Los Lobos is a Mexican-American rock band from East Los Angeles, California… Read Full Bio ↴Los Lobos is a Mexican-American rock band from East Los Angeles, California, USA, heavily influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country music, folk, blues, and traditional Spanish / Mexican music such as boleros and norteño.

Vocalist/guitarist David Hidalgo and drummer Louie Pérez met at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, and bonded over their mutual affinity for obscure musical acts such as Fairport Convention, Randy Newman and Ry Cooder. Pérez recalls, "We’re looking at each other, 'You like this stuff? I thought I was the only weird one.' So I went over to his house one day for about a year, which we spent listening to records, playing guitars, and starting to write songs." The two borrowed reel-to-reel recorders from a friend and created multi-track recordings of music spanning from parody songs to free-form jazz. They later enlisted fellow students Cesar Rosas and Conrad Lozano to complete the group's line-up in 1973.

Formed in the late 1970's, band members Dave Hidalgo, Cesar Rojas, Steve Berlin, Louie Pérez and Conrad Lozano became the bellwether for Mexican-American music in the U.S. when they recorded the music for "La Bamba" in 1987, which added popular acclaim to the critical praise they had received for their 1984 album "How Will the Wolf Survive?".

They have since become one of the mainstays of the Latin music scene as well as rock music in general, staying together through over 20 albums, and for almost three decades, through changing music climate and personal tragedies, they've continued cranking out albums and touring to dedicated fans.

Cielito Lindo
Los Lobos Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ay, ay, ay, ay
Canta y no llores
Porque cantando se alegran
Cielito lindo, los corazones

De la Sierra Morena
Cielito lindo, vienen bajando
Un par de ojitos negros

Cielito lindo, de contrabando

Ese lunar que tienes
Cielito lindo, junto a la boca
No se lo des a nadie
Cielito lindo que a mi me toca

Ay, ay, ay, ay
Canta y no llores

Porque cantando se alegran
Cielito lindo, los corazones

Overall Meaning

Los Lobos's song "Cielito Lindo" is a traditional Mexican folk song that speaks about the power of music in lifting people's spirits. The song starts with the line "Ay, ay, ay, ay," which is an interjection commonly used in Mexican music to express emotion or surprise. The next line, "Canta y no llores," translates to "Sing and don't cry," suggesting that singing is a way to overcome sadness and find joy. The song then explains that when people sing, their hearts are uplifted, a sentiment that is echoed in the chorus when the singer exclaims "Cielito lindo, los corazones," which translates to "My lovely darling, the hearts."

The lyrics then describe a couple of "black eyes" crossing the Sierra Morena Mountains "de contrabando" or illegally. This is likely a reference to people smuggling and reflects the hard living conditions in certain parts of Mexico where families are willing to risk everything for a better life. The song's mention of a "lunar" or mole on someone's face, suggests a love interest or a sense of attraction between two people. The singer strongly urges his love interest not to share the mole with anyone. The song ends just as it started with the line "Ay, ay, ay, ay" which acts as an emotional bridge linking the song's message of singing away sadness with the enduring beauty of Mexico.

Line by Line Meaning

Ay, ay, ay, ay
Expressing a feeling of excitement and joy.

Canta y no llores
Sing and don't cry, because singing brings joy to our hearts.

Porque cantando se alegran
Because singing brings happiness and joy to our hearts.

Cielito lindo, los corazones
Oh beautiful sky, the hearts are full of joy.

De la Sierra Morena
From the mountains of Sierra Morena.

Cielito lindo, vienen bajando
Oh beautiful sky, they are coming down.

Un par de ojitos negros
A pair of black eyes.

Cielito lindo, de contrabando
Oh beautiful sky, secretly.

Ese lunar que tienes
That mole you have.

Cielito lindo, junto a la boca
Oh beautiful sky, by the mouth.

No se lo des a nadie
Don't give it to anyone else.

Cielito lindo que a mi me toca
Oh beautiful sky, it belongs to me.

Ay, ay, ay, ay
Expressing a feeling of excitement and joy.

Canta y no llores
Sing and don't cry, because singing brings joy to our hearts.

Porque cantando se alegran
Because singing brings happiness and joy to our hearts.

Cielito lindo, los corazones
Oh beautiful sky, the hearts are full of joy.

Contributed by Noah W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

RT Elkin

4y↑7

Letras por "Cielito Lindo Huasteco"

Este cielito lindo, lindo cielito, que canto aquí;
Viene de la Huasteca, cielito lindo, solo por ti.
Este cielito lindo, lindo cielito, que canto aquí;
Viene de la Huasteca, cielito lindo, solo por ti.
Ay-ay-ay-ay, sí ay-ay-ay-ay, No los desprecies;
Porque tendrás la culpa, Cielito lindo, que se regrese.

Para que ya no dudes de mi pasión;
Abre con un chuchillo, mi corazón.
Para que ya no dudes de mi pasión;
Abre con un chuchillo, mi corazón.
Ay ay-ay-ay-ay, pero con tiento no,
Te lastimes, niño, que tu estás dentro.

Tierra de los Aztecas, cielito lindo, que Dios nos hizo -
Son esas tres huastecas, cielito lindo, un paraíso.
Tierra de los Aztecas, cielito lindo, que Dios nos hizo -
Son esas tres huastecas, cielito lindo, un paraíso.
Ay-ay-ay-ay, sí ay-ay-ay-ay - tierras hermanas:
La huasteca Hidalguense, la Potosina, y Veracruzana!

All comments from YouTube:

Jose Luis Garcia

El Cielito Lindo Huasteco es divino. When I discovered the Son Huasteco, I finally discovered my favorite music. Now I understand why I forced myself to like the mariachi music and couldn't--El Son Huasteco was waiting for me. A real tradition that belongs to the whole world. Que viva el mundo C$#?!& . . .