Bad Bunny’s 2025 track “DTMF” (short for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” or “I Should Have Taken More Photos”) is built around one central regret: he didn’t take enough pictures when he was with someone. He weaves this lost relationship into a bigger story about appreciating what you have before it’s gone, whether that’s a person, your friends, or the island of Puerto Rico itself.
Below is a section-by-section interpretation of the lyrics in “DTMF.” I’ll be analyzing the English translation of the song.
- Song: DTMF
- Artist: Bad Bunny
- Songwriters: Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Marco Borrero, Scott Dittrich, Tyler Spry, Benjamin Falik, Hydra Hitz
- Released: 2025
- Album: Debí Tirar Más Fotos
- Genre: Plena, Hip-hop, Reggaeton
- Awards: Grammy – Record of the Year (nominee)
What is “DTMF” About?
Verse 1: Missing Her
Another beautiful sunset I see in San Juan
Enjoying everything that the departed are missing out on
He’s watching the sunset in Puerto Rico’s capital city, appreciating what people who’ve left the island no longer get to experience.
Sunset is often a time for reminiscing, and that’s the mood throughout the song.
He’s in a place he loves, but he’s thinking about one or more people who aren’t there anymore.
Enjoying nights like those that don’t come often
These nights feel rare and special. He knows they’re fleeting, which makes them feel more precious.
But there’s a sadness underneath because nights like this used to happen more often, presumably when the person he’s missing was still around.
But wanting to go back to the last time
That I looked into your eyes
And to tell you the things I didn’t get to tell you (You look like my crush, haha)
His mind won’t stay in the present. It keeps pulling him back to the last time he looked at this person, wanting to redo that moment.
He’s got things he wishes he’d said to her. The relationship seems to have ended without proper closure, or maybe he didn’t realize it was ending when it was happening.
And to take the pictures I didn’t get to take
(Damn, I swear you look so pretty, let me take a picture of you)
He wishes he’d documented more moments with her. The aside shows how he’d compliment her and want to photograph her.
There’s regret about not freezing these moments in time when he had the chance.
My chest feels empty, I got hit hard
My heart is pounding
This breakup hurt him pretty bad.
His heart’s racing, probably from the rush of memories flooding back.
Tell me, baby, where are you?
I can meet you there with RoRo, Julito, Krystal
Roy, Edgar, Seba, Óscar, Darnell, and Big Jay, playing batá
He wants to know where she is so he can show up with his whole crew.
The names he lists are real people close to Bad Bunny, including producers and collaborators he’s worked with.
The batá is a drum used in Afro-Caribbean music, so he’s imagining arriving with live music and turning the reunion into a celebration.
Today, we’ll leave the streets in chaos
And it’d be amazing if you play the güiro for me
They’re going to tear up the town tonight.
The güiro is a Puerto Rican percussion instrument.
There’s also a sexual undertone here. The güiro’s phallic shape makes it a subtle innuendo.
I see your name and it makes me sigh
I don’t know if it’s fireworks or gunshots
Just seeing her name gets a reaction out of him. He’s obviously still hung up on her.
In Puerto Rico, that line about fireworks or gunshots hits home because those two sounds are often indistinguishable. Bad Bunny leans into that reality to call out the crime and social inequality people deal with on the island every day.
He’s also saying he can’t tell if what he’s feeling is excitement or danger.
My whitey, my cocaine, my kilo
I’m in PR chilling, but…
These are drug metaphors stacked on top of each other. He’s comparing his relationship with her to an addiction.
She’s his drug, and even though he’s back home in Puerto Rico trying to relax, he can’t shake the craving.
Chorus: Regret and Loyalty
I should’ve taken more pictures when I had you
I should’ve given you more kisses and hugs whenever I could
He didn’t document the relationship enough so he could look back on them.
More than that, he didn’t show enough physical affection when he had the opportunity.
I hope my people never move away
And if I get drunk today, I hope they help me out
The theme shifts slightly here. In addition to missing his ex, he’s also worried about losing his friends.
Puerto Rico has experienced significant migration, with people leaving for the mainland United States or elsewhere. He’s hoping his crew stays put.
He’s not handling things well and needs his people around to keep him together.
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Verse 2: Partying Through the Pain
Hey, today I’ll be with Grandpa all day, playing dominoes
If he asks if I still think about you, I’ll say no
He’s seeking comfort in family traditions. Playing dominoes with his grandfather is a grounding activity, something stable when everything else feels chaotic.
But if his grandpa asks about his ex, he’ll lie and say he’s moved on. He hasn’t.
That my time being close to you is over now
It’s over now
He won’t tell his grandpa that his relationship is over. he wants to avoid that conversation altogether.
Fire up the machines, I’m going to Santurce
Here, they still drink rum
“Fire up the machines” means getting the cars ready.
Santurce is a neighborhood in San Juan known for its nightlife and cultural scene. He’s shifting gears from family time to partying.
