Ortega was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico near the banks of the Rio Grande. He started learning piano at eight years of age. Through his father's work with the United States Department of State, he also spent time in Ecuador and Barbados. It is from his heritage and classical training at The University of New Mexico where Ortega derives his sound, embracing country, classical, Celtic, Latin American, world, modern folk, and rustic hymnody. Fernando Ortega currently leads worship at Christ the King Anglican Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
His album Storm reached No. 197 on the Billboard 200 in 2002, and Christmas Songs reached No. 36 on the Billboard Christmas Album Chart in 2009.
Mi Abuelito
Fernando Ortega Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a blue and silver dream,
And far away below the moonlit mountains
You are standing in your field.
You are an old man,
The earth is in your voice,
And in the songs that spill from your memory.
Black water in the furrowed rows,
You sing our lives as they used to be,
Mi abuelito.
Tomorrow morning we will carry you
Beyond the village to a stony hill,
And rest you there beside your brightest blanket,
Leaves and diamonds that you wove last year.
Then, with our song
We will call for the summer stars
To fill the sky like a silver dream.
How we will sing
As we hold to the memory of your earthen voice on the moonlit field,
"Mi abuelito - cantaremos de ti
En el cielo - cantaremos de ti
Cantando - cantaremos de ti
Entre la luna y las entrellas!"
Fernando Ortega's song "Mi Abuelito" talks about a man who is staring at the Pecos Mountains under the moonlight. The singer sings to this man and says that he is an old man, and his voice sounds like the earth. The singer speaks about the songs that spill from the old man's memory and the hoe in his hand as he tends to his old fields. The old man's voice is so full of life that it seems to sing of their lives as they were.
The song suggests that the old man is close to death because the singer talks about carrying him to a stony hill and resting him beside a blanket he wove last year. The singer says that they will call for the summer stars to fill the sky with a silver dream. They will sing as they hold onto the memory of the old man's voice on the moonlit field. The song continues with a chorus, "Mi abuelito - cantaremos de ti En el cielo - cantaremos de ti Cantando - cantaremos de ti Entre la luna y las entrellas!" - which means "My grandfather, we will sing of you in heaven, singing of you between the moon and the stars".
This song is a beautiful tribute to a grandfather, and it speaks about the connection between nature and people. The singer sees the old man as part of nature, with his voice being like the earth. The song is sung in Spanish, adding to the cultural significance of the tribute to the grandfather.
Line by Line Meaning
The moon is shining on the Pecos Mountains
The moon is illuminating the Pecos Mountains beautifully
Like a blue and silver dream
The view is so captivating that it seems like a dream in blue and silver colors
And far away below the moonlit mountains
Below the moonlit mountains, far away from where the singer is standing
You are standing in your field
An elderly man is standing in his own field
You are an old man
A man who has aged considerably
The earth is in your voice
The singer's voice is deep and grounded like the earth itself
And in the songs that spill from your memory
The elderly man is singing from memory, recollecting the songs of his youth
A hoe in your old hand
The man is holding a hoe that he has been using for years
Black water in the furrowed rows
The rows of the field are furrowed and the water in them appears black
You sing our lives as they used to be,
The elderly man is singing about the lives of people as they were in the past
Mi abuelito.
The elderly man is being addressed as 'my grandfather'
Tomorrow morning we will carry you
The artist is planning to carry the old man tomorrow morning
Beyond the village to a stony hill,
The singer will carry him beyond the village to a hill with lots of stones
And rest you there beside your brightest blanket,
The old man will be laid to rest next to his brightest blanket
Leaves and diamonds that you wove last year.
The leaves and diamonds on his blanket were woven by him the previous year
Then, with our song
The artist and others will sing a song in honor of the old man
We will call for the summer stars
The artist will call out to the stars in the summer sky
To fill the sky like a silver dream.
The singer wishes for the summer stars to light up the sky like a silver dream
How we will sing
The singer is enthusiastic about singing
As we hold to the memory of your earthen voice on the moonlit field,
They will remember the old man's voice and his presence in the moonlit field
"Mi abuelito - cantaremos de ti
The artist will sing about their grandfather
En el cielo - cantaremos de ti
They will sing about their grandfather in the sky
Cantando - cantaremos de ti
They will continue to sing about their grandfather
Entre la luna y las entrellas!"
They will sing about their grandfather between the moon and the stars
Contributed by Elliot J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Janice Bultman Bogott
on Into Your Presence
Is there anywhere I can get the sheet music for piano for this song? I just love it!!