DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS: A call to treasure what we have

Editor’s note: Bad Bunny is not just a global music star; he is a cultural and political force whose work reflects how many Puerto Ricans experience identity, migration, power, and belonging. Ahead of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance, Pasquines is publishing a short series of essays, explaining songs like DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS from across his discography for audiences who may be encountering his music — and its meaning — for the first time. We will be unpacking individual songs and what they mean to the writers who live with their echoes — on the islands and in the diaspora. Through music, memory, and context, these pieces explore Puerto Rico as lived reality, not metaphor.

Bad Bunny’s song “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” calls on us to think about and remember how quickly time passes. As a mother of six, I have always taken photos of every moment in my children’s lives when they were young. Even now that they are adults, I still do. It is a way of keeping those memories intact, because they will never return.

We must live in the present and give value to everything we experience. It is not just about taking photos; it is about preserving emotions, feelings, and relationships that at some point are no longer there. With nostalgia, we recognize that there were moments we will never have again and that, sadly, we lost.

Even with all the technological advances we have made, we still fail to live each moment of our lives fully. We have to truly live. To appreciate every moment and give it genuine attention. Let us make “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” a moment of connection with so many wonderful and unforgettable memories, creating awareness so that tomorrow we do not regret not having lived with emotion.

At the beginning of the song, there is a call to enjoy our landscapes as islands, to treasure what we have, because others have had to leave in search of a better life. I wish they had not had to move away. But the song has taught me to value life more, with its beautiful moments, to show our love to everyone around us, and to our island.

Those who have left find so much joy in a photo or a kind message. Let us give more kisses and hugs, say “I love you” more often, and show what each person means to us. Bad Bunny has made us recognize how deeply we love Puerto Rico and how proud we are to be boricuas.