La Zamarra de Gustavo: For foreigners

Urko: "Salute to Basque Country"/ "Our children"

Fri, 02 May 2008 11:07:00 GMT

José Antonio Larrañaga, Urko, is a great Basque-Spanish songwriter. With a strong and melodic voice, joined to a fiery poetry by his own or from some other great Basque poets, Urko used to mix revolutionary themes with love themes. His first LP came in 1976: Sakonki maite zaitut (I love you deeply). To this shall follow Hemen gaude! (Here we are) in 1977, and the great epic song Gure lagunei (To our companions) in 1978, a large ballad dedicated to two Basque patriots killed by Franco. Reciently, Urko left political themes and also has sung in Spanish poems of José Bergamín.
Here there are two of his more popular songs.
The first, "Agur Euskal-Herriari" (Salute to Basque Country) is a song made of a Basque-French's patriot poem (sorry, I couldn't find the poet's name), and was one of his more claimed anthems by 70's abertzale (Basque patriot) youthful.

Agur Euskal-Herriari

Zazpi Euskal Herriek
bat egin dezagun,
guztiok beti-beti
gauden gu euskaldun.

Agur eta ohore
Euskal Herriari
Lapurdi, Baxenabar,
Zubero gainari;
Bizkai, Nafar, Gipuzko
eta Arabari.
Zazpiak bat besarka
lot beitez elgarri.

Zazpi Euskal Herriek
bat egin dezagun,
guztiok beti-beti
gauden gu euskaldun.

Haritz eder bat da
gure mendietan,
zazpi adarrez dena
zabaltzen airetan.
Frantzian, Espainian,
bi alderdietan:
hemen hiru eta han lau,
bat da zazpiretan.

Zazpi Euskal Herriek
bat egin dezagun,
guztiok beti-beti
gauden gu euskaldun.

Hi haiz, Euskal Herria
haritz hori bera,
arrotza nausiturik
moztua sobera.
Oi gure arbasoak
ez, otoi ez beira,
zein goratik garen gu
jautsiak behera!

Zazpi Euskal Herriek
bat egin dezagun,
guztiok beti-beti
gauden gu euskaldun.

Salute to Basque Country

The seven Basque lands make one,/ all of us are forever Basques.// Salute and honour to Basque Country (1),/ to Labort, Low Navarre,/ Vizcaya, Navarre, Guipuzcoa and Alava (2)./ The seven ones are joined by their arms.// There are a beautiful oak (3) in our mounts/ with his seven branches waving on the air./ In France, in Spain, in both sides;/ here three, there four, the seven ones are one.// You are, oh my Basque Country,/ that oak/ that has been cut down/ by the foreigner command.// Ancestors of us/ don't look from/ how high we have/ gone down to the abyss!

music by Urko

"Basque Country": although usually this name refers to what in Spain it's named País Vasco/ Euskadi, in this text refers to the name Euskal Herria, which means Basque Country too, or Basque land, and refers to those territories where it's spoken Basque: four provinces in Spain and three in France; for this, the real meaning of the song.
These are the so called seven Basque provinces that make Euskal Herria: in Spain, forming the Basque Autonomic Community (Comunidad Autónoma Vasca), or País Vasco/ Euskadi (Basque Country), Vizcaya (Eus. Bizkaia), Guipuzcoa (Gipuzkoa) and Alava (Araba), with Navarre (Eus. Nafarroa or Naparra; Cast. Navarra); in France Labort (Lapurdi), Low Navarre (Fr. Baix-Navarre; Eus. Baxenabar) and Sola (Eus. Zubero).
The oak tree is a Basque symbol. For example, the well known Guernica's tree (Eus. Gernikako Arbola)

Gure haurrak

Zuen haurrak hiltzen jarraitzen duzute
Zuen haurrak galtzen jarraitzen duzute
Jainkoz eta legez josi dituzute
Gizondutzean gorrotako zaituete

Gure haurrak hiltzen jarraituko dugu
Gure haurrak galtzen jarraituko dugu
Lau zortzi urtez izorratuko ditugu
Jainkoz eta legez josiko ditugu

