Miguel de Molina (1908-1993) rose from dire poverty to become one of Spain'… Read Full Bio ↴Miguel de Molina (1908-1993) rose from dire poverty to become one of Spain's most celebrated flamenco singers. His wildly popular performances reinvented a dance and music tradition that had grown stale for lack of innovation and originality. He went into exile towards the end of the Spanish Civil War.

Quintilla Gitana
Miguel De Molina Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sevilla tiene una plaza
Y Granada dos toreros,
Y Granada dos toreros.

Pero la parma es de ronda
Que tiene a Pedro Romero,
Que tiene a Pedro Romero.

Águila que vas volando
Y en el pico lleva un hilo,
Y en el pico lleva un hilo,

Dámelo para cosé
Mi corazón que está herido,
Mi corazón que está herido.

Sevilla tiene dos torres
Y Granada tiene una,
Y Granada tiene una.

Y Córdoba una mezquita
Más bonita que ninguna,
Más bonita que ninguna.

Toma esta naranja niña,
Que la corté de mi huerto
Que la corté de mi huerto.

No la partas con cuchillo,
Que va mi corazón dentro
Que va mi corazón dentro.

No la partas con cuchillo,

Que va mi corazón dentro
Que va mi corazón dentro.

Overall Meaning

The song Quintilla Gitana by Miguel de Molina is a poetic rumination on the beauty of different cities in Spain and the objects and people that are associated with them. The first stanza focuses on the cities of Sevilla and Granada, noting that while Granada may have two toreros (bullfighters), it is the city of Ronda that boasts the famed bullfighter Pedro Romero. In the second stanza, the metaphor shifts to an eagle carrying a thread in its beak, which is then requested by the singer to mend their broken heart. Sevilla and Granada are again mentioned in the third stanza, with Cordoba and its beautiful mosque also receiving attention. The final stanza is a love offering, with the singer gifting an orange to their beloved, but warning them not to cut it open, as their own heart is contained inside.

Line by Line Meaning

Sevilla tiene una plaza
Seville has a square

Y Granada dos toreros,
And Granada has two bullfighters

Y Granada dos toreros.
And Granada has two bullfighters

Pero la parma es de ronda
But the fame belongs to Ronda

Que tiene a Pedro Romero,
That has Pedro Romero

Que tiene a Pedro Romero.
That has Pedro Romero

Águila que vas volando
Eagle that flies

Y en el pico lleva un hilo,
And carries a thread in its beak

Dámelo para cosé
Give it to me to sew

Mi corazón que está herido,
My heart that is wounded

Mi corazón que está herido.
My heart that is wounded