Guantanamera – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Celia Cruz

Lyrics & Translation

[Spanish]

[English]

Guantamera

Guantanamera

Guajira, Guantamera

Country girl from Guantánamo

Guantamera

Guantanamera

Guajira, Guantamera

Country girl from Guantánamo

De mi Cuba soberana

From my sovereign Cuba

Recuerdo aquel murmurillo

I remember that murmur

Del río junto al bohío

Of the river by the hut

Que era una estampa cubana

That was a Cuban picture

Guantanamera

Guantanamera

Guajira, Guantanamera

Country girl from Guantánamo

Guantanamera

Guantanamera

Guajira, Guantanamera

Country girl from Guantánamo

La libertad fue un trofeo

Freedom was a trophy

Que nos conquistó el mambí

That the Mambi won for us

Con el verbo de Martí

With the words of Martí

Y el machete de Maceo

And the machete of Maceo

Guantanamera

Guantanamera

Guajira, guantanamera

Country girl from Guantánamo

Guantanamera

Guantanamera

Guajira, guantanamera

Country girl from Guantánamo

Yo soy un hombre sincero, dijo Martí

I am a sincere man, said Martí

De donde crece la palma

From where the palm tree grows

...

...

Y antes de morirme quiero

And before I die, I want

Cantar mis versos del alma

To sing my verses from the soul

Guantanamera

Guantanamera

Guajira, guantanamera

Country girl from Guantánamo

Guantanamera

Guantanamera

Guajira, guantanamera

Country girl from Guantánamo

...

...

Cultivo una rosa blanca

I grow a white rose

En junio como en enero

In June as in January

...

...

Para el amigo sincero

For the sincere friend

Que me da su mano franca

Who gives me his honest hand

Guantanamera

Guantanamera

Guajira, guantanamera

Country girl from Guantánamo

...

...

Guantanamera

Guantanamera

Guajira, guantanamera

Country girl from Guantánamo

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Guajira /ɡwaˈxi.ɾa/ B1	noun - A Cuban country girl or woman.
Cuba /ˈkjuː.bə/ A1	noun - An island country in the Caribbean.
soberana /so.βeˈɾa.na/ B2	adjective - Sovereign, independent.
recuerdo /reˈkwer.ðo/ A2	noun - Memory, remembrance. verb - I remember
río /ˈri.o/ A1	noun - River.
junto /ˈxun.to/ A2	adjective - Together, close.
bohío /boˈi.o/ B2	noun - Hut, cabin (typically in the Caribbean).
estampa /esˈtam.pa/ B2	noun - Print, image, scene.
libertad /li.βeɾˈtað/ B1	noun - Freedom, liberty.
trofeo /t̪ɾoˈfe.o/ B2	noun - Trophy.
verbo /ˈbeɾ.βo/ B2	noun - Word, speech, eloquence.
hombre /ˈom.bɾe/ A1	noun - Man.
sincero /sinˈθe.ɾo/ B1	adjective - Sincere, genuine.
palma /ˈpal.ma/ A2	noun - Palm tree.
morirme /moˈɾiɾ.me/ B1	verb - To die (reflexive).
versos /ˈber.sos/ B1	noun - Verses, poems.
alma /ˈal.ma/ A2	noun - Soul.
cultivo /kulˈti.βo/ B1	verb - I cultivate, I grow.
rosa /ˈro.sa/ A1	noun - Rose.
blanca /ˈblan.ka/ A1	adjective - White.
amigo /aˈmi.ɣo/ A1	noun - Friend.
mano /ˈma.no/ A1	noun - Hand.
franca /ˈfɾaŋ.ka/ B2	adjective - Frank, open, sincere.

Key Grammar Structures

• De mi Cuba soberana

  ➔ Genitive construction with 'de' + possessive pronoun + noun

  ➔ 'De' expresses possession or belonging, similar to 'of' in English.

• Recuerdo aquel murmurillo

  ➔ Use of the noun 'recuerdo' (reminder/memory) in the singular to express a specific memory

  ➔ 'Recuerdo' is a noun meaning 'remembrance' or 'memory', used here to evoke a specific past event.

• Cultivo una rosa blanca

  ➔ Use of the verb 'cultivar' in the present indicative for a habitual or poetic action

  ➔ The verb 'cultivar' means 'to cultivate' or 'to grow,' here used poetically to represent nurturing or developing values.

• Yo soy un hombre sincero, dijo Martí

  ➔ Use of the present tense 'soy' + 'un hombre sincero' to describe identity or qualities

  ➔ 'Soy' is the first person singular of 'ser' (to be), used here to state identity.

• Con el verbo de Martí

  ➔ Prepositional phrase 'con' + noun referring to 'Martí' indicating means or association

  ➔ 'Con' is a preposition meaning 'with', indicating that something is associated with Martí or using Martí's 'verb'.