This past Cinco De Mayo, I promised songs and lyrics by Mexican American bands to help spread appreciation for this wonderful country that hopefully goes a little deeper than margarita-bingeing.
La Santa Cecilia is a band out of L.A., and also the way to say "Saint Cecilia" in Spanish. Cecilia is the patron saint of music. So here are La Santa Cecilia singing an ode to Los Angeles, or to use it's complete original name (don't tell me you didn't know L.A. was once Mexico?), El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río Porciúncula.
P.S. This woman can *sing*.
(Please note I do not own the rights to the any of this music, and I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to support musicians and artists by buying their work whenever you can.)
”Nuestra Señora La Reina De Los Ángeles” — La Santa Cecilia
The sun sinks down,
Yellow, blue, purple,
The palm trees melt away.
A new dream begins to stir,
While another fizzles out
On the pavement.
The pull of a promise
Brings countless souls
From far-off, far-flung lands.
And all those who believe it are welcome,
For now luck controls their fate.
She has seen the stars,
But everything she gives you
She takes from you again.
And in the alleyways
Where nothing glitters
Lurk the memories
Of the Queen.
I gave up everything
Just to get to her.
And I never did find that promise.