He was gifted with an innate musicality and fluid tenor voice which he colored and phrased with great expressivity. Moré was a master of all the genres of Cuban music, including son montuno, mambo, guaracha, guajira, cha cha cha, afro, canción, guaguancó, and bolero.
The eldest of eighteen children, Moré was born in Santa Isabel de las Lajas in the former province of Las Villas, in central Cuba. In 1936, at age seventeen, he left Las Lajas for Havana. His first breakthrough was winning a radio competition. He then joined Trío Matamoros (later known as Conjunto Matamoros), with which he remained several years, making a number of recordings.
In 1945 Moré went with Conjunto Matamoros to Mexico, where he performed in two of the most famous cabarets of the age, the Montparnasse and the Río Rosa. He made several recordings. Conjunto Matamoros returned to Havana, while Moré remained in Mexico, where he made several recordings for RCA Victor, together with the orchestra of Mariano Mercerón: "Me voy pal pueblo" y "Desdichado". He also recorded with Pérez Prado: "Bonito y sabroso", "Mucho corazón", "Pachito el ché", and "Ensalada de mambo". He also recorded "Dolor carabalí", which Moré considered his best composition recorded with Pérez Prado, and one he never wanted to re-record.
At the end of 1950, Moré returned to Cuba. He was a star in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Brazil and Puerto Rico, but virtually unknown on the island. His first Cuban recording was "Bonito y Sabroso". Moré eventually decided to start his own orchestra, which he called Banda Gigante. In the years 1954 and 1955, Moré's group became immensely popular. In 1956 and 1957, it toured Venezuela, Jamaica, Haiti, Colombia, Panama, Mexico and the United States, where the group played at the Oscar ceremonies.
He died in 1963 at age 43 of cirrhosis. An estimated 100,000 fans attended his funeral.
Soy del monte
Beny Moré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Soy guajiro, vivo en el monte
Y tengo un sitio en la loma
Soy guajiro, vivo en el monte
Y tengo un sitio en la loma
Cuando Linares tocó
Cuando Linares tocó
Jamás se vendió el tabaco
Esos si fueron trabajos
Los que en Cuba no pasó
Allí se reconoció
El valor de mis hermanos
Con el machete en la mano
Avanzo la infantería
Caballero es bobería
Rabia tienen los cubanos
Soy guajiro, vivo en el monte
Y tengo un sitio en la loma (eh)
Soy guajiro, vivo en el monte
Y tengo un sitio en la loma
A un sitiecito llegué
Solo por ver la indiana
A un sitiecito llegué
Solo por ver la indiana
Es ella, mamá Juliana
Su apellido no lo sé
A tiempo me le monté
Los buenos días le di
Le pregunté ¿Por aquí
No vive el viejo Jacobo?
Y me dijo: "No sea bobo"
"Que usted vino a verme a mí"
Soy guajiro, vivo en el monte
Y tengo un sitio en la loma (¿Y qué?)
Soy guajiro, vivo en el monte
Y tengo un sitio en la loma
La otra noche en un café
Un mulato guapetón
La otra noche en un café
Un mulato guapetón
Me trató de borrachón
Y yo ni le conteste
Pero cuando me paré
Se formó una gritería
Le di un coscón en la encía
Que dio como treinta vuelta'
Y por no encontrar la puerta
Rompió la macotería
Soy guajiro, vivo en el monte
Y tengo un sitio en la loma
Eh, tengo un sitio en la loma
Y tengo un sitio en la loma
Yo tengo un sitiecito en la loma
Y tengo un sitio en la loma
Ay, que tengo un sitio en la loma
Y tengo un sitio en la loma
¿Qué, qué?, y tengo un sitio en la loma
Y tengo un sitio en la loma
Tengo un sitiecito en la loma
The lyrics to Beny Moré's "Soy Del Monte" express pride in one's heritage and way of life. The repetition of "soy guajiro, vivo en el monte, y tengo un sitio en la loma" emphasizes the importance of rural life and the singer's connection to the land. References to struggles faced by guajiros, or rural peasants, provide a sense of historical context and highlight the resilience and perseverance of these communities. The mention of Linares, a legendary Cuban musician and smoker, adds an element of nostalgia for a bygone era when things were simpler and traditional values held more sway.
In the second verse, the singer tells a story about a chance encounter with a woman named Juliana. This serves to illustrate the social relationships and hierarchies that exist within rural communities, and how people use their connections to navigate their surroundings. The third verse describes a confrontation with a drunken mulatto man at a café, which can be seen as a metaphor for the struggles faced by guajiros in dealing with outsiders who may not understand or appreciate their way of life.
Overall, "Soy Del Monte" celebrates rural identity and culture, and presents a picture of a tight-knit community that has faced struggles but remains strong and resilient.
Line by Line Meaning
Soy guajiro, vivo en el monte
I am a farmer, I live in the countryside
Y tengo un sitio en la loma
And I have a place in the hills
Cuando Linares tocó
When Linares played music
Jamás se vendió el tabaco
Tobacco was never sold out
Esos si fueron trabajos
Those were the real jobs
Los que en Cuba no pasó
The kind that didn't happen in Cuba
Allí se reconoció
There, the value of my brothers was recognized
El valor de mis hermanos
The worth of my fellow countrymen
Con el machete en la mano
With machetes in hand
Avanzo la infantería
The infantry advances
Caballero es bobería
Being a gentleman is foolishness
Rabia tienen los cubanos
Cubans have anger
A un sitiecito llegué
I arrived at a small place
Solo por ver la indiana
Just to see the girl
Es ella, mamá Juliana
It's her, Mama Juliana
Su apellido no lo sé
I don't know her last name
A tiempo me le monté
I approached her in time
Los buenos días le di
I greeted her with good day
Le pregunté ¿Por aquí
I asked her if
No vive el viejo Jacobo?
The old man Jacobo doesn't live around here?
Y me dijo: "No sea bobo"
And she said, "Stop being silly"
"Que usted vino a verme a mí"
"You came to see me"
La otra noche en un café
The other night in a café
Un mulato guapetón
A handsome Mulatto
Me trató de borrachón
Called me a drunk
Y yo ni le contesté
And I didn't answer him
Pero cuando me paré
But when I stood up
Se formó una gritería
A commotion broke out
Le di un coscón en la encía
I punched him in the mouth
Que dio como treinta vuelta'
It made him spin around thirty times
Y por no encontrar la puerta
And because he couldn't find the door
Rompió la macotería
He broke the furniture
Eh, tengo un sitio en la loma
Eh, I have a place in the hills
Y tengo un sitio en la loma
And I have a place in the hills
Ay, que tengo un sitio en la loma
Oh, I have a place in the hills
Tengo un sitiecito en la loma
I have a little place in the hills
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Jose Ramon Sanchez Palacios
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind