Dios te bendiga!, Compay

One of my last songs was “Chan Chan,” which I wrote in 1987. I played it for the first time at a club called Cristino. It’s a number that has four notes, and four chords. There’s very few numbers that you can sing the whole song with four notes. I’ve been to Santa Clara-Las Villas province and everybody up there knows it; I’ve been to Santiago de Cuba y and everybody there knows it too. I go by a school and when a kid sees me, he says, “Look, it’s Compay Segundo,” and starts singing, “I’m going from Alto Cedro to Marcané then from Cueto, I’m going to Mayarí.”
~ Francisco Maximo Repilado Muñoz, ou “Compay Segundo”, o “pai” de todos os músicos do Buena Vista Social Club, !Dios te bendiga! Compay.

“Chan Chan” (Compay Segundo)

De alto cedro voy para marcané
Luego a cuelto voy para mayari

El carino que te tengo
Yo no lo puedo negar
Se me sale la babita
Yo no lo puedo evitar.

Cuando Juanita y chan chan
En el mar cernian arena
Como sacudia el « jibe »
A Chan Chan le daba pena.

Limpia el camino de paja
Que yo me quiero sentar
En aquel tronco que veo
Y asi no puedo llegar.

De alto cedro voy para marcané
Luego a cuelto voy para mayari