Haurraren jabe zeralakoan zaude
Zer den on eta txar dakizulakoan zaude
Zure iritziak aldezinak dirade
Zure haurrak hiltzen hain itsu noiz arte

Bai eskoletara bidaltzen dituzu
ta guraso jator zerala uste duzu
Askatasuna ezagutu ezin duzu
haurrak hiltzen ezin jarrai dezakezu

Bizitza zer den ikasi ez dugunean
jakin ta jakin bakarrik eskatzean
esklabu gaude buru pentsamenduetan
loturik gure barruko kateetan

Kate historie honek behar du akaba
Gezurretik umeak behingoz salba
Begiak ireki mundu hau aldatu
askatasun bizitza gureganatu

Our children

You are still killing your children,/ you are still losing your children,/ you have tied them with gods and laws/ when they became in men.// We will still killing our children,/ we will still killing our children,/ we will fuck them at four and eight years old,/ we will tie them with gods and laws.// You think you are the owner of the child,/ you think you know what is good and what is wrong,/ your opinions are immovable,/ until when you will be killing your children.// You send them to school/ and you think/ you can't know freedom,/ you can't keep yourself killing children.// When we have not learn what life is,/ when they just ask us knowing and knowing,/ we are slaves of our thoughts,/ we are tied to our inside chains.// This history of chains musts end,/ we must to save the children from lie./ Open your eyes, change the world,/ let's get a free living.

words and music
Urko

Euskal Kanta Berria (New Basque Song) was a movement of Basque songwriters with the pretension of vindicate and save Basque language, music and culture, and a vindication of their land, the so named Euskal Herria (Basque Land/ Basque People). Between this movement, there were collectives as and Argia (light) and Ez dok Amairu (There's no Thirteen). Between them we can name people as important as Mikel Laboa, Lourdes Iriondo, Benito Lertxundi, Imanol, Lupe, Oskorri... In differance of others regionals songwriters movements, Euskal Kanta Berria used to play the Basque traditional music since the beginnig with their poems or those from great Basque poets as Gabriel Aresti. Within this movement, songwriters Antton Valverde, J. A. Artze and Xabier Lete make the most of these songs.

Lluís Llach: "The little chicken (little song)"

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:30:24 GMT

Lluís Llach is, for very people, the best songwriter between not only Catalan, but between all the Spanish songwriters. Influenced by French songwriters, Lluís Llach came to take part in the collective Setze Jutges (Sixteen Judges) in 1967, being the last of them in come to take part. His songs have words by himself, but also of great Catalan poets, and some from Greek poet Konstantino Kavafis. The words of his songs are always very hopeful and uthopic. About his music, he started playing French and Italian style music for, later, get more complex musical forms. He has been in active since last year, when he decided to get out the stage.
This one, from his 1972's LP Com un arbre nu (Like a naked tree), is one of his most imaginative and audacious song by his own, trying to evade censorship. It's a song that can speak about as woman's liberation as general freedom.

La gallineta (Cançoneta)

La gallineta ha dit que prou,
ja no vull pondre cap més ou,
a fer punyetes aquest sou
que fa tants anys que m'esclavitza.

I si em vénen ganes de fer-ne
em faré venir un restrenyiment,
no tindrà cap més ou calent
el que de mi se n'aprofita.

La gallina ha dit que no,
visca la revolució (1).

A canvi d'algun gra de blat
m'heu tret la força de volar
però, us ho juro, s'ha acabat!
Tinc per davant tota una vida
i no pateixo pel destí,
que un cop lliurada del botxí
no ha d'haver-hi cap perill
perquè m'entengui amb les veïnes.

La gallina ha dit que no,
visca la revolució.

I els galls que amb mi hauran de dormir
els triaré sans i valents,
que n'estic farta d'impotents
que em fan passar nits avorrides.
Que quedi clar per sempre més,
que jo de verge (2) no en tinc res,
i que, posats a fer, no em ve
d'un segon restrenyiment.

La gallina ha dit que no,
visca la revolució.

