Cuban Lullaby

In the seventh month of pregnancy, my editor gave me a touching gift: The CD Cuban Lullaby. I had never seen it before and when I glanced at the song titles, nothing struck me as familiar.

But that evening, as I waited in the drug store’s drive-through lane for horse pill-sized pre-natals, I slid the CD in. And then, the singer sung words that shook me so hard I started sobbing: Duermete mi nina, duermete mi amor, duermete pedazo de mi corazon….

Though I had not recognized the title, I recognized the words and tune as those sung to me by my grandmother. The memory had not been lost, but stored in the folds of my brain and released when the song started to play. Perhaps the strength of my sobs had something to do with the fact I was drowning in crazy-making mother-to-be estrogen, but really, I know it also had to do with the fact a woman I loved, and missed, had sung those same words to me many, many times. The child I was remembered, even if the adult had forgotten. How perfect to be given back the words just as my own child was to be born.

So, a few days ago when a lovely lady who reads the cositas de nada I spill onto the screen sent me a trove of links to Cuban videos and songs, I was thrilled and grateful. Music has been a big part of teaching Maria to speak excellent Spanglish. This reader, by the way, is storing up the songs and links for the day when she is an abuelita. She makes gift books of Cuban songs for children she knows and she said I could share the links with you.

There are more than 100 songs listed in this link, which contains sweet classics like Señora Santana, La Vaca Lechera and Había Una Vez (you know, the never-ending boat song), but so many others too that I, at least, had never heard. They’re about brujitos and chickens and this one, which promises to become a staple at my house:

Qué rico el baño!
Qué fresca el agua
El nené lindo
Feliz se baña!

If you don’t speak Spanish, it’s basically a “Isn’t bath time, great?” song. In my 3-year-old’s opinion, at times, bath time ain’t so great.

And then here are the videos, which she said are classics, or remakes of classics, from her 1960s Cuban childhood.

Vinagrito
El Soldadito de Plomo
Marinero quiero ser

Finally, this one, which used to pop onto TV at 7:55 p.m. to announce bedtime for all. Don’t we need this here in the states? Especially, for the Mami’s who stay up too late cruising the internet?

Buen provecho, all.

(Y gracias, otra vez, amiga)