The words in this sweet and tender Cuban song Y Tú Qué Has Hecho (Eng: And What Have You Done?) bring to mind images and sentiments from Oscar Wilde’s fairy tales, such as The Selfish Giant. It was Cuban musician Eusebio Delfín who put his beautiful poetry to music in 1921, and voilà… we have today’s featured song, interpreted by the legendary Buena Vista Social Club.
It’s so romantic, simple and tender, with its gentle melody and brief, loving verses. A true gem from the past, brought back to prominence many years later by the Buena Vista project which we’ll discuss below.
Y Tú Qué Has Hecho tells a touching story about love, memory and loss through the metaphor of a tree and a girl. The girl carves her name into the tree, which responds by dropping a flower for her. The narrator reveals that he is the tree, still holding onto her memory, and asks: “¿Y tú, qué has hecho de mi pobre flor?” (And you, what have you done with my poor flower?). It’s a simple but effective expression of longing, leaving us to wonder whether the girl has treasured their connection as he has.
Eusebio Delfín is recognised for his use of arpeggiated guitar accompaniment in Cuban popular music, as well as for his many compositions, which have been interpreted by numerous artists, including Buena Vista Social Club.
Buena Vista Social Club takes its name from a members’ club in Havana’s Buenavista neighbourhood, a popular music venue in the 1940s.
In 1996, American guitarist Ry Cooder worked with Cuban musicians on the recording that became the Buena Vista Social Club album. German director Wim Wenders, who had previously teamed up with Cooder on their indie movie masterpiece Paris, Texas, later made the 1999 documentary Buena Vista Social Club. The project helped bring these outstanding Cuban musicians and their music to an international audience.
In 2020, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
At the end of this post, below the original studio recording, you’ll find a live performance featuring Ry Cooder with Buena Vista Social Club and Cuban icons Ibrahim Ferrer and Compay Segundo on vocals. It was recorded on Tuesday, May 13, 1997, at BBC Television Centre in London.
[Verse 1]
En el tronco de un árbol una niña / On the trunk of a tree, a little girl
Grabó su nombre henchida de placer / Carved her name, filled with delight
Y el árbol conmovido allá en su seno / And the tree, moved deep within its heart
A la niña una flor dejó caer / Let a flower fall for the little girl
[Verse 2]
Yo soy el árbol conmovido y triste / I am the tree, moved and saddened
Tú eres la niña que mi tronco hirió / You are the girl who wounded my trunk
Yo guardo siempre tu querido nombre / I still keep your beloved name
Y tú, ¿qué has hecho de mi pobre flor? / And you, what have you done with my poor flower?
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
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