Guantanamera (or Guajira Guantanamera) is a famous Cuban folk song. The meaning of the song’s title is “peasant woman from Guantánamo”. The song was written by Joseíto Fernández and it became popular in the late 1920s. The song celebrates Cuban nationalism and poor people around the world.

Guantanamera

Guantanamera lyrics and English translation

Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera
Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera

Woman from Guantánamo
Peasant woman from Guantánamo
Guantanamera
Peasant woman from Guantánamo

Yo soy un hombre sincero
De donde crece la palma
Yo soy un hombre sincero
De donde crece la palma

I am a sincere man
Where the palm tree grows
I am a sincere man
Where the palm tree grows

Y antes de morir yo quiero
Echar mis versos del alma
Y antes de morir yo quiero
Echar mis versos del alma

And before I die I want
To pour out my verses from the soul
And before I die I want
To pour out my verses from the soul

Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera
Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera

Woman from Guantánamo
Peasant woman from Guantánamo
Guantanamera
Peasant woman from Guantánamo

No me pongan en lo oscuro
A morir como un traidor
No me pongan en lo oscuro
A morir como un traidor

Don’t put me in the dark
To die like a traitor
Don’t put me in the dark
To die like a traitor

Yo soy bueno y como bueno
Moriré de cara al sol
Yo soy bueno y como bueno
Moriré de cara al sol

I am good and I eat good
I will die facing the sun
I am good and I eat good
I will die facing the sun

Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera
Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera

Woman from Guantánamo
Peasant woman from Guantánamo
Guantanamera
Peasant woman from Guantánamo

Con los pobres de la tierra
Quiero yo mi suerte echar
Con los pobres de la tierra
Quiero yo mi suerte echar

With the poor of the earth
I want to cast my lot
With the poor of the earth
I want to cast my lot

El arroyo de la sierra
Me complace más que el mar
El arroyo de la sierra
Me complace más que el mar

The mountain stream
I like it more than the sea
The mountain stream
I like it more than the sea

Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera
Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera

Woman from Guantánamo
Peasant woman from Guantánamo
Guantanamera
Peasant woman from Guantánamo

Tiene el leopardo un abrigo
En su monte seco y pardo
Tiene el leopardo un abrigo
En su monte seco y pardo
Yo tengo más que el leopardo
Porque tengo un buen amigo

The leopard has a coat
In his dry and brown forest
The leopard has a coat
In his dry and brown forest
I have more than the leopard
Because I have a good friend

Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera
Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera

Song lyrics vocabulary and grammar

Below we provide explanations of selected vocabulary and grammar of interest from the lyrics.

Yo soy un hombre sincero

This line translates to “I am a sincere man”. Yo soy is the first-person singular (yo) form of ser (to be). The adjective sincero can translate to sincere and true.

De donde crece la palma

This line translates to “Where the palm tree grows”. Crece is the third-person singular form (él, ella) of the verb crecer (to grow up).

Y antes de morir yo quiero

This line translate to “And before I die I want”. In Spanish, “before + verb+ing” is formed antes de + infinitive. Yo quiero is the first-person singular form of querer (to want, to love).

Echar mis versos del alma

This line translates to “To pour out my verses from the soul”. The verb echar has many usages and meanings to throw, to pour and to give off.

No me pongan en lo oscuro

This line translates to “Don’t put me in the dark”. Pongan is the verb poner (to put) in the imperative mood.

Yo soy bueno y como bueno

This line translates to “I am good and I eat good”. Como is the first-person form of comer (to eat).

Moriré de cara al sol

This line translates to “I will die facing the sun”. Moriré is the first-person singular form of morir (to die) in the future tense.

Quiero yo mi suerte echar

This line translatest to “I want to cast my lot”. The expression echar a suertes means “to toss for” or “to flip a coin to see”.

Me complace más que el mar

This line translates to “I like it more than the sea”. Me complace comes from the verb complacer (to please, to take pleasure in).

En su monte seco y pardo

This line translates to “In his dry and brown forest”. The masculine noun monte can translate to both forest and hill. Pardo can translate to both brown and dreary.

Yo tengo más que el leopardo

This line translates to “I have more than the leopard”. Tengo is the first-person singular form of tener (to have).

More Spanish songs

• Cielito Lindo (Mexican folk song)
• La Bamba (Mexican folk song)
• Querida (Juan Gabriel)
• Bésame Mucho (Consuelo Velázquez)

References

• Wikipedia
• WordReference (guajira)