This song is from a Santeria chant. It's meaning is simple: it refers to the ritual of cleaning oneself of bad spirits and cleaning your home of bad spirits. Aggua means to clean and and Ile means your home. Your home can mean your own body or your actual home. It's similar to "Rompe Saraguey" which is another song about another Santeria ritual which is supposed to clean the body of bad spirits. "Rompe" means to break in Spanish. From what I can gather there is a small shrub called "Saraguey" which the Santero ritually throws the basd spirits onto after removing them from your body. Your are then instructed to break the bush in order to break the spirits. Thus we get the phrase "Rompe Saraguey". Anyway back to Aguanile. The song is peppered with Christianity because Santeria is well integrated with Catholic saints. Often times the two are practically inseparable. Also the phrase at tyhe end "Ataca Romero" is a reference to Willie Colon's timbalero (drummer) named Luis Romero. When they play solos they usually say something like "attack" or "strut".

Hello everyone!!!!!!!!!!!! I just wanted to thank all who have reply....

If you watch the movie it gives a translation while he sings it. It is a spirtual based song.

Hi, at this site you'll know what exactly is rompe saraguey... http://www.actiweb.es/rey/pagina4.html ...it is actually an herb used to spiritual cleaning..

Hi I went to that site the reading is all in spanish I cannot read it. thank you for trying to help

Aguanile is a Yoruba word (A language from west Africa)

In salsa it stems from the Afro-Cuban religion called Santeria. You hear it (and other Santeria phrases) a lot in Cuban salsa. Most often you hear the full phrase "Aguanile mai mai" and it is part of the toque for the saint (orisha) Oggun.

Below is a link to an example of the word used in the original religious song context. It seems that Hector's song begins with a reference to Yemayá not Oggun.

This is incorrect: "The literal translation is Nile water; its meaning is holy water to those who follow Santeria."


Aguanile - is also the path of Oggun that is the witch-doctor and blacksmith extraordinaire. By using Aguanile in the song Hector Lavoe hoped to capture a recognizable term and affect of Santeria that was familiar to his audience.

Aguanile is a Puerto Rican indian from the Taino tribe. He was considered to be a kind of God and a legend of the Tainos. Mai-Mai is the the Taino indian chant that they used to praise Aguanile. so when he is singing this song he is trying to talk to the Lord and chanting Aguanile mai-mai referring to the taino puerto rican indians trying to repent for his heroin use. In the movie he went to some kind of a voodoo lady or whatever you call it and she gave him beads of Santa barbara a well known hispanic saint. this song happens to be one of my favorite Hector Lavoe songs. Hector Lavoe makes me orgullo de se boriqua!

Originally Posted by almperico

Here Are The Lyrics

Aguanile Aguanile
Holy God, Strong Saint, Immortal Saint
Aguanile Aguanile Mai Mai
Aguanile Aguanile Mai Mai
Eh Aguanile Aguanile Aguanile Aguanile Mai Mai

Eh Kyrie Eleison Christe Elaison Do not get into my Mona
Because I know about that too
Listen, the whole world pray and pray
so that the war could end
But it will never end it will last

Ay Tambores Umaculli, Tambores Umaculla
move everything aside
the earth is going to shake
Que Abonbon Chele Abonbonchacha
I bring the girls to party

Ax Que Lostres nails from the cross
go ahead of me
so you can talk and repond
I had god
he criticizes me
I have Aganile Mai Mai

a judge who sentenced without compassion
Jesus died from cruxification due to treason
Eh Abongonchele Abongochacha
Aguanite bless the girls
Ay Aguanile give me water
I am dry and need a drink
Attack Quintero

Related with th sentence : "Do not get in to my Mona":

"mona" is monkey female, but only if you mean an animal
if you mean a person it is: cute -> very cute (girl)