Tankar I Havanna

Dusk in the Caribbean falls softly over land and sea
The stars above are like diamonds in the thousands
The night wind from Havana is heavy with scents and warm music
I think about how we have it back home

On the bus ride from Cojimar to the city, one sits as if at a party
They can tell you're a foreigner, but you're like an honored guest
Here, people talk to each other and look each other in the eyes
I think about how we have it back home

In the alleys down by the harbor, the whores are no longer in place
The girl from Havana has torn off her pale mask
She was once worth hundreds of thousands, now she's building her future
I think about how we have it back home

I don't see any jewelers or fur smugglers in town
I also don't see any downtrodden or scared
I do see, however, that everyone has work and a home of their own
I think about how we have it back home

I walk towards Almendares Park and see all the fine houses
Once the richest lived here in immeasurable luxury
Today, the palaces are hospitals and daycare centers and schools for the little ones
I think about how we have it back home

"Patria o murte" - "More than my life is my homeland"
It says on the house facades in neon lights
"Workers, unite worldwide and take up the fight!"
I think about how we have it back home

I walk along the Malecòn promenade and feel moved and proud
And strengthened by the idea of communism that united the Cuban people
To rise up against the oppressors and then throw them into the sea
I think about how we have it back home

At the local bar in Cojimar, no one gets drunk in their loneliness;
Where young and old mix, laughter flows
The only thing intoxicating is the camaraderie in our song:
"Guantanamera" rises in the night

Dusk in the Caribbean falls softly over land and sea
The stars above are like diamonds in the thousands
The night wind from Havana is heavy with scents and warm music
I think about how we have it back home