Derrumbe Jorge Drexler Translation Meaning and Lyrics

Song Meaning

'Derrumbe' means 'Collapse' in English. It is a name of a song by 'Jorge Drexler' human translated here by a native speaker.

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Lyrics and Translations

'Derrumbe' human translated and annotated. Look for notes about interesting vocabulary, language constructions, idioms, changes to transcribed words, grammar rules and general info that our members have discovered

Song is in Spanish which is has full support in the Cloudlingo system. Use the controls below to turn on and off different views of the lyrics and their translations.

Review

1) Summary of the Story in the Lyrics

The lyrics use the metaphor of a collapsing house ("pleno derrumbe") to depict a relationship in freefall, where the couple clings to each other amidst chaos ("tú y yo abrazados, salvando los muebles"). Drexler frames love as both the wreckage and the refuge—physical objects (table, chairs, bed) shatter around them, yet their embrace remains the only stability. The imagery suggests simultaneous destruction and devotion.

 

2) Emotional Impact & Storytelling Technique  

Drexler’s whispered vocals over minimalist guitar mirror the intimacy of disaster, with each line mimicking structural collapse ("Cae la mesa... se hace astillas"). The juxtaposition of violent verbs ("hunde," "cae") with tender actions ("abrazados") creates a haunting paradox: love persists precisely because everything else is failing.

 

3) Themes & Tone

No explicit content. The song explores mature themes of relational decay and paradoxical resilience, with a tone of weary tenderness—more poetic than despairing.

 

4) Music Video Relation

The video unfolds as an emotional archaeology of a dying relationship, where every household item becomes a relic. It opens with the xerophytic landscape surrounding the home, its dryness mirroring the emotional drought inside. The camera documents with clinical precision: the rocking chair frozen mid-sway, the hourglass expiring its last grain on cue with *time runs out", playing cards strewn like unmade choices.  

The kitchen shows plates, orange peels fossilizing on a dish, a cigarette burning solo in the ashtray - all painting intimacy's afterimage. The model wandering through rooms treats these objects as exhibits in a love museum. Tilted picture frames and curtains fluttering in drafts complete this portrait of abandonment.  

The poignant ending circles back: she gazes through the window at that same arid landscape, while the camera reveals the handwritten page on the table is actually the song's lyrics - now the last artifact of what transpired there. The entire house has materialized Drexler's "The table falls, the chairs collapse", each object whispering its own fall from grace.

 

5) Verified Discussions

 

https://grammy.com/news/jorge-drexler-wins-derrumbe-song-year-2024-latin-grammys-acceptance-speech-video-watch 

[Artículo sobre el premio Latin Grammy a "Derrumbe"]  

 

https://cooltivarte.com/portal/jorge-drexler-derrumbe/ 

[Análisis del proceso creativo y contexto de la canción]  

 

6) Artist’s Official Platforms

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drexlerjorge?igsh=MW52ZW5pbjVpbDdvYQ==  

- YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jorgedrexleroficial?si=oIGe7uB4cZAufNpr  

- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-es/art

ist/4ssUf5gLb1GBLxi1BhPrVt

Submitted by user: ANAJOSE

Average Ratings

Most people find the song lyrics very easy to understand lyrics, lyrics sung slowly and it has very easy to remember verbs and nouns

Many words used are not in common daily usage.^RAE

Derrumbe has 124 BPM (beats per minute)

Derrumbe is suitable for DELE Level students in terms of language complexity.

References

^RAE Based on a median word frequency of 4185 using the frequency database from the Royal Spanish Academy (La Real Academia Española)

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