Mariachi Lyrics Archive
Rodolfo El Reno De La Nariz Roja
Before the song, Rudolph was a department store coloring book dreamed up during the Great Depression. From giveaway pamphlet to global Christmas icon — in one verse.
About the Song
"Rodolfo El Reno De La Nariz Roja" is the beloved Spanish-language adaptation of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." The original character was created by Robert L. May in 1939 as a promotional coloring book for the Montgomery Ward department store chain. May's brother-in-law, songwriter Johnny Marks, adapted the story into a song in 1949. Gene Autry, "The Singing Cowboy," recorded it that same year and it became the second best-selling Christmas song of all time (after "White Christmas"). The Spanish version has become a staple of Latin American Christmases, popularized by artists including Las Ardillitas de Lalo Guerrero and countless children's choirs across Mexico and Latin America.
Meaning of the Song
At its heart, this is a story about being different and finding your purpose. Rudolph's glowing red nose — the very thing that makes him an outcast — turns out to be exactly what saves Christmas. The message resonates universally: the qualities that make you "weird" or "different" are often your greatest gifts. In the Spanish version, the phrase "roja como la grana" (red as scarlet/cochineal) adds a distinctly Latin American touch, referencing the deep-red cochineal dye that was one of the most valuable exports of colonial Mexico.
Lyrics / Letra
Era Rodolfo un reno que tenía la nariz
Roja como la grana y de un brillo singular
Todos sus compañeros se reían sin parar
Y nuestro buen amigo no paraba de llorar
Pero Navidad llegó, Santa Claus bajó
Y a Rodolfo eligió por su singular nariz
Tirando del trineo, fue Rodolfo sensación
Y desde aquel momento, toda burla se acabó
Era Rodolfo un reno que tenía la nariz
Roja como la grana y de un brillo singular
Todos sus compañeros se reían sin parar
Y nuestro buen amigo no paraba de llorar
Pero Navidad llegó, Santa Claus bajó
Y a Rodolfo lo eligió por su singular nariz
Tirando del trineo, fue Rodolfo sensación
Y desde aquel momento, toda burla se acabó
Roja como la grana y de un brillo singular
Todos sus compañeros se reían sin parar
Y nuestro buen amigo no paraba de llorar
Pero Navidad llegó, Santa Claus bajó
Y a Rodolfo eligió por su singular nariz
Tirando del trineo, fue Rodolfo sensación
Y desde aquel momento, toda burla se acabó
Era Rodolfo un reno que tenía la nariz
Roja como la grana y de un brillo singular
Todos sus compañeros se reían sin parar
Y nuestro buen amigo no paraba de llorar
Pero Navidad llegó, Santa Claus bajó
Y a Rodolfo lo eligió por su singular nariz
Tirando del trineo, fue Rodolfo sensación
Y desde aquel momento, toda burla se acabó
English Translation
Rudolph was a reindeer who had a nose
Red as scarlet and with a singular glow
All his companions laughed without stopping
And our good friend would not stop crying
But Christmas arrived, Santa Claus came down
And he chose Rudolph for his singular nose
Pulling the sleigh, Rudolph was a sensation
And from that moment on, all the teasing ended
Rudolph was a reindeer who had a nose
Red as scarlet and with a singular glow
All his companions laughed without stopping
And our good friend would not stop crying
But Christmas arrived, Santa Claus came down
And he chose Rudolph for his singular nose
Pulling the sleigh, Rudolph was a sensation
And from that moment on, all the teasing ended
Red as scarlet and with a singular glow
All his companions laughed without stopping
And our good friend would not stop crying
But Christmas arrived, Santa Claus came down
And he chose Rudolph for his singular nose
Pulling the sleigh, Rudolph was a sensation
And from that moment on, all the teasing ended
Rudolph was a reindeer who had a nose
Red as scarlet and with a singular glow
All his companions laughed without stopping
And our good friend would not stop crying
But Christmas arrived, Santa Claus came down
And he chose Rudolph for his singular nose
Pulling the sleigh, Rudolph was a sensation
And from that moment on, all the teasing ended
