Guantanamera
Joan Baez & Mercedes Sosa Lyrics

Guantanamera, guajira Guantanamera
This is an introduction to the song and its title, Guantanamera, which is a nod to the people of Guantanamo, Cuba, and the traditional music of the region known as Guajira music.

Yo soy un hombre sincero
I am an honest man who speaks the truth.

De donde crece la palma
Where the palm trees grow, which could be referring to anywhere in Latin America since there are palm trees throughout the region.

Y antes de morirme quiero
Before I die, I want to fulfill a certain desire or goal.

Echar mis versos del alma
To share my innermost thoughts and emotions through my poetry.

Mi verso es de un verde claro
My poetry is bright and fresh, like the color green.

Y de un carmin encenidido
And it also has a passionate, fiery quality to it, like the color red.

Mi verso es un ciervo herido
My poetry is like a wounded deer, searching for safety and shelter in the wilderness.

Que busca en el monte amparo
Seeking refuge and protection in the mountains.

Con los pobres de la tierra
With the impoverished people of the earth.

Quiero yo mi suerte echar
I want to share my fate and fortune with those who are less fortunate than I am.

El arroyo de la sierra
The stream in the mountains.

Me complace mas que el mar
I find more pleasure and contentment in the simple, natural things like a mountain stream than in grand, sweeping vistas like the vast ocean.