Paciencia y Fe ( Patience and Faith ) Lyrics – Abuela Claudia, Company

Paciencia y Fe ( Patience and Faith ) Text

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ABUELA CLAUDIA
Calor! Calor! Calor!
Calor! Calor! Calor!
Ay Mama!
The summer's hottest day
Paciencia y fe
Paciencia y fe
Ay carajo, it's hot!
But that's okay
Mama would say,
"Paciencia y fe"
It was 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, Mama, you would find work
Combing the stars in the sky for some sort of sign
Ay, Mama, so many stars in Cuba
En Nueva York we can't see beyond our streetlights
To reach the roof you gotta bribe the supa
Ain't no cassiopia 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
Mama needs a job, Mama 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, imagine what you'd do
Remembering what we went through
Nueva York! Ay Mama!
It wasn't like today, you'd say,
"Paciencia y fe

NEW YORKERS
Paciencia y fe

ABUELA CLAUDIA
Paciencia y fe."

NEW YORKERS
Paciencia y -

ABUELA CLAUDIA
Fresh off the boat in America
Freezing in early December
A crowded city in 1943
Learning the ropes in America
En espanol I remember
Dancing with Mayor Laguardia
All of society welcoming Mami and me! Ha!

EMPLOYERS
You better clean this mess!

ABUELA CLAUDIA
Paciencia y fe...

EMPLOYERS
You better learn ingles!

ABUELA CLAUDIA
Paciencia y fe...

EMPLOYERS
You better not be late
You better pull your weight
Are you better off then you were with the birds of La Vibora?

ABUELA CLAUDIA
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

NEW YORKERS
Paciencia y fe...
Paciencia y fe...
Paciencia y fe...

ABUELA CLAUDIA
And as I fed these birds
My hands begin to shake
And as I say these words
My heart's about to break
And ay Mama
What do you do when your dreams come true?
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?
Alright, Mama, Okay.
Paciencia y fe!

NEIGHBORS
Calor! Calor Calor!

[Thanks to Hilary Klapholz, Ariel for lyrics]