While well-versed in many different styles, Torres has strong ties to guaji… Read Full Bio ↴While well-versed in many different styles, Torres has strong ties to guajiro, a form of Cuban peasant or country music. He even uses a traditional instrument—the laúd, which is a type of lute with 12 strings. Torres joined the group Serenata Yumunina in 1970, but he left a few years later to serve in the Cuban army. In the army, he played jazz with its jazz orchestra and was a member of the marching band.

Torres later settled in Havana and worked with many of Cuban's top performers as a session musician. In the 1990s he was very busy with two different groups. He worked Celina Gonzalez and formed his own band called Piquete Cubano. He also participated in two other projects—the Afro-Cuban All Stars and the Buena Vista Social Club. Both were ensembles of Cuban musicians, but each with a different focus. The Afro-Cuban All Stars performed Latin dance music while the Buena Vista Social Club wanted to record traditional Cuban music. Both of these projects received strong reviews, but the phenomenal success of the 1997 album, Buena Vista Social Club, put him—and Cuban music in general—in the international spotlight. The record sold more than 1.5 million copies and led to an international tour.

Since Buena Vista Social Club, Torres has made several solo albums, including Havana Cafe in 1999 and a self-titled work in 2003.

Lagrimas Negras
Barbarito Torres Lyrics

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Aunque tú me has echado en el abandono
Aunque tú has muerto mis ilusiones
En vez de maldecirte con justo encono
En mis sueños te colmo
En mis sueños te colmo de bendiciones

Sufro la inmensa pena de tu extravío
Siento el dolor profundo de tu partida

Y lloro sin que tú sepas que el llanto mío
Tiene lágrimas negras
Tiene lágrimas negras como mi vida

Aunque tú me has echado en el abandono
Aunque tú has muerto mis ilusiones
En vez de maldecirte con justo encono
En mis sueños te colmo
En mis sueños te colmo de bendiciones

Sufro la inmensa pena de tu extravío
Siento el dolor profundo de tu partida
Y lloro sin que tú sepas que el llanto mío
Tiene lágrimas negras
Tiene lágrimas negras como mi vida

Viendo el guadalquivir
Las gitanas lavan, los ninõs en la orilla
Veindo los barcos pasar
Aqua del limenero, aqua del limenero
Si te acaricio la cara
Tienes que darme un beso

En el guadalquivir, mi gitana lavaba
Pañuelo de blanco y oro
Que yo te daba, que yo te daba
Aqua del limenero, aqua del limenero
Si te acaricio la cara
Tienes que darme un beso

Tú me quieres dejar
Yo no quiero sufrir
Contigo me voy gitana
Aunque me cueste morir

Contigo me voy gitana
Aunque me cueste morir

Overall Meaning

These lyrics describe the pain and sorrow of someone who has been abandoned and lost their love. Despite the hurt that this person has caused, the singer of the lyrics chooses to bless them with their dreams, filling their thoughts and visions with positive energy. This suggests a deep, ongoing love for someone who is no longer there, and the resolve to keep that love alive in some way.

The lyrics further express the immense sadness and grief felt by the singer over their lover's departure. They cry tears that are as black as their life, demonstrating the depth of their despair. However, the singer also talks about their dreams, implying that they are trying to find some solace and comfort there, perhaps using them as a way to escape the pain.

The final stanza adds a new perspective, describing the scene of gypsies doing laundry and children playing by the river. The lyrics switch to Spanish, and the atmosphere changes to one of romantic nostalgia. The lyrics recall a lover from the past who was given a white and gold scarf, a symbol of their love. Despite the pain and hurt previously described, the lyrics end on a more hopeful note with the singer choosing to go with the gypsy woman despite the risks and hardships, showing that they are willing to take a chance at love again.

Line by Line Meaning

Aunque tú me has echado en el abandono
Even though you have left me abandoned

Aunque tú has muerto mis ilusiones
Even though you have killed my dreams

En vez de maldecirte con justo encono
Instead of cursing you with just anger

En mis sueños te colmo
In my dreams I shower you

En mis sueños te colmo de bendiciones
In my dreams I shower you with blessings

Sufro la inmensa pena de tu extravío
I suffer from the immense pain of your loss

Siento el dolor profundo de tu partida
I feel the deep pain of your departure

Y lloro sin que tú sepas que el llanto mío
And I cry without you knowing that my tears

Tiene lágrimas negras
Have black tears

Tiene lágrimas negras como mi vida
Have black tears just like my life

Viendo el guadalquivir
Watching the Guadalquivir