Fieldwork Archive
El negrito del Batey
Performed by Rosa Velez.
Recorded June 30, 2025 at La Casa Bienvenida, Waterbury, Connecticut.
Fragment. Joseíto Mateo merengue.
Mrs. Velez is of San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic.
Rosa learned this merengue song from a version by Joseíto Mateo released in the 1960s.
The composer is Medardo Guzmán, while the lyrics were written by Héctor José Regla Díaz.
It was popularized internationally by the Dominican singer Alberto Beltrán with the Sonora Matancera in 1954, which earned him the nickname "El Negrito del Batey."
The word "negrito", meaning the little black man, is normally used in Spanish with affectionate connotations.
The merengue singers embrace this diminutive as a nickname for themselves while tiptoeing the subject matter of low-income labor.
A "batey" has two main meanings: in the context of the Taíno people, it was a sacred ceremonial and recreational plaza used for games and meetings.
In modern Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries like Cuba and the Dominican Republic, it refers to a rural settlement or labor camp for sugarcane workers, often associated with poor living conditions and a predominantly Haitian population.
Porque el trabajo para mí es un enemigo
El trabajar yo se lo dejo todo al buey
Porque el trabajo para mí es un castigo
A mí me gusta el merengue apambichao
Para bailar con una negra bien sabrosa
A mí me gusta bailar apambichao
Con una negra bien sabrosa
Y dime si no es verdad
Merengue mucho mejor
Porque eso de trabajar
Se lo dejo todo al buey
Because work is my enemy
I leave all the work to the ox
Because work is a punishment for me
I like the merengue slow and rhythmic
To dance with a really hot black woman
I like to dance slow and rhythmic
With a really hot black woman
And tell me if it isn't true
Merengue is much better
Because all that work
I leave it to the ox
