My son goes to a Spanish immersion daycare, and at pretty much every birthday party someone tries to start up a round of “Cumpleaños Feliz” after “Happy Birthday”, which inevitably trails off into incoherence after “Cumpleaños feliz, Cumpleaños feliz…”
I thought it was because the majority of the parents are American English-speakers, but when I tried to find the proper lyrics, I found out that it’s basically a free-for-all out there: https://www.cancionfeliz.com/letra_cumpleanos_feliz.php
Try searching for youtube videos and you’ll find a bunch of 2-3 minute songs with a lot more lyrics, too.
First verse of the version from Peru lacks variety, but that second verse takes an awesome turn:
Feliz Cumpleaños, a ti,
Feliz Cumpleaños, a ti,
Feliz Cumpleaños (name),
Feliz Cumpleaños a ti.
Que los cumpla feliz,
que los vuelva a cumplir,
que los cumpla bastante,
Hasta el año 3000.
Yes, Peru, I, too, chafe under the yoke of mortality, and yearn for the day that humanity finally breaks free from our limited lifespans. Vivan todos.
