El Montuno

Mayito: Let’s go!
This is simple
Montuno!
Hey!

The montuno
A musical form
Already traditional
Great for dancing

The montuno
No complications
For the dancers
Who just want to dance

Is it possible
To compose a montuno
With a deep text
And still be good for dancing?

Is it possible
To organize the senses
And analyze the content
Directly to the feet?

And so I thought
About what could happen
If it were to take place
That realization:

That a dancer
In the face of such depth
Would start to question
The text and its reasons

It could give them insights
A debate would start
With a responsible view
Around my sound

And it’s not that I
Want to complicate you
With a deep montuno
That you might be able to dance

Shalarara-lala-lala
Rararala la larara a
What?
Let’s go!
Oh, alright!

And it wasn’t me
Mayito: Eeeeh
I swear on my mother
That it wasn’t me

And it wasn’t me
Mayito: It was maestro Juan Formell
With the Van Van thing

And it wasn’t me
Mayito: That guy in nineteen seventy
Who got people to enjoy

And it wasn’t me
Mayito: When everything was confusion
When everything was bubblegum and rock and roll

And it wasn’t me
Mayito: He wanted to show my people
That you can dance better here

And it wasn’t me
Mayito: And you already know
How the party got started

And it wasn’t me
Mayito: When we arrived
The thing was already set

And it wasn’t me
Mayito: We’re just the result
Proud of this harvest

And it wasn’t me
Mayito: Of course it was you
Who brought a new montuno

And it wasn’t me
Mayito: In heaven, there’s a God who knows
On earth, there’s only one

And it wasn’t me
Mayito: Let’s go, it’s good, let’s go!
Here we are, those who are here

And it wasn’t me
In the good and the bad
But we won’t abandon you

And it wasn’t me
Mayito: Here comes my new piano
Cucurucho!

Mayito: The Van Van guy
Van Van guy
The Van Van guy
Who lifted my orchestra
Ha!
Look who’s here

Samuel
His son

Yes!

Don’t complicate me
Montuno, no

Mayito: Look!

Don’t complicate it for me

Mayito: The lele
Santiago de Cuba
Is listening to you

[Flute]

Don’t complicate it for me
[Trombone]

Mayito: You know who’s here?
Chorus: Don’t complicate it for me
Mayito: Hugo
The son of Morejón

Don’t complicate it for me
Mayito: Yes!

Don’t complicate it for me
Mayito: Look!
And give it some mambo
Mambo!
Ha!

Don’t rush me, tumbador
Mayito: Don’t rush me, tumbador
This is for the dancer

Don’t rush me, tumbador
Mayito: This one who spends the night
Dancing with his sweat

Don’t rush me, tumbador
Mayito: But that’s for sure
To the singers, I ask

Don’t rush me, tumbador
Mayito: When they go to sing
Say things that make some sense

Don’t rush me, tumbador
Mayito: Ladies and gentlemen
Dance, this is flavor

Don’t rush me, tumbador
Mayito: Let’s go!

Mayito: Look!
Do you know who’s here?
Oh God!
Alexander
The trumpet sounds
Yes!

Chorus: Don’t rush me, tumbador
Mayito: Ha!

And don’t rush me, tumbador

Mayito: It breaks my heart