Among her first mentors was Camarón de la Isla, also from San Fernando (Cádiz), whose purist flamenco style she followed in her early years. Later she added a more commercial, pop tone to her image and style without losing her flamenco roots, and artists Paco Ortega and Alejandro Sanz helped her produce her first album, Entre dos puertos (Between Two Ports), when she was seventeen. The single Tú me camelas was a hit in Spain in summer 1996.
Her second album, Eres luz (You Are Light, 1998) confirmed her success, with songs again by Paco Ortega and Alejandro Sanz, Parrita, Manuel Malou and her brother Paco. In 2000 she published her third album, Cañaílla, produced by Alejandro Sanz and Josemi Carmona of the flamenco group Ketama; it is dedicated to her home town and more flamenco than the previous works. Her album María (2002) evolved to a more personal style, taking part in the lyrics and composition of some of her songs, a trend that she continued in No hay quinto malo, her fifth album (2004).
In Joyas prestadas (Loaned jewels, 2006), where Niña Pastori makes personal versions of songs originally by artists from very different styles and genres. The original artists include Joan Manuel Serrat, Alejandro Sanz, Mexican rockers Maná, Dominican artist Juan Luis Guerra, Antonio Machín, Manolo García of El Último de la Fila, Luz Casal, Armando Manzanero, Los Jeros or Marifé de Triana.
The last album released is Esperando Verte released in January 2009
Maria de la O
Niña Pastori Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
para mis caprichos monedas.
Y para mi cuerpo lucirlo mantones bordados, vestidos de seda.
La luna que llovía, la luna que me da.
Que para eso mi payo ha visto
más parnés que tiene un sultán.
Envidio tu suerte,
me dicen algunas al verme lucir.
María de la O, que desgraciadita
gitana tu eres teniéndolo todo.
Te quieres reír y hasta los ojitos
los tienes morados de tanto sufrir.
Maldito parné que por su culpita
deje yo al gitano que fue mi querer.
Castigo de Dios, castigo de Dios.
Es la crucecita que llevas a cuestas
María de la O
María de la O
Para su sed fui el agua,
para su frío candela.
Y para su beso amante de entre sus brazos mi carne morena
Querer como aquel nuestro, no hay en el mundo dos
Maldito dinero que así de su vera y a mí me apartó.
Serás mas que reina
me dijo a mí el payo y yo le creí.
Mi vida y mi oro daría yo ahora por ser lo que fuí.
María de la O, que desgraciadita
gitana tu eres teniéndolo todo.
Te quieres reír y hasta los ojitos
los tienes morados de tanto sufrir.
Maldito parné que por su culpita
deje yo al gitano que fué mi querer.
Castigo de Dios, castigo de Dios.
Y es la crucecita que llevas a cuestas
María de la O
María de la O
The lyrics of "María de la O" by Niña Pastori delve into the struggles and pain experienced by the singer, María de la O, who is a gitana or a gypsy woman. The song is about the sacrifices that María has made for love and how she is now left with nothing. The first stanza talks about how she has everything she needs to showcase her beauty, such as embroidered shawls and silk dresses, but still, she feels envy towards those who have more money than her, causing her to suffer even more. The reference to "my payo" implies that she had a non-gypsy lover who promised to take care of her but didn't deliver on that promise.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "María de la O, que desgraciadita gitana tu eres teniéndolo todo" which means "María de la O, what an unfortunate gypsy you are having it all". This highlights the irony of her situation, despite having everything necessary, she still feels unhappy and unfulfilled in life. In the second stanza, she talks about how devoted she was to her lover and how her love was a unique bond that could not be replicated. However, due to money issues, she had to leave him, and now she is condemned to a life of loneliness and suffering. The song ends with a reference to the "crucecita" or little cross that María carries, symbolizing how she has been punished by God for the choices she made in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Para mis manos tumbagas, para mis caprichos monedas.
I have gold for my hands and money for my whims.
Y para mi cuerpo lucirlo mantones bordados, vestidos de seda.
I wear embroidered shawls and silk dresses to look stunning.
La luna que llovía, la luna que me da. Que para eso mi payo ha visto más parnés que tiene un sultán.
The moon that shines for me is because my man has made a fortune like a sultan.
Envidio tu suerte, me dicen algunas al verme lucir. Y no se desplome la envidia que ellas me causan a mí.
Some say they envy me for my luck, but they don't know the envy I feel for them.
María de la O, que desgraciadita gitana tu eres teniéndolo todo. Te quieres reír y hasta los ojitos los tienes morados de tanto sufrir.
María de la O, you are an unlucky gypsy having everything. You laugh with your bruised eyes, suffering so much.
Maldito parné que por su culpita deje yo al gitano que fue mi querer. Castigo de Dios, castigo de Dios. Es la crucecita que llevas a cuestas María de la O
Cursed money caused me to leave the gypsy who was my love. It's God's punishment - the cross that you carry, María de la O.
Writer(s): RAFAEL DE LEON ARIAS SAAVEDRA, MANUEL LOPEZ QUIROGA MIGUEL, FEDERICO VALVERDE LOPEZ
Contributed by Evelyn A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.