Capomos are the flowers of the breadnut tree (Brosimum alicastrum), a plant native to certain regions of Mexico. This word is the central metaphor of the song, which is titled "Flor de Capomo" (Capomo Flower).
In the lyrics, the singer compares the young woman he loves to these beautiful, blossoming flowers. He sings, "linda vas creciendo como los capomos" (you are growing beautifully like the capomos), using this unique piece of natural imagery to express her burgeoning beauty in a truly poetic way.
Flor De Capomo by the Mexican duo Carlos y José is a charming, old-school courtship song with a cheeky streak. The singer is totally infatuated with a young woman, describing her as a "Trigueñita hermosa" (beautiful brunette) who is blossoming like the blooming capomo tree ("como los capomos que se encuentran en la flor"). He is upfront about his intentions, admitting that he is chasing after her with genuine passion: "Te ando enamorando con grande fervor" (I am making you fall in love with great fervor).
What makes this track so fun is the sneaky family dynamic. He plans to drop by her house in a day or two ("Mañana o pasado yo voy a tu casa"), where the mother politely tells her to pull up a chair for him. But instead of keeping things totally proper, he whispers some playful advice to his crush: "finge no mirarme / Ponte muy contenta porque estoy aquí" (pretend not to look at me / get really happy because I am here). Add in a confession that a little wine makes him crave a chat with her ("cuando tomo vino / Siento tantas ganas de contigo platicar"), and you get a straightforward, affectionate picture of small-town flirtation right under the parents' noses.
Carlos y José had been playing bars together for five years before the duo had a name. Carlos Tierranegra Salazar, born in General Terán, Nuevo León, in 1942, sang lead and played accordion; José Rodríguez, born in Los Ramones in the same state in 1950, took the second voice and the bajo sexto. They formed the act in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, in March 1968 and cut their first record the year after.
"La cosecha", in 1970, was the hit that made them, and "El chubasco" broke norteño sales records in Mexico and the United States in 1981. The press took to calling them "los consentidos de la música norteña". They beat that record again with "Flor de capomo", their Spanish reading of the Yaqui song "Kapo sewa" by José Molina Palma. Across more than 80 records the catalogue leans hard on corridos about prisoners, smugglers and men who died badly. Rodríguez left in 2008 to go solo and died the following year; Tierranegra died in Texas in 2015, and their grandsons Juan Carlos Tierranegra and José Edwin Rodríguez now record as Carlos y José Jr.