The little chicken (little song)

The little chicken said enough is enough,/ I won't lay my eggs anymore,/ let's go to hell this day's wage/ that slave me from so long.// And if makes me want to lay eggs/ I will press and close,/ won't have more fresh eggs/ who takes advantage of me./ The chiken said no,/ hail to revolution!// In exchange of a wheat grain/ they took away my strength of flying,/ but I swear to you it's over!/ I have a whole life before me/ and I don't suffer by the destiny,/ once upon released from the executioner/ shall not to be any danger/ for I understand myself with the neighbors.// The chicken...// And the roosters which shall sleep with me/ I shall search them healthy and braves,/ for I'm tired of impotents/ that make me to pass bored nights./ May stay quite sure for ever more/ that I don't have nothing like virgin,/ and, ready to lay an egg, I don't make/ a second press and close.// The chiken...//

Lluís Llach

(1) Llach's song had to pass censorship; for that there's 2 versions of the song. This version is that he sung during the recitals after 1975 (Franco's death year). But in the LP's version from 1972, the refrain was: "Visca la revulsió!", hail to revulsion.

(2) 1972's version: I don't have nothing like fool.

Els Setze Jutges (Sixteen Judges) was a Catalan songwriters colective, founded by Delfí Abella, Miquel Porter and Josep Mª Espinàs, among others, for vindicate language and poetry of the so called Països Catalans (Catalan Countries): the lands, in Spain and France, where Catalan is talked, with an antifrancoist spirit. They decided to use French songwriters' music, specially Georges Brassens, and no Catalan folklore, because the regime was using it for demonstrate his power over all the Spanish lands. Between them, were future important artists as Joan Manuel Serrat, María del Mar Bonet and her brother Joan Ramón, Rafael Subirachs, Guillermina Motta, Francesc Pi de la Serra, and the last in come in, Lluís Llach, and others until complet 16. Songwriter Raimon, in despite the generally believing, was not a part of the collective, but he collaborated with them.

La Nova Cançó Catalana (New Catalan Song) was a very important songwriter movement that pretended, making of Catalan their expression way, preserve and vindicate the language of Catalonia. Teresa Rebull, a Civil War exhiled, was the forerunner, but singer Raimon was the real beginner. The movement, principally, had two differents tendences: Els Setze Jutges (Sixteen Judges), inspired by French songwriters, and El Grup de Folk (Folk Group), North-American folk-singers inspiration. Jutges were more worried about Catalan poetry and refused to use Catalonia's folklore due to the populist use that the dictatorship was making with every Spanish folklore; but Grup de Folk like to combine old Catalans songs with North-American folk-songs. But in the beginnings of 70s, both were disolved, but the movement stood. New Catalan Song was imitated by others regional songwriters movement, borning in this way the New Songs from Basque Country, Castilia, Galicia, Andalucia... Some of the names of this movements are songwriters as Raimon, Lluís Llach, María del Mar Bonet, Pau Riba, Marina Rossell, Joan Manuel Serrat, Albert Batiste, Pi de la Serra, Ovidi Montllor; folk-groups as Al Tall and UC; folk-rock groups as Falsterbo 3 and Esquirols; and progresive and psychedelic rock bands as Companya Elèctrica Dharma or Maquina!... among others.

Manuel Curros Enríquez: The thorn

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:24:02 GMT

Manuel Curros Enríquez, a great poet in Galician language. Born in 1851 and dead in 1908, he contribuited to the rebirth of Galician language and to the nationalist feeling of Galicians people. In 1808, was acussed by his recent book, Aires da miña terra (Winds from my land), for heretic contents. After a time in La Habana, he returned to his land, after to have worked on some newspaper. Republican and Galicianist, his efort and poetry was an example for his people. A lot of Galicians (and no Galicians) poets learned from him, and the most of the Galician songwriters made songs on his poems.

A Espiña

Pra que vos cante esta noite
metéronme certo empeño
e un pouco a cantarvos veño
se hai por eiquí quen me escoite.

Anos hai que nos riñós
levo cravada unha espiña
e como me doi ainda
vóuna quitar diante vos.

Si mentras a arrinco berro
disimulaime a molestia:
láiase a besta e é besta,
é ferro, e quéixase o ferro.

