Guantanamera
Tao Rodriguez-Seeger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
de donde crece la palma.
Y antes de morirme
quiero echar mis versos del alma.
Mi verso es de un verde claro
y de un carmín encendido.
Mi verso es un ciervo herido
Cultivo la rosa blanca
en julio como en enero,
para el amigo sincero
que tiende su mano franca.
Si les coses no canvien,
continuaré passejant
Això deia el meu besavi
i es va morir caminant.
Con los pobres de la Tierra
quiero yo mi suerte echar.
El arroyo de la sierra
me complace más que el mar.
The lyrics of Tao Rodriguez-Seeger's Guantanamera are a beautiful combination of personal introspection and an ode to love, friendship, and freedom. The first four stanzas anchor on the poet's sincere desire to leave behind his verses, his soul's expression, before dying. He identifies himself as a truthful man who hails from the land of the palm tree. Furthermore, he compares his verse to a deer that's wounded, seeking refuge in the mountains. The singer expresses the simplicity and honesty of his words with the image of clear green and fiery red.
The fifth and sixth stanzas of the lyrics touch upon the poet's appreciation for his landscape and the friends he holds dear. He grows white roses in July and January, to give them to a genuine friend who holds out their hand towards him. He quotes his great-grandfather's words about how he'd keep walking even if nothing ever changes. The last two lines of the lyrics show the poet's empathy with the poor and his love for the hills over the seas.
Overall, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger's Guantanamera is a beautiful song that highlights love and the beauty of the natural world. The lyrics talk about the desire to leave behind a legacy, personal reflection, appreciation for one's surroundings, and the importance of true friends.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo soy un hombre sincero
I am an honest man
de donde crece la palma.
from where the palm tree grows.
Y antes de morirme
And before I die
quiero echar mis versos del alma.
I want to pour out my soul in verses.
Mi verso es de un verde claro
My verse is of bright green
y de un carmín encendido.
And of fiery crimson.
Mi verso es un ciervo herido
My verse is a wounded deer
que busca en el monte amparo.
seeking refuge in the woods.
Cultivo la rosa blanca
I grow the white rose
en julio como en enero,
In July as in January,
para el amigo sincero
For the sincere friend
que tiende su mano franca.
Who stretches out a frank hand.
Si les coses no canvien,
If things do not change,
continuaré passejant
I will continue walking
Això deia el meu besavi
As my great-grandfather used to say
i es va morir caminant.
And died while walking.
Con los pobres de la Tierra
With the poor of the Earth
quiero yo mi suerte echar.
I want to cast my lot.
El arroyo de la sierra
The brook of the mountain
me complace más que el mar.
Pleases me more than the sea.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Spirit Music Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Peter Seeger, Julian Orbon, Hector Angulo, Jose Fernandez Diaz, Fernandez Diaz Jose
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Regina
Maravilhoso!!!! Gratidão!
Mary Jacinto
One of my childhood favorites....Thank you!