Ibrahim Ferrer Lyrics

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Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar

Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar

Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar

Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar

Amigo pide otra copa, caramba
Que este cantor te convida
Que aunque a ustedes no le importa
Voy a hacerles la historia de mi vida:

Amé mucho a una mujer
De mi alma la más querida
Me traicionó la perdida, caramba
Que ingrato y mal proceder

Ella me hizo beber
Ella me hizo un perdido
A la droga me tiré, amigo mío
Y a la carcel fui llevado

Los amigos me olvidaron
Sólo mi madre lloraba
A Dios pedía y rogaba
Que se salvara su hijo

Recuerden lo que les digo
Que en la prisión y en la cama
Sólo nuestra madre nos ama, caramba
No hay dinero, no hay amigos

Linda guajira, ¡mi son te llama!

Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar

Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar

Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar

Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar

Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar

Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar

Las dos palabras que más
Me llenan de regocijo
Es cuando me dicen hijo
Es cuando digo mamá

Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar

La madre es un surtidor
De miel que nunca se cierra
Es un astro en la tierra
Brilla mucho más que el sol

Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar

No le teme a la negrura
Del vicio y todo su espanto

Pienso en mi madre y su encanto
Me cubre con su ternura

Overall Meaning

The opening line of the song, “Guajira/El son te llama/A bailar, a gozar” translates to “Guajira, the son is calling you to dance and enjoy”. This line sets the tone for the rest of the song, as it is an invitation to dance and celebrate. The following lines discuss the personal story of the singer, who shares his experiences of loving a woman who betrayed him and pushed him into a harmful lifestyle. The singer confesses that he turned to drugs and ended up in jail, but the only person who didn’t abandon him was his mother. The song then switches back to the celebratory tone and praises the beauty and importance of the guajira dance.

The lyrics of the song paint a picture of a bittersweet journey, touching on themes of love and loss, betrayal, addiction, and family. The song celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over adversity, as the singer’s mother keeps his hopes alive even in the darkest moments of his life. It also showcases the importance of dance and music in Latin American culture, as the song encourages the listener to forget their problems and dance to the beat of the guajira.

Line by Line Meaning

Guajira
This is a style of music from Cuba, and this song is calling for it.

El son te llama
The song is also referring to another type of music called 'son,' and it is asking people to dance and enjoy it.

A bailar, a gozar
This is a repetition of the previous line, asking people to dance and enjoy the music.

Amigo pide otra copa, caramba
The singer is asking their friend to have another drink with them using a slang term.

Que este cantor te convida
The singer is inviting their friend to listen and enjoy their story.

Que aunque a ustedes no le importa
Even though the singer's friends may not care, they still want to tell their story.

Voy a hacerles la historia de mi vida
The singer is about to tell their life story to their friends.

Amé mucho a una mujer
The singer loved a woman deeply.

De mi alma la más querida
This woman was the most cherished person in the singer's heart.

Me traicionó la perdida, caramba
This woman betrayed the singer, causing him great pain.

Que ingrato y mal proceder
The singer thinks the woman's behavior was both ungrateful and bad.

Ella me hizo beber
Following her betrayal, this woman caused the singer to start drinking.

Ella me hizo un perdido
This woman caused the singer to lose his way in life.

A la droga me tiré, amigo mío
The singer started using drugs because of this woman's actions.

Y a la carcel fui llevado
The singer ended up in prison due to his drug use.

Los amigos me olvidaron
The singer's friends forgot about him while he was in prison.

Sólo mi madre lloraba
Only the singer's mother cried for him while he was in prison.

A Dios pedía y rogaba
The singer prayed and begged to God for his salvation.

Que se salvara su hijo
The singer's mother prayed for her son's safety and well-being.

Recuerden lo que les digo
The singer wants their friends to remember this story.

Que en la prisión y en la cama
The singer is using a rhyme to say that in both prison and bed, only our mothers truly love us.

Sólo nuestra madre nos ama, caramba
This line is emphasizing the importance and uniqueness of a mother's love.

No hay dinero, no hay amigos
The singer is concluding that in difficult times, money and friends are unreliable and only a mother's love remains consistent.

Las dos palabras que más
The singer is introducing the two words that mean the most to them.

Me llenan de regocijo
These two words bring the singer great joy.

Es cuando me dicen hijo
The two words are when someone calls the singer 'son.'

Es cuando digo mamá
The singer is saying that the two words are tied to the idea of his mother.

La madre es un surtidor
The singer is expressing that their mother is like a fountain.

De miel que nunca se cierra
This line is comparing the mother to a never-ending flow of sweet honey.

Es un astro en la tierra
The singer believes their mother is like an angel on Earth.

Brilla mucho más que el sol
The singer thinks their mother's light and love outshines the sun.

No le teme a la negrura
The singer's mother is not afraid of darkness or negative things.

Del vicio y todo su espanto
The singer's mother is also not afraid of addiction and its horrors.

Pienso en mi madre y su encanto
The singer's thoughts always return to the enchanting qualities of their mother.

Me cubre con su ternura
The singer feels that their mother's love and tenderness always protect them.