In “El Costo De La Vida (The Cost Of Life)”, Juan Luis Guerra starts off the song like he and his friends are reading straight from a stack of newspapers he’s got on his desk. Check the flow:
El costo de la vida sube otra vez
el peso que baja ya ni se ve
y las habichuelas no se pueden comer
ni una libra de arroz ni una cuarta de café
a nadie le importa qué piense usted
será porque aquí no hablamos inglés
ah ah es verdad.. ah ah e’ verdad. ah ah e’ verdad .
do you understand?
which translates to:
The cost of life goes up again
The peso goes down, can’t even see it
And the beans can’t be eaten
Not even a pound of rice or a quart of coffee
No one cares what you think
Perhaps it’s because we don’t speak English
Ah ah it’s the truth, ah ah it’s the truth, ah ah it’s the truth
Do you understand?
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