Moito non se han de alegrar
de ver que aínda teño alentos
os que beberon os ventos
para facerme calar.

Eses, con almas de can,
que coidan, na súa insolencia,
que se merca unha concencia
por catro codias de pan.

Eses que medrando vin
dos abusos do poder
e a xornal quixeran ter
un cómplice mudo en min.

Eses, pra quen todo enteiro
o orden moral é un negocio,
a cobiza, un sacerdocio
e o millor dios, o diñeiro.

Eses que, o nome calando,
non quero eiquí recordar
quen as fai ten que as pagar
¡eses xa as están pagando!

Xornaleiro do porvir
decote sobre o meu tallo
eu vivo do meu traballo
e traballo pra vivir.

Pra miña pedra labrar
nin forza nin tempo sobra
e quero dar fin á obra
antes de se o sol deitar.

The thorn

For I sing to you tonight/ they put on me any effort/ and I come to sing to you a bit/ if there's anybody here who listen to me.// There are a lot of years that I have a thorn stuck in my kidneys/ and, as still it hurts me,/ I'm going to get it out in your presence.// If while I'm getting it out I shout/ you have to pretend my pain:/ the beast complains and it's a beast,/ it's iron and iron complains.// Shall not cheer up/ to seeing I still have encouragement/ those who made the impossible/ to silence me.// Those who have dog souls,/ who think in their insolence/ that they can buy a conscience/ by four crust of stale bread.// Those who I see thriving/ in the abuse of power/ and daily would want/ a dumb accomplice on me.// Those for who the whole/ moral order is a business,/ greed, a priesthood,/ and the best God the money.// Those who, I don't tell whose names,/ I don't want to recall here:/ who does it pay it/ Those already are paying!// Future's day labourer,/ daily on my sterm,/ I live of my work/ and I work for living.// For carving my stone/ doesn't left strength nor time/ and I want to finish the work/ before the sun goes down.

Manuel Curros Enríquez

Galician songwriter Benedicto made an excellent song with this poem for his LP Os nomes das cousas (The names of the things) with music by his own:

(Benedicto, standing and reading, during a concert in 1979, introducing Os nomes das cousas)

Benedicto (Benedicto García Villar) is one of the best songwriters in Galician language on Spain at he last 60's and swinging 70's. He was one of the founders of the collective Voces Ceibes (Free Voices), a collective of Galician songwriters, leaded by poet Manuel María Fernández, which objective was the vindication of Galician as language, and the culture and literature of Galicia (North-West of Spain). His style, instead his "French-Catalan" beginnings, has a root in Galician folklore. His 1st work was a EP with four songs at the fall of 60s decade, also recitals and concerts by Galicia and Madrid and other places. At the beginning of the 70s decade, he went to Portugal for meeting the great Portuguese songwriter Jose Afonso; since that moment, Benedicto accompany with guitar to Jose Afonso in his tours around Portugal, Paris, Galicia and some other places. In 1974, Benedicto back to Galicia and records his 1st album with the production of Argentine songwriter Alberto Gambino: Pola unión (For the union) released in 1977. To this, will follows Os nomes das cousas (The things names). But later he won't record no more albums, although his career was very intense. He alternates his own writings with the writings of the greater poets of Galicia as Celso Emilio Ferreiro, Manuel Curros Enríquez or Manuel Cabada Vázquez; also he alternates in the 70's his own music with traditional Galicians ballads.

The Nova Canción Galega (New Galician Song) was a literary-musical movement of young people who were against Franco's regime and wanted to rescue culture and language of Galicia. In this movement are the collective Voces Ceibes. In the 70's decade, the movement get folklorist attitude, instead many of them rejected it in the beginnings.

Voces Ceibes (Free Voices) was the first collective of the Nova Canción Galega. Their objectives were make an opposition to Franco's regime with music and poems of the great all of times Galician poets and make a vindication of Galician culture, language and literature. But they rejected to use Galician folklore due to the illegitimacy use that Franco's regime was making of it as an instrument of cohesion of all the Spanish lands. Despite of this, in the 70's, they adopted finally the Galician folk-music for making art and vindications.

