“Tierra Querida” (Beloved Earth) by Natalia Lafourcade, English translation and meaning

“Beloved Earth”
Album: Tierra Querida (Beloved Earth), 2022
Style: Soft acoustic pop. Natalia Lafourcade sings about love for her homeland’s natural beauty, and gratitude for everything she has received from the land.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Tierra querida que tanto me has regalado,
De la mañana tus besos, mi dulce aliento,
He respirado tus aires y tu nostalgia,
He saboreado las aguas de tu rocío.

Beloved earth that has gifted me so much,
From morning, your kisses, (and) my sweet breath,
I have inhaled your airs and your nostalgia,
I have savored the waters of your dew.

Tierra querida que tanto me has regalado,
Cuántas historias en ramas entrelazamos,
Y en tus latidos de campo con Sol dorado,
Siento crecida mi alma de tus abrazos.

Beloved earth that has gifted me so much,
How many stories among interlaced branches,
And within heartbeats of the gold sun-kissed field,
I feel my soul grown in your arms.

Eres tú mi tierra, mi cielito lindo,
Cuando en una copa de vino se me va la vida,
Eres tú mi tierra, cariñito lindo,
Te prometo amor infinito, siempre contigo.

You are my earth, my beautiful heaven,
When in a cup of wine my life passes,
You are my earth, sweet beloved,
I promise you infinite love, always with you.

De la riqueza y tus suelos tan generosos,
Bebo el encanto divino que traen los dioses.
Soy tesoro de ti que florece al viento,
Vengo para decirte: Yo te quiero.

From the riches and your soils so generous,
I drink of the divine enchantment brought by gods.
I am treasure from you and I bloom in the wind,
I come to tell you: I love you.

Eres tú mi tierra, mi cielito lindo,
Cuando en una copa de vino se me va la vida,
Eres tú mi tierra, cariñito lindo,
Te prometo amor infinito, siempre contigo.

You are my earth, my beautiful heaven,
When in a cup of wine my life passes,
You are my earth, sweet beloved,
I promise you infinite love, always with you.

La ra y la la ra,
Lara y la la la,
La laira ra y larai ra…

Eres tú mi tierra, cariñito lindo,
Te prometo amor infinito, siempre contigo.

You are my earth, my beautiful heaven,
I promise you infinite love, always with you.

Translation Notes:

{Tierra querida} que tanto me has regalado

{Beloved earth} that has gifted me so much
{Beloved land} that has gifted me so much

This is one of Natalia Lafourcade’s love songs to Mexico and its natural beauty. “Beautiful earth” and “beautiful land” are both correct simultaneously. I guess “land” is more literal.

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De la mañana tus besos, mi dulce aliento,
He respirado tus aires y tu nostalgia,
He saboreado las aguas de tu rocío.

From morning, your kisses, (and) my sweet breath,
I have inhaled your airs and your nostalgia,
I have savored the waters of your dew.

Natalia begins celebrating the beauty of the land starting from early morning. As she wakes, she feels the “kiss” of the land in the fog that forms from her breath. She breathes in and feels a romantic nostalgia, enjoying the morning dew.

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Tierra querida que tanto me has regalado,
Cuántas historias en ramas entrelazamos

Beloved earth that has gifted me so much,
How many stories among interlaced branches

Beautiful land that has gifted me so much,
How many histories (you have) amongst your interwoven branches

She continues the romantic nostalgia by thinking of all the time that has passed while the trees grew, and all the histroy the trees must have witnessed.

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Y en tus latidos de campo con Sol dorado,
Siento crecida mi alma de tus abrazos.

And within heartbeats of the gold sun-kissed field,
I feel my soul grown in your arms.

And in your heartbeats of the field with the golden Sun,
I feel (it) grown, my soul in your arms.

Here she describes feeling the liveliness of the fields as a heartbeat. The dawning sun tinges the field with a gold color. The poetic language is difficult to translate concisely, so I went with the shorter main version and added a second (more literal) translation in the notes. Technically, when she talks about the golden color, she is describing the sun itself, but she is focusing on how the sunlight extends across the land and brings it alive.

She feels the life of the land and it makes her feel alive as well. She feels her soul grown (like a plant would grow) under the warm embrace of the golden sun.

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Eres tú mi tierra, mi cielito lindo

You are my earth (my homeland), my beautiful heaven

This is a subtle reference to the Mexican folk song, “Cielito Lindo”.

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Cuando en una copa de vino se me va la vida,
Eres tú mi tierra, cariñito lindo

When in a cup of wine my life passes,
You are my earth, sweet beloved

I think because of the reference to wine, Natalia Lafourcade’s song was featured in a commercial for the winery, Casa Madero. They really liked working with her:

Alongside a team of amazing audiovisual professionals who made this spot special, Grammy-award winning Mexican artist Natalia Lafourcade lended her song “Tierra Querida” and her presence to the project, giving it a unique cultural power. “Working with Natalia was incredible,” notes Alex. “There was an incredible synergy on set between all of us. Natalia is a super responsive person, offering encouragement and a cheerful disposition on set.”

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Soy tesoro de ti que florece al viento

I am treasure from you and I bloom in the wind

Here “tesoro DE ti” means “treasure FROM you”, meaning a treasure that was born from this land and shaped by land. This is different from “tesoro tuyo” which would mean “treasure of yours” or “your treasure”. It isn’t about ownership. It is about self-love and gratitude.

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Te prometo amor infinito, siempre contigo.

I promise you infinite love, always with you.

In the final lines, Natalia again declares her love for her homeland.

Another of her songs in a similar theme:
“Hasta La Raíz” (Down to the Roots) — this one is more personal, about how Mexico has shaped her own history and everyone and everything before her.