Buscando Guayaba – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Willie Colon, Ruben Blades
• Album: Siembra

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vibrant world of salsa with "Buscando Guayaba" by Willie Colón and Rubén Blades! This classic 1978 track offers an infectious rhythm and rich lyrical metaphors, making it a fantastic song for language learners. You'll encounter poetic Spanish that encourages a deeper understanding of figurative language, as the search for a 'guayaba' symbolizes life's broader quests for love and fulfillment. Its catchy chorus and narrative style make the Spanish lyrics memorable and engaging, allowing you to absorb vocabulary and cultural nuances of Caribbean Spanish through one of salsa's most celebrated masterpieces.

[English]

Whoa!

...

I went up the hill looking for a guava

Along the sidewalk of 8th and 2nd

And even though I found a golden house

I still couldn't find that guava

I've traveled a lot around the world

And never, never could I find

A guava that I would like

And would stop my wandering

And even though I found a golden house

I couldn't find that guava

...

I'm out here searching for guava

What? It has to be tasty, it has to have that vibe

...

I'm out here searching for guava

It must be flavorful, it must have that spark

I'm out here searching for guava

It must be flavorful, it must have that spark

A guava, oh brown‑skinned beauty

A guava that's really good

I'm out here searching for guava

It must be flavorful, it must have that spark

Bururu, barara, where is Miguel going?

Bururu, barara, he went to look for guava too

I'm out here searching for guava

It must be flavorful, it must have that spark

Yeah, but it has to have lots of that vibe

But it must have, must have a ton of flavor

I'm out here searching for guava

It must be flavorful, it must have that spark

I'm looking for a guava, I'm looking for a guava

I'm looking for a guava on the 8th and 2nd sidewalk

I'm out here searching for guava

It must be flavorful, it must have that spark

Rinkin

Hey, the guitarist didn't show up, so

You'll have to endure a vocal solo

Kinkin tuning, konkon

Un, dun‑dun‑dun, gun‑kun, tu‑kun, pin‑du‑pin‑pin

Pin‑añu‑ñun, pin‑kun, pinpon

Pinpin, dupin‑un, du‑du‑dun, tintin

Tintun, niu‑uh‑uh‑uh, banbinbu

Tuntun, bingri, kundan, ukun, pinpan, kupin

Pandunpan, dunpan, dupin, dubacun, dagun

Dinda, bibanga, dugurun, biban, benban

Bagunba, gundundun, pinpan, baba, tunban

Badadin, dudu, dindin, tuntun, tunbinbin

Whoa!

Yo Jimmy!

It must be flavorful, it must have that spark

I'm out here searching for guava

Sabanera little guava

I'm out here searching for guava

Right now, I want a guava

I'm out here searching for guava

Come on, give me a hand

Hey, help me, buddy

I'm out here searching for guava

I see you, you’re not getting it

And you don’t say where it is

I'm out here searching for guava

Tell me, that beautiful guava

Where can I find it, oh God

I'm out here searching for guava

Go, hey, keep walking

I’m always walking, sir

I'm out here searching for guava

Bururu, barara, where is Miguel going?

I'm out here searching for guava

Come, help me, babalao

Tell me where it is, because never

I have found her

I'm out here searching for guava

Join me, because anything can happen

I'm out here searching for guava

So I may find that woman

And learn to love her

I'm out here searching for guava

I look for her in the mountains

And in the market

I'm out here searching for guava

No, no, no, don’t hide any longer

And this dark‑skinned woman appears

I'm out here searching for guava

That has flavor

And has that vibe

I'm out here searching for guava

...

[Spanish]

¡Joaya!

Me fui pa'l monté buscando guayaba

Por la vereda del 8 y el 2

Y aunque encontré una casa dorada

Esa guayaba no la hallaba yo

Mucho he viajado por todo el mundo

Y nunca, nunca pude encontrar

Una guayaba que me gustara

Y detuviera mi caminar

Y aunque encontré una casa dorada

Esa guayaba no pude hallar

Buscando guayaba ando yo

¿Cómo? que tenga sabor, que tenga mendó

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Que tenga sabor, que tenga mendó

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Que tenga sabor, que tenga mendó

Una guayaba salve morena

Una guayaba que esté bien buena

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Que tenga sabor, que tenga mendó

Bururu, barara, donde va Miguel

Bururu, barara, fue a buscar también guayaba

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Que tenga sabor, que tenga mendó

Que, pero que tenga mucho mendó

Pero que tenga, que tenga muchísimo sabor

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Que tenga sabor, que tenga mendó

Busco una guayaba, busco una guayaba

Busco una guayaba por la vereda del 8 y el 2

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Que tenga sabor, que tenga mendó

Rinkin

Oye el guitarrista no vino, así que

Van a tener que soportar, un solo de boca

Afinacion kinkin, konkon

Un, dun-dun-dun, gun-kun, tu-kun, pin-du-pin-pin

Pin-añu-ñun, pin-kun, pinpon

Pinpin, dupin-un, du-du-dun, tintin

Tintun, niu-uh-uh-uh, banbinbu

Tuntun, bingri, kundan, ukun, pinpan, kupin

Pandunpan, dunpan, dupin, dubacun, dagun

Dinda, bibanga, dugurun, biban, benban

Bagunba, gundundun, pinpan, baba, tunban

Badadin, dudu, dindin, tuntun, tunbinbin

¡Woh!

