant in the couple’s memory because it was when they shared their first kiss. The verse “tus labios parecían de papel” (your lips seemed like paper) suggests the fragility and the fleetingness of that moment, as if it was just a passing feeling captured in time.

The lyrics progress to their first date, where the couple reunites, sitting at the same table where they kissed. They talk about trivial things like ordering ice cream or coffee and share family photos. The lyrics capture the nervousness and hesitation of two people who have just met and are not sure where their story is headed. The song ends with an open invitation to the other person to meet again and not to be late since it's already "four ten".

One interesting fact about the song is that it was composed by Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez but was made famous by the Spanish singer-songwriter Luis Eduardo Aute. The song was released in 1973 and quickly became an iconic romantic Latin American song. Another interesting fact is that the title of the song refers to the time of the day - 4:10 PM. The song was so popular that it was covered by several international musicians such as Joaquín Sabina and Buika. It was also featured in the award-winning 2001 Mexican film "Y Tu Mamá También."

Chords: (Capo on the 1st fret)
Intro: G - C - G - D - G - C - G - D
Verse: G - C - G - D
Chorus: C - G - D - G.

Line by Line Meaning

Fue en ese cine, te acuerdas,
We were at that cinema, remember?

en una mañana al este del edén,
On a morning to the east of Eden.

James Dean tiraba piedras
James Dean was throwing stones.

a una casa blanca, entonces te besé.
He was throwing stones at a white house, that's when I kissed you.

Aquella fue la primera
That was our first

vez, tus labios parecían de papel,
Your lips felt like paper for the first time.

y a la salida en la puerta
And when we left, at the door

nos pidió un triste inspector nuestros carnets.
A sad inspector asked us for our IDs.

Luego volví a la academia
Afterwards, I went back to school

para no faltar a clases de francés,
So I wouldn't miss my French class