Marta and her group perform a repertoire of original compositions based on Latin American rhythms. She mixes the joy of the Caribbean with the nostalgia of the Andes, adding jazz and pop elements. With more than 70 compositions, she has traversed Colombian cumbias and bambucos, Argentine zambas, Cuban son and Peruvian landos, with results that evoke in whatever language she is singing in. That may be the reason that lead Marta to share the stage with musicians of different genres such as Bonnie Raitt , John Mayer, Totó la Momposina and Mercedes Sosa. Marta was also chosen to record Kris Kristofferson’s “The Circle” on a tribute to this great American icon. Marta “lifted that song up to when it’s supposed to be, to where it belongs,” according to Kristofferson himself.
In March 2003, Marta’s song "Paula Ausente", based on the book "Paula" by Isabel Allende, won the The SIBL Project International songwriting contest as the best song inspired by a South American book. The song was included on a CD among artists such as Tom Waits and David Bowie.
Her song “La Ronda” was included in the Putumayo World Music compilation entitled “Women of Latin America”. In 2005 Marta was chosen by “Fucsia”, a Colombian magazine as one of the 5 Most representative Colombian women of the year. With four albums under her belt, her self-released "Solo es vivir" was chosen by The Boston Globe as one of the 10 best albums of 2003 and her "Cantos de Agua Dulce" (2004) released by Chesky Records, was nominated for the Billboard Latin Music Awards as the best Latin Jazz Album of the year among Paco de Lucia’s, Nestor Torres’ and Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s. Her album “Entre Cada Palabra” (2005 chesky records) placed Marta Gómez as “The Best National World-Music Artist of 2006” by the Boston Phoenix. In an interview on the National Public Radio, journalist Steve Inskeep said he admires Marta’s capacity of “turning the bitter history of her native country into sweet music”.
Doña Luisa
Marta Gómez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Se levanta temprano Doña Luisa
Y cuando el sol ya está aclarando ella ya recoge el café
Cada grano en su mano significa
Las penas que ha sufri'o por causa de algún querer.
Pero en vez de andar llorando, Lucha se pone a cantar
Pero en vez de andar llorando, si no hay tiempo pa'llorar
Tarareando se le olvida el que no la supo amar.
El color de la piel de Doña Luisa
Se confunde con la tierra de tanta tierra que hay
La mirada tan negra que tenía
Ya se le ha vuelto verde de tanto verde mirar.
Y es que al pie de la montaña
Solo hay verde que mirar
Que con el rojo se mezcla del café por madurar.
Y es que al pie de la montaña
Siempre hay tiempo pa'mirar
Que con el rojo se mezcla del café por madurar.
Con la noche se acuesta Doña Luisa
Y con la luna allá alumbrando ella se pone a conversar
Las historias que cuenta van llenando
El espacio que el silencio siempre quiere arrebatar.
Y si no hay luna que escuche tanta vida que contar
Para no hablarle al silencio Lucha prefiere cantar
Y si no hay luna que aguante tanta vida que contar
Para ganarle al silencio Lucha se pone a cantar.
The lyrics of "Doña Luisa" by Marta Gomez describe the life of a hard-working and resilient woman who goes by the name of Doña Luisa or Lucha. She wakes up early in the morning to collect coffee beans, and the lyrics suggest that each bean in her hand carries the weight of the pain she has suffered due to love. Despite the hardships she has faced, Lucha chooses to sing and hum instead of crying. Music becomes a source of solace for her, and she forgets about the person who did not love her.
The second verse of the song describes the physical appearance of Doña Luisa. Her dark skin tone blends with the soil, and her once dark eyes have turned green due to constantly looking at the greenery around her. The lyrics suggest that she lives in a place surrounded by a lot of greenery but also with coffee plantation, which is symbolized by the mixing of green and red colors. The last verse of the song mentions how Lucha talks to the moon at night and fills the silence with stories of her life. When there is no moon to listen to her stories, she chooses to sing instead of talking at the silence. The song portrays Lucha as a strong woman who has overcome hardship through music and storytelling.
Line by Line Meaning
Se levanta temprano Doña Luisa
Doña Luisa wakes up early
Y cuando el sol ya está aclarando ella ya recoge el café
She starts picking coffee beans when the sun is just rising
Cada grano en su mano significa
Every coffee bean she picks signifies
Las penas que ha sufri'o por causa de algún querer.
The pains she has endured due to a lover
Pero en vez de andar llorando, Lucha se pone a cantar
Instead of crying, Lucha sings
Tarareando se le olvida el que no la supo amar
Humming, she forgets the one who did not know how to love her
El color de la piel de Doña Luisa
Doña Luisa's skin color
Se confunde con la tierra de tanta tierra que hay
Blends in with the earth due to so much of it around
La mirada tan negra que tenía
Her once black gaze
Ya se le ha vuelto verde de tanto verde mirar.
Has turned green from staring at so much greenery
Y es que al pie de la montaña
And it's by the foot of the mountain
Solo hay verde que mirar
That there is nothing but green to look at
Que con el rojo se mezcla del café por madurar.
With the red of the coffee cherry mixed in, waiting to ripen
Y es que al pie de la montaña
And it's by the foot of the mountain
Siempre hay tiempo pa'mirar
There's always time to look
Que con el rojo se mezcla del café por madurar.
With the red of the coffee cherry mixed in, waiting to ripen
Con la noche se acuesta Doña Luisa
At night, Doña Luisa lies down
Y con la luna allá alumbrando ella se pone a conversar
And with the moon illuminating, she starts to talk
Las historias que cuenta van llenando
The stories she tells fill
El espacio que el silencio siempre quiere arrebatar.
The space that silence tries to steal away
Y si no hay luna que escuche tanta vida que contar
And if there's no moon to listen to so much life that needs to be told
Para no hablarle al silencio Lucha prefiere cantar
Lucha prefers to sing than to speak to the silence
Y si no hay luna que aguante tanta vida que contar
And if there's no moon to endure so much life that needs to be told
Para ganarle al silencio Lucha se pone a cantar.
Lucha sings to beat the silence
Contributed by Skyler A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
josefina8212
Divina en todo el sentido de la palabra....su voz maravillosa!
MARIAM A.
Esta mujer canta hermoso.