Lopez made his name on the club circuit of the Southwestern United States before being 'discovered' in 1962 playing at the club PJ's in Hollywood, California, by record producer Don Costa. Costa was taken with Lopez's latinized versions of contemporary hits and signed him up to Frank Sinatra's record label, Reprise Records. His debut album, Trini Lopez Live at PJ's, was released in 1963. The album included a version of If I Had a Hammer, which reached number one in 36 countries (No. 3 in the United States) and was a radio favorite for many years. He also performed his own version of the traditional Mexican song La Bamba on the album; his recording of the tune was later re-issued as a single in 1966.
His popularity led the Gibson Guitar Corporation to ask him in 1964 to design a guitar for them. He ended up designing two: The Trini Lopez Standard, a rock and roll model based on the Gibson ES-335 semi-hollow body, and the Lopez Deluxe, a variation of a Gibson jazz guitar designed by Barney Kessel. Both of these guitars were in production from 1964 until 1971 and are now highly sought after amongst collectors. Some owners of the guitar include Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and Noel Gallagher of Oasis.
He scored 13 chart singles through 1968, including "Lemon Tree" (1965), "I'm Comin' Home, Cindy" (1966) and "Sally Was a Good Old Girl" (1968). On the adult contemporary chart, he ranked up 15 hits, including the Top 10 singles "Michael" (1964), "Gonna Get Along Without Ya' Now" (1967) and "The Bramble Bush" (1967). Beyond his success on record, he became one of the country's top nightclub performers of that era, regularly headlining in Las Vegas, Nevada.
During the 1960s and 1970s Lopez moved into acting, though his film career was not as successful as his music. His first film role was in Marriage on the Rocks (1965), in which he made a cameo appearance in a nightclub scene; Lopez's soundtrack song, "Sinner Man", became a hit single (No. 54 pop/No. 12 adult contemporary). He was one of The Dirty Dozen (1967) and starred in Antonio (1973). He made two appearances (playing different characters) on the television program, Adam 12. He continued his musical career with extensive tours of Europe and Latin America during this period; an attempt to break out by releasing a disco album in 1978 proved a flop.
Since then, Lopez has done charitable work and received honors such as being inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2003. He was still recording and appearing live in the early 2000s. Recently he took part in a benefit concert to raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
Guantanamera
Trini Lopez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De donde crecen las palmas
Yo soy un hombre sincero
De donde crecen las palmas
Y antes de morirme quiero
Echar mis versos del alma
One guantanamera
One guantanamera
Guajira, guantanamera
Mi verso es de un verde claro
Y de un carmin encendido
Mi verso es de un verde claro
Y de un carmin encendido
Mi verso es un ciervo herido
Que busca en el monte amparo
Guantanamera
Guajira, guantanamera
Guantanamera
Guajira, guantanamera
(Spoken)
The words mean, I am a truthful man
From the land of the palm trees
And before dying, I want to share the poems of my soul
My verses are soft green,
My poems are also flaming red
My poems are like a wounded fawn
Seeking refuge in the forest
The last verse says "con los pobres de la tierra"
With the poor people of this earth
I want to share my fate
The streams of the mountain
Pleases me more than the sea
Con los pobres de la tierra
Quiero yo mi suerte echar
Con los pobres de la tierra
Quiero yo mi suerte echar
El arroyo de la sierra
Me complace mas que el mar
Guantanamera
Guajira, one guantanamera
guantanamera
Guajira, one guantanamera
One guantanamera
Guajira, one guantanamera
One guantanamera
Guajira, one guantanamera
The lyrics to Trini Lopez's song Guantanamera are a dedication to the poet's homeland Cuba. The lyrics express the poet's wishes to leave his verse and soulful poetry behind before he passes away. The opening lines, "Yo soy un hombre sincero / De donde crecen las palmas", translates to "I am a sincere man / From where the palm trees grow". The poet longs to be remembered for his poetry and his longing for his country's beauty. He speaks of his verses being soft green and flaming red, just like the colors of the country's flag. The poet describes himself as a wounded fawn seeking refuge in the forest, just like how he seeks refuge in his homeland. The last line, "Con los pobres de la tierra / Quiero yo mi suerte echar / El arroyo de la sierra / Me complace mas que el mar", translates to "With the poor people of this earth / I want to share my fate / The streams of the mountain / Pleases me more than the sea", refers to the poet's preferences to be with the humble folks and delighting in nature's simplest pleasures.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo soy un hombre sincero
I am an honest man
De donde crecen las palmas
from the land where palm trees grow
Y antes de morirme quiero
And before I die I want
Echar mis versos del alma
to share the poems of my soul
Mi verso es de un verde claro
My verses are soft green
Y de un carmin encendido
And flaming red
Mi verso es un ciervo herido
My poems are like a wounded fawn
Que busca en el monte amparo
Seeking refuge in the forest
Con los pobres de la tierra
With the poor people of this earth
Quiero yo mi suerte echar
I want to share my fate
El arroyo de la sierra
The streams of the mountain
Me complace mas que el mar
Please me more than the sea
Guantanamera
One Guantanamera
Guajira, guantanamera
A farm girl from Guantánamo
Contributed by Avery L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Eddie303
Yo soy un hombre sincero de donde crece la palma
Yo soy un hombre sincero de donde crece la palma
Y antes de morirme quiero echar mis versos del alma Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera
Mi verso es un verde claro
Y de un carmín encendido
Mi verso es un verde claro y de un carmín encendido
Mi verso es un ciervo herido que busca en el monte amparo Guantanamera guajira Guantanamera
Guantanamera guajira Guantanamera
Con los pobres de la tierra quiero yo mi suerte echar
Con los pobres de la tierra quiero yo mi suerte echar
El arroyo de la sierra me complace más que el mar Guantanamera guajira Guantanamera
Guantanamera guajira Guantanamera
Guantanamera guajira Guantanamera
Guantanamera guajira Guantanamera
@robast4359
The flutes are unforgettable ❤
@jenniegslifestylevlog
RIP Trini 😭
@dianarios7085
Rest in Peace Trini from Dallas, TX! My mother was his mother's caregiver years ago. Always shared beautiful memories of the Lopez Family. May you be granted eternal rest with your loved ones :-)
@billmaynard8841
My very good friend, Robert Diaz in Dallas is Trini Lopez’s nephew and just completed a documentary on his life that we previewed in Los Angeles last week. I’m sure he’d love to get in touch with you!
@raadzeki1352
The gone irreplaceable
The classic 4 always
@MeryToste
Thanks For Your Amazing Legacy 👏👏👏 Unforgettable Brilliant TRINI LOPEZ 🎸 My Eternal Idol Forever In My ❤️ R I.P..15/5/1937...11/8/2020
@alvarojr.339
Meu eterno ídolo também Mery...Posso calcular a sua tristeza...porque é igual a minha....Meu herói musical, aprendi tudo com ele...
Descanse em paz amigo junto com os seus pais e suas duas irmãs...
@pbamse
TRINI LOPEZ (1937 - 2020)
@robast4359
It is a very clean and beautiful song.
@natanfreitas6744
Music that reminds me of my father and when I was a child. R.I.P TRINI LOPEZ