The mention of rum ties into Puerto Rican drinking culture.
Check out the girls, damn, mami, how sweet
He’s trying to distract himself by looking at other women.
Whether it’s working or not is unclear.
Today I want to drink, drink, drink
And talk nonsense until I get kicked out
He wants to get drunk and talk recklessly until they throw him out of wherever he’s going.
Alcohol is his way of coping with his heartbreak, and he’s planning to overdo it.
I’m so drunk, I’m so drunk
Man, you drive, because even if I’m walking I’m about to crash
He’s already wasted. He’s telling his friend to drive because he’s so drunk he’d crash even just trying to walk.
This is reckless behavior, and he knows it.
I’m so drunk, I’m so drunk
Let’s enjoy it because you never know how much time we’ve got left
He’s living in the moment because life is unpredictable. You don’t know when things will end, so you might as well enjoy what you have right now.
This ties back to the regret theme. He didn’t appreciate her when he had her, and now he’s trying to appreciate his friends before they’re gone, too.
Interlude: Love for His People
Guys, I love you so much, I really do
Thank you for being here, truly
Bad Bunny breaks the fourth wall here to talk to his friends, making sure they know how much they matter to him.
It’s very important to me that you’re here
Each one of you means so much to me
He’s not taking his people for granted anymore.
So, let’s take the picture, come here
Everyone, get in, the whole crew, let’s go
Let’s do it
Now he’s actually taking the picture he wishes he’d taken more of before.
He’s learning from his regret and making sure to capture this moment with his friends.
Verse 3: Family Over Flashiness
Now Bernie has a baby, and Jan has a girl
His younger brother and his manager have both started families.
Life has moved forward. The people in his circle aren’t the same as they used to be.
We’re no longer about the flashy stuff and chains
We’re here for the things that are truly worth it
They’ve matured past the stereotypical rapper lifestyle of showing off jewelry and expensive things.
What seemed important before doesn’t actually matter. The substance underneath is what counts.
Hey, for reggaeton, salsa, bomba, and plena
Check out how mine sounds
He’s listing Puerto Rican music genres, paying tribute to the island’s musical heritage.
Reggaeton is modern, but salsa, bomba, and plena are traditional styles that shaped Puerto Rican culture.
Bad Bunny sees himself as a bridge between traditional Puerto Rican music and the global popularity of reggaeton.
He’s telling people to listen to his music and hear how he’s carrying that tradition forward.
Outro: Final Regrets
I should’ve taken more pictures when I had you
I should’ve given you more kisses and hugs whenever I could
He’s stuck on what he didn’t do.
I hope my people never move away
And that you send me more nudes
He’s hoping his friends stay close, and he’s still hoping to hear from her, even if it’s just through photos.
The “nudes” line adds a playful, sexual element after all the sentimentality.
And if I get drunk today, may Beno help me
Bad Bunny’s real name is Benito, so he could be talking about himself, but he’s probably talking about another friend.
If he gets drunk tonight, he’s counting on Beno to take care of him, just like he hoped his crew would help him earlier.
“DTMF” Song Meaning: Learning to Appreciate the Moment
“DTMF” is about looking back and wishing you’d appreciated people and moments more before they were gone. Bad Bunny uses a lost romantic relationship as the central thread, but he’s really talking about a broader fear of loss. He sings about people leaving Puerto Rico, friends moving away, time passing, and things changing before he’s properly appreciated them.
He moves between trying to distract himself through partying and drinking while also telling his friends and family how much they mean to him. He’s learned something from losing this relationship, even if he hasn’t fully processed it.
There’s also a cultural layer here about Puerto Rico itself. He’s celebrating the island’s beauty, music, and traditions while saying that many people leave and miss out on these experiences. He’s grateful to still be there, still connected to the culture, but he knows nothing lasts forever.
Songs Like “DTMF”
Here are some tracks with similar themes:
1. “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran
“Photograph” is a ballad about using photographs to keep someone close when you’re physically apart, holding onto those frozen moments to feel more connected.
Related: Best Ed Sheeran Songs
2. “Antes Que el Mundo Se Acabe” by Residente
Residente’s 2020 track is about wanting to experience everything with someone before time runs out, listing all the places and moments he wants to share with them.
3. “100 Years” by Five for Fighting
This 2003 song moves through different stages of a man’s life, showing how quickly time passes and how we don’t realize what we have until it’s already gone.
Related: Best Songs with Numbers in the Title
Conclusion: Taking the Picture
The “take more photos” theme in “DTMF” is universal, but Bad Bunny makes it personal by tying it to multiple things, including an old relationship, Puerto Rican culture, and people he misses.
He’s learned to appreciate what he has while he has it, whether that’s a sunset in San Juan, a night out with his crew, or traditional music that connects him to his heritage. So it’s a song about regrets, but it’s also about growth.
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