You could see it this way, which is the way I like to see it: as a song sung from the POV of a Cuban revolutionary justifying his ethic and love of poetry to the girl he loves, who happens to be a guajira from Guantanamo. That's what I've always imagined when I sing it. (I actually might record it and post a link.)

Singing songs from the opposite sex's perspective is accepted in folk music.