What is a Guantanamera?
Guantanamera means simply Girl from Guantanamo, a province and city in southeast Cuba. The song “Guantanamera” is one of Cuba’s most famous songs, and is hailed as being their greatest patriotic piece. The music for “Guantanamera” was originally written in 1929 by José Fernández Diaz, who used it in his radio show. It is uncertain whether Diaz came up with “Guantanamera” all on his own or, as is sometimes claimed, whether the basic structure of the song came from music already seen regularly by peasants in the region. The original lyrics to “Guantanamera,” also written by Diaz, are about a woman from Guantanamo, the quintessential Guantanamera. The story told is about his relationship with that woman, and her eventual departure. These original lyrics are rarely used in the song anymore, although the chorus remains. The story being the chorus, as told by Diaz, is that he was on the street with friends one day and made a pass at a woman who walked by. She was from Guantanamo, and was off
Guantanamera means simply Girl from Guantanamo, a province and city in southeast Cuba. Guantanamera may refer to a number of things: a popular song, a less popular movie, and a Cuban cigar brand. The song “Guantanamera” is one of Cuba’s most famous songs, and is hailed as being their greatest patriotic piece. The music for “Guantanamera” was originally written in 1929 by José Fernández Diaz, who used it in his radio show. It is uncertain whether Diaz came up with “Guantanamera” all on his own or, as is sometimes claimed, whether the basic structure of the song came from music already seen regularly by peasants in the region. The original lyrics to “Guantanamera,” also written by Diaz, are about a woman from Guantanamo, the quintessential Guantanamera. The story told is about his relationship with that woman, and her eventual departure. These original lyrics are rarely used in the song anymore, although the chorus remains. The story being the chorus, as told by Diaz, is that he was on t
