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Celia Cruz (with the
Buenavista Social Club)
(From a poem by José
Martí)
Play
the music
This is about half the music of the song--for the whole song, and
many more, with lyrics, translations and notes, see our Cantemos
collection
| Estribillo: |
Chorus: |
| Guantanamera,*
guajira**
guantanamera |
Guantanamera,
guajira, guantanamera. |
| Guantanamera, guajira
guantanamera |
Guantanamera, guajira
guantanamera. |
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| Yo soy un hombre sincero, de
donde crece la palma |
I am an honest man, from where
the palm tree grows |
| Yo soy un hombre sincero, de
donde crece la palma |
I am an honest man, from where
the palm tree grows |
| Y antes de morir yo quiero
cantar mis versos del alma |
And before dying I want to sing
the verses from my soul |
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| Estribillo: |
Chorus |
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| Cultivo una rosa blanca, en
julio como en enero, |
I’ll grow a white rose in
July just like in January |
| Para el amigo sincero, que me
da su mano franca. |
For the honest friend, who
gives me his open hand. |
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| Estribillo (dos
veces) |
Chorus (twice) |
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| Mi verso es de un verde claro,
y de un carmín encendido |
My verse is [of] a light green,
and [of] a burning scarlet |
| Mi verso es de un verde claro,
y de un carmín encendido |
My verse is [of] a light green,
and [of] a burning scarlet |
| Mi verso es un ciervo herido,
que busca en el monte amparo. |
My verse is a wounded stag, who
seeks refuge on the mountain. |
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| Estribillo (dos
veces) |
Chorus (twice) |
*Guantanamera means a girl from
Guantanamo. Guantanamo, where the U.S. has
maintained a naval base for over a hundred years, is a constant sore point in U.S.-Cuban
relations, with or without Castro.
**Guajira is a colloquial term used in Cuba for a country girl.
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José Martí became
involved in the Cuban independence movement as a teenager, and lived most of his life in
exile, much of it in New York City. He is not only Cuba’s national poet (and
internationally considered an important poet), but he is also considered the figurative
father of Cuba’s independence. When he returned to Cuba to take part in the
independence struggle, he was killed in his first encounter with the Spanish Army (1894).
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Celia Cruz might be called
Cuba’s national female salsa singer. She has beensinging publicly and popularly for
over 60 years, and is still capable of drawing crowds. Guantanamera is such a part of the
Cuban musical tradition that it has been rendered in all kinds of ways, although it’s
usually heard in abolero version. Her rendition of Guantanamera is, as one might expect, a
salsa-type version, with bongo drums and trumpets instead of the usual guitars. Of course,
like many Cuban artists, her Celia Cruz's career for the past four decades has been based
in Miami and New York. |
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