Celia Cruz (born as Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso in La H… Read Full Bio ↴Celia Cruz (born as Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso in La Habana, Cuba on 21 October 1925 – died 16 July 2003) was a Cuban-American and was one of the most successful salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums. She was renowned internationally as the "Queen of Salsa" as well as "La Guarachera de Cuba.

In 1950, Cruz made her first major breakthrough, after the lead singer of the La Sonora Matancera, a renowned Cuban orchestra, left the group and Cruz was called to fill in. Cruz was hired permanently by the orchestra, but she wasn't well accepted by the public at first. However, the orchestra stood by their decision, and soon Cruz became famous throughout Cuba. During the 15 years she was a member, the band traveled all over Latin America.

Son de la Loma
Celia Cruz Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mama yo quiero saber
De donde son los cantantes
Que los encuentro galantes
y los quiero conocer
Son sus trobas fasinantes que me las quiero aprender

De donde seran, Ay mama
Seran de La Habana

Seran de Santiago
Tierra Soberana

Son de la Loma
y Cantan en llano
Ya Veras
comono

Mama ellos son de la loma
Mama ellos cantan en llano

Mama ellos son de la loma
Mama ellos cantan en llano

Overall Meaning

Celia Cruz's "Son de la loma" is a song that celebrates the music and musicians of the mountains of Cuba. The song begins with the singer's desire to know more about the musicians she finds attractive and impressive. She is drawn to their captivating melodies and mesmerizing lyrics, and longs to learn their musical secrets. She wonders where they might be from, whether they hail from the bustling city of Havana or the more rural Santiago. Regardless of their origin, she recognizes their sovereign spirit and talent.

The chorus of the song introduces the musicians as being from "the loma" (the mountains) and singing "en llano" (in the plains). This dichotomy of mountain vs. plain likely speaks to the breadth of the musicians' abilities and their ability to adapt to different musical situations. The repetition of the phrase "Mama ellos son de la loma, mama ellos cantan en llano" serves to hammer this point home, perhaps emphasizing that the musicians' talents have a universality to them.

Overall, the song paints a portrait of Cuba's musical heritage and the skilled practitioners who uphold it. It also celebrates the power of music to connect people from different walks of life and to capture the essence of a place and its people.

Line by Line Meaning

Mama yo quiero saber
I want to know, Mama

De donde son los cantantes
Where are the singers from

Que los encuentro galantes
That I find charming

y los quiero conocer
And I want to meet them

Son sus trobas fasinantes que me las quiero aprender
Their verses are fascinating and I want to learn them

De donde seran, Ay mama
Where could they be from, Oh Mama

Seran de La Habana
They might be from Havana

Seran de Santiago
They might be from Santiago

Tierra Soberana
Sovereign land

Son de la Loma
They are from the hill

y Cantan en llano
And they sing in the plain