Paciencia Y Fe

Calor, calor, calor

Calor, calor, calor

Ay, Mamá

The summer's hottest day

Paciencia y fe

Paciencia y fe

Ay, carajo, it's hot

But that's okay

Mamá would say, "Paciencia y fe"

It's hotter at home, in La Vibora

The Washington Heights of Havana

A crowded city of faces the same as mine

Back as a child in La Vibora

I chased the birds in the plaza

Praying, Mamá, you would find work

Combing the stars in the sky for some sort of sign

Ay, Mamá, so many stars in Cuba

En Nueva York, we can't see beyond our street lights

To reach the roof, you gotta bribe the super

Ain't no Cassiopeia in Washington Heights

But ain't no food in La Vibora

I remember nights, anger in the streets

Hunger at the windows

Women folding clothes, playing with my friends

In the summer rain

Mamá needs a job, Mamá says we're poor

One day you say, "Vamos a Nueva York"

And Nueva York was far, but Nueva York had work

And so we came

And now, I'm wide awake

A million years too late

I talk to you, imagining what you'd do

Remembering what we went through

Nueva York, ay, Mamá

It wasn't like today, you'd say

"Paciencia y fe" (Paciencia y fe)

"Paciencia y fe" (Paciencia y)

Fresh off the boat in America

Freezing in early December

A crowded city in 1943

Learning the ropes in America

In Español, I remember

Dancing with Mayor LaGuardia

All of society welcoming Mami and me

(You better clean this mess)

Paciencia y fe

(You better learn Inglés)

Paciencia y fe

(You better not be late)

(You better pull your weight)

(Are you better off than you were with the birds of La Vibora?)

Sharing double beds, trying to catch a break

Struggling with English

Listening to friends, finally got a job

Working as a maid

So we cleaned some homes, polishing with pride

Scrubbing the whole of the Upper East Side

The days into weeks, the weeks into years

And here I stayed

(Paciencia y fe, paciencia y fe)

(Paciencia y fe)

And as I feed these birds

My hands begin to shake

And as I say these words

My heart's about to break (And, ay, Mamá)

And, ay, Mamá

What do you do when your dreams come true?

(Ay, Mamá)

I've spent my life inheriting dreams from you

What do I do with this winning ticket?

What can I do but pray?

I buy my loaf of bread

Continue with my day

And see you in my head

Imagining what you'd say

The birds, they fly away

Do they fly to La Vibora?

Ay, alright, Mamá, okay

Paciencia y fe

(Calor, calor, calor)