Known as the Cuban Queen of Country Music, Celina Gonzalez was born in Jovellanos, Matanzas, Cuba on 16 March 1929. She met Reutilio Dominguez at the age of sixteen in Santiago de Cuba. He became her singing partner and husband resulting in a collaboration that lasted until Reutilio's death in Guantanamo in 1971. In 1948 they began working with the famous Nico Saquito and gained increasing popularity on radio, film and television. They performed in New York with two of the greatest Cuban artists of all time: Beny Moré and Barbarito Diez. In 1964 the duo stopped performing together and Celina continued as a soloist singing traditional guajira music.
The musical form she prefers is the decima. Most of her songs are written in this style and although, in the past the rhythms in her music were more guaguanco than pure Afro, they are now mostly guaracha. She sings about 'guajiros' and 'puntos' (country people) because she believes that these sectors of society are not fully appreciated. In 1980 she won Egrem's coveted Disco de Plata award for the record entitled Celina. This was the beginning of many more awards to come in the 80's. Santa Bárbara later became one of her biggest hits and is featured on the album of the same name on Egrem available via Tumi Music.
In 1984 she was awarded the Vanguardia Nacional for her artistic work and won a trip to the Soviet Union and Bulgaria with her son. In 1984 she won the award for Best Singer at the 27th International Music Festival in Cali, Colombia and after a successful tour in Europe in 1988 she recorded a session for the BBC. Her biggest award came just two years ago when she received the Golden Picasso medal by UNESCO. Then, the same year, together with her son, Reutilio, she released the highly acclaimed La Rica Cosecha on Tumi Music and performed a sell out concert at the Barbican Hall in London.
Yo soy el Punto Cubano, from the album La Rica Cosecha was a hit in many countries in Europe and also in Japan as well as being a firm favourite with the WMCE (World Music Charts Europe). Her new album Desde La Habana Te Traigo offers an exciting new canvas for her to create her own masterpiece as Orquesta América, the legendary charanga band, embrace her voice with impressive results.
Mi Son Es Un Misterio
Celina González Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
tu nunca podras ser mia y nunca podre ser tuyo
Que tu nunca podras ser mia y nunca podre ser tuyo
Dime q te pasa corazon, no puedes vivir ya sin su amor
Dime q te pasa corazon, no puedes vivir ya sin su amor
Y te tendre que querer y me tendras que adorar
Luego me as de aborrecer y te tendre que olvidar
Que luego me as de aborrecer y te tendre que olvidar
Dime q te pasa corazon, no puedes vivir ya sin su amor
Y no quiero que tus labios me pregunten el porque
Si preguntan, hay agravios, explicarte no podre
Que si preguntan, hay agravios, explicarte no podre
Dime q te pasa corazon, no puedes vivir ya sin su amor
Dime q te pasa corazon, no puedes vivir ya sin su amor
Y no llores te lo ruego, no preguntes el porque
Tu me quieres, yo te quiero eso es todo lo que se
Que tu me quieres, yo te quiero eso es todo el misterio
Y no te puedo querer mi vida, y no te puedo querer mi cielo
Y no te puedo querer mi chino, y no te puedo querer ya sabes
Y no te puedo querer misterio, y no te puedo querer ohhhh...
The lyrics to Celina González's "Mi Son Es Un Misterio" speak of unrequited love, the pain of loving someone who cannot be yours and the complexity of emotions that come with it. The opening lines express admiration for the other person, acknowledging them as an object of worship ("idolatria") and pride ("orgullo"). However, it is followed by an admission that despite these strong feelings, the two can never be together. This tension is repeated throughout the song, with the singer asking the other person to explain why he cannot live without her love and struggling with his own conflicting emotions.
The chorus, "Dime q te pasa corazon, no puedes vivir ya sin su amor" (Tell me what's happening to you, heart, you cannot live without his love), repeats several times, emphasizing the sense of desperation and confusion that the singer feels. One of the most poignant lines of the song is "Y no te puedo querer misterio" (And I cannot love you, mystery), which underscores the fact that sometimes love simply cannot be explained or understood. In the end, the singer accepts the painful reality and asks the other person not to cry or question why, only to enjoy the knowledge that they love each other, even if they cannot be together.
Line by Line Meaning
Aunque seas mi idolatria y de ti yo sea tu orgullo
Even though I may worship you and you may take pride in me,
tu nunca podras ser mia y nunca podre ser tuyo
you can never be mine and I can never be yours.
Dime q te pasa corazon, no puedes vivir ya sin su amor
Tell me, what's happening to your heart, can you no longer live without their love?
Y te tendre que querer y me tendras que adorar
And I will have to love you, and you will have to adore me.
Luego me as de aborrecer y te tendre que olvidar
Later, you will hate me and I will have to forget about you.
Que luego me as de aborrecer y te tendre que olvidar
That later, you will hate me and I will have to forget about you.
Y no quiero que tus labios me pregunten el porque
And I don't want your lips to ask me why,
Si preguntan, hay agravios, explicarte no podre
If they do ask, there are grievances, and I won't be able to explain.
Que si preguntan, hay agravios, explicarte no podre
That if they do ask, there are grievances, and I won't be able to explain.
Y no llores te lo ruego, no preguntes el porque
And don't cry, I beg you, don't ask why.
Tu me quieres, yo te quiero eso es todo lo que se
You love me, I love you, that's all we know.
Que tu me quieres, yo te quiero eso es todo el misterio
That you love me, I love you, that's the whole mystery.
Y no te puedo querer mi vida, y no te puedo querer mi cielo
And I can't love you, my life, I can't love you, my heaven.
Y no te puedo querer mi chino, y no te puedo querer ya sabes
And I can't love you, my dear (informal), you already know that.
Y no te puedo querer misterio, y no te puedo querer ohhhh...
And I can't love you, mystery, I can't love you, ohhhh...
Contributed by Ella H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.