Al fuego: a settling of scores in two verses and a bonfire

If I had known. Al fuego (Into the Fire) begins with that conditional, and anyone who has ended a relationship badly knows it's the phrase that goes round and round in your head in the days that follow. If I'd known sooner, if I'd paid attention, if I'd listened.

The lyrics are short and get to the point. If I had known he didn't give a damn, I'd have sent him packing back to his mother in a flash. If I had listened to that «ojalá le parta un rayo» (I hope lightning strikes him), I'd have written it in my diary, cursing away. They're age-old expressions, the kind an angry grandmother uses, and that's why they sound so good. They have that taste of street Spanish I love putting into my lyrics.

Then comes the chorus, which is self-criticism at its bluntest: since I'm so silly, I've been a complete idiot. I think it's very healthy to laugh at yourself like that, without dramatising. We've all been a bit silly at some point, and admitting it out loud is liberating. And in the middle, a very modern request: don't come to me with your nonsense, I don't want to see your dick pics. The joke is direct and it still makes me laugh every time.

The ending gives the song its title: I know the game by now, I've thrown it all into the fire. That's the key. It's not revenge or a plea. It's a bonfire. The photos, the messages, the memories, all into the flames, like a private Midsummer's Eve.

The song is repeated in full twice, with no bridge or variation, and I think that's spot on. It works like a spell: you say it once to let it go and again to believe it.

Ideal for the day after blocking someone. For that afternoon when you delete the photo folder and empty the bin. Or for a real Midsummer's Eve, with friends, bits of paper and a lighter.

Dedicate it to whoever sent you a dick pic without being asked. They'll surely get it.

The full lyrics are below. Listen on Spotify