Mandimbo Lyrics in English by Lila Downs
"Mandimbo" is a love song built out of nature imagery, and Lila Downs sings it like a folk song from the Mexican coast. The opening line, "Hoja palo de mandimbo" (leaf, stick of mandimbo), names a tree or plant, and she compares it straight away to "la piel del que quiero" (the skin of the one I love).
The lover becomes a tree. She sees "un brillo en tus ojos negros, como de salvaje cuervo" (a shine in your black eyes, like a wild crow's) "en las ramas de tu cuerpo" (in the branches of your body). In the chorus his moon shows "entre las ramas" (between the branches), and he is "ese árbol de mi esperanza" (that tree of my hope). "Ya me ganaste, tu ternura" (you've won me over, your tenderness) is her giving in.
There's a small warning in the middle too: "la discordia crece cuando no hay perdón" (discord grows when there's no forgiveness). The last line asks the tree to "mantente firme" (stand firm), which works as a wish for the relationship.
Word to learn: "añoranza" means longing or nostalgia for someone or something you miss.