Follow this link to know more about Benedicto's Os nomes das cousas: http://www.ghastaspista.com/historia/osnomes.php

Luis Eduardo Aute: Crucifixion

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:33:05 GMT

(Luis Eduardo Aute with Leonard Cohen)
Luis Eduardo Aute is one of the most romantic, poetic and imaginative Spanish songwriter in Spanish language.In the begining, 1967, considered as a member of Nueva Canción Castellan, many people thought about him that he was very commercial; but Aute soon shown how good lyricist he could be. Since 1967 till today, Aute had recorded a plenty of records and wrote lots of songs, for him, but for others singers too: Massiel, Las Madres del Cordero, Marisol, Luis Pastor... His words can be romantics, poetics, philosophical, satyric, etc. Aute has a lot of kind of songs.
This beautiful song belongs to his great 1967's LP 24 canciones breves (24 short songs):

Crucifixión

Cuando sufres las cárceles del silencio,
cuando duermes los sueños de la ignorancia,
eres un crucificado.

Cuando en tu sacrificio cobras desprecio,
cuando mueres poco a poco cada día,
eres un crucificado.

Despiértate, despierta
de tu crucifixión.

Cuando callas tus razones por el miedo,
cuando a tus hijos ves crecer en el hambre,
eres un crucificado.

Cuando en vano clamas en este desierto,
cuando siendo un hombre tan sólo eres sombra,
eres un crucificado.

When you are suffering the jails of silence,/ when you are dreaming the ignorance's dreams,/ you are a crucified.// When in your sacrifice you recover scorn,/ when you die little by little every day,/ you're a crucified.// Wake up, wake up/ from your crucifixion.// When you hush your opinions for fear,/ when you see your children to grow up in hunger,/ you're a crucified.// When you clamor in vain in this dessert,/ when being a man you're only a shadow,/ you are a crucified.

Luis Eduardo Aute

La Nueva Canción Castellana (New Castilian Song), contrary to others originals movements as Nova Cançó, Nova Canción and Kanta Berria, was a kind of publicity trick by some journalist, as an imitation of Catalan movement. Some of the names that were in that list were Manolo Díaz, Luis Eduardo Aute, Patxi Andión, successful female singer Massiel and others. Although not true at all, most of them were in a commercial spirit. Didn't get in the list other interesting proposition from Castilla and Madrid as Canción del Pueblo or the folk-singers and folk groups that were appearing. In despite this, most of them were not to say they belonged to this movement, and each one were going to develop and make great songs.

Benito Lertxundi: "For your freedom"

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:50:45 GMT

Benito Lertxundi is one of the most famous and continuous Basque songwriter. Benito has sung words by José Antonio Artze and Xabier Lete, but also his own: words that speak us about Basque Country and other relevant things in the time he begun to sing, when Basque language was put down by dictatorship. His music, very beautiful, takes its roots from Basque traditional music, but also from celtic music. Member of Ez dok Amairu by the hand of New Basque Song patriarch, Mikel Laboa, Lertxundi's first EP comes in 1965. To this will follow others great LPs as Oro laño mee batek... (1974) (All is cover by a fog), from which is this beautiful song.

José Antonio Artze is a great contemporary Basque poet and composser, born in 1940. With his brother, singer Jesús Artze, was a member of the Basque songwriters' collective Ez dok Amairu (There's no thirteen), being, with Xabier Lete and Antton Valverde, the writer of the most Basque songwriters' words of songs, as this from Lertxundi.

Zure askatasunagatik

Zure askatasunagatik

burrukatzen banaiz,

kantatzen badut,

ez dut, maite zaitudalako

kantatzen.

Ez eta

zure malkoak xukatzeagatik.

Zoriontsu

libro behar zaitudalako, baizik;

Zure askatasunean

zure zorionean

nereak ikusten dudalako.

