Stories from South Texas: Las Mañanitas

Growing up in South Texas had many simple adventures, it wasn’t like a dramatic life, sad or spectacular…it was just life.

I grew up in a totally Mexican American neighborhood with lots of other kids and families who shared one common characteristic, we were all poor – but we never knew it. Families had three to eight children that made for a noisy neighborhood with kids playing, yelling and crying.

My family only had three kids, my two sisters and myself. My father worked as a laborer at a fish processing plant that was within walking distance of our house. He was a remarkable man who didn’t play much with us as we were growing up because he was so focused on making sure there was food at the table. My mother was a stay-at-home Mom who was a humble, but a remarkable woman.

One of the fond memories I have of my childhood was Mother’s Day. My Dad would always bring a Mother Days cake for my Mom, and my mother would always fret about the cake and chided my father for doing that because the money could have been used for other things. Nonetheless, my Father always bought her a cake as long as I can remember (they weren’t very romantic with each other). But another sweet story about Mother’s Day involved the older boys in my neighborhood.

Some of the older kids in the neighborhood aspired to be musicians, mostly rock-and-roll and many had instruments and attempted to organize themselves and perform at parties such as quinceanera parties. They were okay, but mostly loud ☺. One of the most remarkable things they used to do on Mother’s Day was organizing themselves to go perform “Las Manañitas” in the early dawn to their mothers. I remember being woken up with beautiful music coming from next door where resided one of the aspiring musicians. These were 15-16 year olds sounding like angels singing to their mothers. To this day when I hear that beautiful song, which is also sung at birthdays, brings back fond memories of my growing up in a South Texas Mexican neighborhood.

Below is one version of Las Mañanitas:

Las Mañanitas
"En la fresca y perfumada mañanita de tu santo,
recibe mi bien amada, la dulzura de mi canto...
encontrarás en tu reja, un fresco ramo de flores,
que mi corazón te deja.... chinita de mis amores"

Canción:

Estas son las mañanitas
que cantaba el Rey David
a las muchachas bonitas,
se las cantamos aquí.

Despierta mi bien despierta,
mira que ya amaneció,
ya los pajarillos cantan
la luna ya se metió...

Si el sereno de la esquina,
me quisiera hacer favor..
de apagar su linternita
mientras que pasa mi amor...

Despierta mi bien despierta,
mira que ya amaneció,
ya los pajarillos cantan
la luna ya se metió...

Ahora si, señor sereno,
le agradezco su favor...
encienda su linternita
que ya ha pasado mi amor...

Amapolita dorada
de los llanos de Tepic...
si no estas enamorada,
enamórate de mi..

Despierta mi bien despierta,
mira que ya amaneció,
ya los pajarillos cantan
la luna ya se metió...

(Otros versos)

El día en que tú naciste
nacieron todas las flores
y en la pila de bautismo
cantaron los ruiseñores.

Ya viene amaneciendo
ya la luz del día nos vió,
levántate de mañana,
mira que ya amaneció.

Quisiera ser solecito
para entrar por tu ventana,
y darte los buenos días
acostadita en tu cama.

Quisiera ser un San Juan
Quisiera ser un San Pedro
para venirte a cantar
con la música del cielo.

Con jazmines y con flores
este día voy adornar
hoy por ser día de tu santo
te venimos a cantar.

To hear a version of this song:
Las Mañanitas