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.

Donna
Los Lobos Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, Donna, Oh, Donna
Oh, Donna, Oh, Donna

[Chorus]
I had a girl
Donna was her name
Since she left me
I've never been the same

Cause I love my girl
Donna, where can you be? Where can you be?

Now that you're gone
I'm left all alone
All by myself
To wander and roam
Cause I love my girl
Donna, where can you be? Where can you be?

Well, darlin', now that you're gone
I don't know what I'll do
All the time and all my love for you

[Chorus]

Oh, Donna, Oh, Donna
Oh, Donna, Oh, Donna

Overall Meaning

Los Lobos's song "Donna" is a heart-wrenching ballad about lost love and the emptiness that follows. The lyrics describe the singer's deep love for a girl named Donna, who has left him, leaving him feeling lost, alone, and wondering where she could be. The song's central theme is the pain of lost love and the difficulty of moving on from a relationship that meant so much. The refrain "Oh, Donna, Oh, Donna" is a haunting invocation of the memory of the lost love that continues to haunt the singer even after she is gone.

The lyrics are an exploration of the emotional landscape of heartbreak, capturing the sadness, loneliness, and despair that are often part of the experience. The singer longs for Donna and laments her absence, asking where she can be and wondering what he will do now that she is gone. He is left to wander and roam, consumed by his love for her, and unable to find peace or solace in her absence. The lyrics are also a testament to the power of love to transform and shape us, and to the enduring impact that a lost love can have on the human heart.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, Donna, Oh, Donna
Repeated refrain, expressing the singer's deep longing and sorrow over the absence of his former lover named Donna.

I had a girl Donna was her name Since she left me I've never been the same Cause I love my girl Donna, where can you be? Where can you be?
The singer is reminiscing about Donna, his former love interest. He still loves her deeply and is wondering where she could be since she left him. He laments about how incomplete he feels without her in his life.

Now that you're gone I'm left all alone All by myself To wander and roam Cause I love my girl Donna, where can you be? Where can you be?
The singer is feeling lost and alone after Donna left him. He is struggling to come to terms with her absence and feels aimless without her. He again expresses his love for her and his confusion over where she might be.

Well, darlin', now that you're gone I don't know what I'll do All the time and all my love for you
The singer is directly addressing Donna and confessing that he doesn't know how to move on from their relationship. He is still devoted to her and has a deep love for her that he can't shake.

Oh, Donna, Oh, Donna Oh, Donna, Oh, Donna
Closing repetition of the refrain, emphasizing the lingering heartbreak and infatuation the singer still feels for Donna.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ritchie Valens

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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