If I fight,/ if I sing,/ for your freedom,/ I don't sing/ 
for I love you,/ neither/ for dry up your tears,/ but 
because I need you happy,free./ Because in your freedom,/ 
in your happiness,/ I see mine.

words by José Antonio Artze
music by Benito Lertxundi

Benito Lertxundi' official web-page:
Benito Lertxundi-Oriotik internetera

Ez dok Amairu (There's no Thirteen) was a collective created around Basque esculptor Jorge de Oteiza. Founded by Mikel Laboa, some of their members were Benito Lertxundi, Lourdes Iriondo, Xabier Lete, Antton Valverde and J. A. Artze. Influenced by the Catalan collective Els Setze Jutges (Sixteen Judges), Ez dok Amairu's finallity was the vindication of Basque language, music, culture and literature, specially poetry. They were, with Castilians, Andalucians and Canarians songwriters and folk-groups, the first in doing songs based on the Basque traditional music, thanks to the wonderful and elder songs-books legated through the centuries.

Euskal Kanta Berria (New Basque Song) was a movement of Basque songwriters with the pretension of vindicate and save Basque language, music and culture, and a vindication of their land, the so named Euskal Herria (Basque Land/ Basque People). Between this movement, there were collectives as and Argia (light) and Ez dok Amairu (There's no Thirteen). Between them we can name people as important as Mikel Laboa, Lourdes Iriondo, Benito Lertxundi, Imanol, Lupe, Oskorri... In differance of others regionals songwriters movements, Euskal Kanta Berria used to play the Basque traditional music since the beginnig with their poems or those from great Basque poets as Gabriel Aresti. Within this movement, songwriters Antton Valverde, J. A. Artze and Xabier Lete make the most of these songs.

León Felipe: "I want... I dream..."

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:34:30 GMT

León Felipe is one of the best poets in Spanish language. Born in Zamora in 1884, he came to poetry at the age of 31. He also translated the work of Walt Whitman to Spanish. His poetry work has a well defined themes and symbols: as themes, there always present a great worry about justice, inside a kind of anarchyst thinking, and a great affinity with the humble people. These themes make that León Felipe colaborates in the intllectual front of the Spanish Republic during the Civil War, although he was in America. As symbols, he adopted two well specifically: don Quixote and Christ, he makes both be in one under the idea of universal justice. After war, he makes a hard resistance against Franco's regime through his poetry from his stance at Mexico, where he died in 1968. During the Regime's years, the Spanish youth took his poems, instead they were prohibited some time, as a symbol of resistance, and a lot of songwritters and folk-groups, as Paco Ibáñez, Adolfo Celdrán or Aguaviva, made songs with some of his best poems.

Quiero... Sueño...

No me contéis más cuentos,
que vengo de muy lejos
y sé todos los cuentos.
No me contéis más cuentos.
Contad
y recontadme este sueño.
Romped,
rompedme los espejos.
Deshacedme los estanques,
los lazos,
los anillos,
los cercos,
las redes,
las trampas
y todos los caminos paralelos.
Que no quiero,
que no quiero,
que no quiero,
que no quiero que me arrullen con cuentos,
Que no quiero,
Que no quiero,
Que no quiero,
Que no quiero que me sellen la boca y los ojos con cuentos,
que no quiero,
que no quiero,
que no quiero,
que no quiero que me entierren con cuentos,
que no quiero,
que no quiero,
que no quiero,
que no quiero verme clavado en el tiempo,
que no quiero verme en el agua,
que no quiero verme en la tierra tampoco,
que no quiero, a su ovillo, como un hilo de barba sujeto.
Quiero verme en el viento,
quiero verme en el viento,
quiero verme en el viento,
quiero verme en el viento...
quiero... ¡quiero!... sueño... ¡sueño!
Soy gusano que sueña... y sueño
verme un día volando en el viento.

I want... I dream...

Don't tell me more tales,/ because I come from far away/ and I know every tale./ Tell/ and tell again this tale./ Break/ break all the mirrors to me./ Undo the pond to me,/ the ties,/ the rings,/ the circles,/ the webs/ and the traps/ and the parallel roads./ For I don't want,/ for I don't want,/ for I don't want,/ for I don't want they lull asleep me with tales,/ for I don't want,/ for I don't want,/ for I don't want,/ for I don't want they seal me the mouth and the eyes with tales,/ for I don't want,/ for I don't want,/ for I don't want,/ for I don't want they bury me with tales,/ for I don't want,/ for I don't want,/ for I don't want,/ for I don't want to see myself nailed in the Time,/ for I don't want to see myself on the water,/ for I don't want neither to see myself on the soil,/ for I don't want, to a ball of wool, tide like a bear yarn./ I want to see myself on the wind,/ I want to see myself on the wind,/ I want to see myself on the wind,/ I want to see myself on the wind.../ I want... I want!... I dream.../ I'm a worm that is dreaming... and I dream/ to see myself one day flying on the wind.

