La Bamba

Lyrics: Ritchie Valens
Music: Ritchie Valens

The Grateful Dead did this four times in 1987 as part of Good Lovin'. (Thanks to Kent Duryée for his help with the lyrics)

It has also been played as by Phil Lesh & Friends, and much earlier by the New Riders Of The Purple Sage (after Jerry Garcia stopped playing with them).

Para bailar la Bamba
Para bailar la Bamba
Se necesita una poca de gracia (note 1)
Una poca de gracia, por ti sere, por ti sere, por ti sere

Bamba, Bamba
Bamba, Bamba
Bamba, Bamba
Bamba, Bamba

Yo no soy marinero
Yo no soy marinero
Soy capitan, soy capitan, soy capitan

Bamba, Bamba
Bamba, Bamba
Bamba, Bamba
Bamba, Bamba

Notes
(1) it sounds as if Jerry sang "necesicito"

Grateful Dead Recordings
	Date	Album
	18 Sep 1987	30 Trips Around The Sun

New Riders Recordings
	1975	Oh, What A Might Time
	1975	Live On Stage
	13 Jun 1975	Armadillo World HQ

Background
According to Blair Jackson in "Going Down The Road"

The exact origins of the song are unknown, but it was first popularised in the Vera Cruz region of Mexico just after the Second World War. It wasn't until the Pacoima, California teen idol Ritchie Valens recorded the song in the late Fifties (shortly before his death in a plane crash in February 1959) that the song became well known outside the Latino community. Valens' version went as far as number two on the charts, and a few years later Trini Lopez also enjoyed moderate success with the song, both in the United States and in various Spanish-speaking countries.

Kent Duryée has supplied this fuller version of the lyrics and their translation:

Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Se necesita una poca de gracia
Una poca de gracia y otra cosita

Y arriba y arriba
Y arriba y arriba y arriba ire

Yo no soy marinero
Yo no soy marinero, por ti sere
Por ti sere, por ti sere

Bamba, bamba, bamba, bamba
Bamba, bamba
Bamba

Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Se necesita una poca de gracia
Una poca de gracia pa mi pa ti

Ay y arriba y arriba
Y arriba y arriba y arriba ire

Yo no soy marinero
Yo no soy marinero, soy capitan
Soy capitan, soy capitan

Bamba, bamba, bamba, bamba
Bamba, bamba
Bamba

Translation

In order to dance the bamba
In order to dance the bamba
You need a little bit of grace
You need a little bit of grace
And another little thing

Ah, higher and higher
Ah, higher I will go
Ah, higher I will go

I am not a sailor
I am not a sailor
I am the captain
I am the captain
I live for you
I live for you

Further Information
For more information on recordings see Matt Schofield's Grateful Dead Family Discography