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"Cielito Lindo"

Mexican folk song popularized in 1882.[1]

The origins of the folk song are unclear,[2] but has been attributed to and popularized by Quirino Mendoza y Cortéz who first published it in 1882, but was known to Chicuelo as early as 1877.[1]

The title is roughy translated from the Spanish as "Lovely Sweet One." More specifically, "cielito" means "little sky" or "little heaven."[1]

With the song's familiar refrain, "Ay, ay, ay, ay, Canta y no llores..." (Ay, ay,ay,ay, Sing and don't cry...) has become one of the most recognized mariachi tunes around the world.[1]

Escape to Tampico: In June of 1877, Bret Maverick asked Chicuelo at La Cantina Americana in Tampico about Paul Brooks, a dealer at the casino. After telling Bret that being a dealer was merely a sideline and that his real business was the ladies, Chicuelo moved on, plucking his guitar to a melancholy rendition of "Cielito Lindo."[3]