¡Gueya Jimmy!

Que tenga sabor, que tenga mendó

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Guayabita sabanera

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Aquí al toque, yo quiero una guayaba

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Venga y dame una manito

Ay ayúdeme comay

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Ya la veo que usted, ya la veo que usted no coge

Y no dice donde hay

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Dime esa guayaba bonita

Donde la encuentro, ay Dios

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Ve, hey caminando

Siempre voy andando señor

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Bururu, barara, donde va Miguel

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Ven ayúdame, babalao

Dime donde esta que nunca

Yo la he encontrao

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Acompáñame, porque puede suceder

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Que yo encuentre esa mujer

Y la aprende a querer

Buscando guayaba ando yo

La busco por el monte

Y por la marqueta

Buscando guayaba ando yo

No, no, no, no, te escondas más

Y aparece esta prieta

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Que tenga sabor

Y que tenga mendó

Buscando guayaba ando yo

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
guayaba ɡwaˈʝaβa B1	noun - guava
monté monˈte A2	noun - mountain, hill
vereda beˈɾeða B1	noun - path, trail
dorada doˈɾaða A2	adjective - golden
viajado βjaˈxaðo B1	verb - traveled
sabor saˈβoɾ A2	noun - flavor, taste
hallaba aˈʝaβa B1	verb - found
caminar kamiˈnaɾ A2	verb - to walk
morena moˈɾena A2	adjective - dark-skinned
bonita boˈnita A2	adjective - pretty, beautiful
encuentro enˈkwentɾo A2	verb - find
ando ˈando A1	verb - going, walking
mendó menˈdo B1	noun - flavor, taste
guitarrista ɡitaˈɾista B1	noun - guitarist
afinacion afiˈnaθjon B2	noun - tuning
soportar soˈpoɾtaɾ B1	verb - to endure, to bear

Key Grammar Structures

• Me fui pa'l monté buscando guayaba

  ➔ colloquial contraction "pa'l" (para el) + infinitive construction

  ➔ The contraction "pa'l" is a spoken shortening of "para el", meaning “to the”. It is followed by the infinitive "monté".

• Y aunque encontré una casa dorada

  ➔ conjunction "aunque" + pretérito perfecto simple

  ➔ "aunque" introduces a concession meaning “even though”. It is followed by the past tense verb "encontré".

• Mucho he viajado por todo el mundo

  ➔ present perfect with adverbial fronting

  ➔ The adverb "Mucho" is placed before the auxiliary verb, emphasizing the extent: "I have traveled a lot..."

• Nunca, nunca pude encontrar una guayaba que me gustara

  ➔ double negative + modal verb + imperfect subjunctive

  ➔ The phrase "Nunca, nunca" reinforces the negation. "pude" (could) is a modal verb in the preterite, followed by the imperfect subjunctive "gustara" after the relative clause "una guayaba que…".

• Que tenga sabor, que tenga mendó

  ➔ present subjunctive repeated for emphasis

  ➔ The verb "tenga" is in the present subjunctive, used here as a wish or desire. Repeating the clause "que tenga…" adds emphasis.

• ¿Cómo? que tenga sabor, que tenga mendó

  ➔ interrogative particle followed by subjunctive clause

  ➔ The rhetorical question "¿Cómo?" (How?) is followed by a subjunctive clause "que tenga…" expressing a condition or wish.

• Bururu, barara, donde va Miguel

  ➔ informal vocative phrase + interrogative clause

  ➔ "Bururu, barara" is a playful, nonsensical vocative. It is followed by a question "donde va Miguel?" meaning “where is Miguel going?”

• Y aunque encontré una casa dorada / Esa guayaba no pude hallar

  ➔ contrastive conjunction "aunque" + past perfect vs. simple past negation

  ➔ The first clause uses "aunque" with a past action ("encontré") to show a concession. The second clause negates the result with "no pude hallar" (I could not find).

• Busco una guayaba por la vereda del 8 y el 2

  ➔ present simple verb of searching + prepositional phrase indicating location

  ➔ The verb "Busco" (I look for) is in the present simple, followed by the prepositional phrase "por la vereda del 8 y el 2" indicating where the search takes place.