León Felipe

(Llamadme publicano)

Patxi Andión: "The teacher

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:38:27 GMT

Patxi Andión is one of the most singular Spanish songwriter. Having a Basque origins, he grows in Madrid, where he makes all his career. Beloved of the French songwriters music, he went to France to perform; there he mets great songwriter and integral artist Jacques Brel. In Madrid, he began to record EPs in 1968: "Rogelio", "Manuela", "A quien corresponda" (to whom it may concern)... All of them in a French style. With his LPs he get closer to a kind of pop music, but still with a tremendous poetry by his own. If we could define Patxi in a word, this should be individualist. Patxi's poetry, influenced by Lorca, Miguel Hernández, Machado, etc., is one of the most originals and powerful in the Castilian songwriter movement. Some of their LPs are Joxe Maria Iparragirre (his unique LP in Basque), based upon the poems of Basque poet Joxe Maria Iparragirre; Once canciones entre paréntesis (Eleven songs between parenthesis) and A donde el agua (where the water), from which is this song.
Patxi Andión's "El maestro" speaks us about a kind of character: during the 2nd Spanish Republic, thanks to institutions as the Free Teaching Institution (Institución Libre de Enseñanza), a new kind of teachers came to replace priests in teaching: they were worried about the number of illiterate people in rural world, and he were decide to teach to read, science, literature... all this with a humanist and lay spirit. But civil war and dictatorship, due to the sympathy by them to Republic, dash all of his project. With Franco's dictatorship, priests came back to teaching. This Patxi's teacher was one of those lay, humanist, socialist and scientific republicans teachers.

El maestro

Con el alma en una nube
y el cuepo como un lamento
viene el problema del pueblo
viene el maestro.

El cura cree que es ateo
y el alcalde comunista
y el cabo jefe de puesto
piensa que es un anarquista.

Le deben treinta y seis meses
del cacareado aumento
y él piensa que no es tan malo
enseñar toreando un sueldo.

En el casino del pueblo
nunca le dieron asiento
por no andar politiqueando
ni ser portavoz de cuentos.

Las buenas gente del pueblo
han escrito al "menistrerio"
y dicen que no está claro
como piensa este maestro.

Dicen que lee con los niños
lo que escribio un tal Machado
que anduvo por estos pagos
antes de ser exilado.

Les habla de lo inombrable
y de otras cosa peores
les lee libros de versos
y no les pone orejones.

Al explicar cualquier guerra
siempre se muestra remiso
por explicar claramente
quien venció y fue vencido.

Nunca fue amigo de fiestas
ni asiste a las reuniones
de las damas postulantes
esposas de los patrones

por estas y otras razones
al fin triunfó el buen criterio
y al terminar el invierno
le relevaron del puesto

(y) ahora las buenas gentes
tienen tranquilo el sueño
porque han librado a sus hijos
del peligro de un maestro

con el alma en una nube
y el cuerpo como un lamento
se marcha el Padre del ueblo
se marcha el maestro.

With the soul on a cloud/ and his body like a lament/ comes the village's trouble (1)/ comes the teacher.// The priest thinks he's an atheist/ and the mayor, communist/ and the chief-post cape (2) thinks/ he is an anarchist.// They owe him thirty six months/ of the boasted raise/ and he thinks is not so bad/ to teach bull-fighting a salary.// In the village's casino/ they never gave him a sit/ for not coming "politicking" (3)/ nor to be a tales' spokesman.// The good village people/ have written to the Department (4)/ and they say is not clear/ how this teacher thinks.// They say he reads with the children/ what wrote someone named Machado (5)/ who was by this neck of the woods/ before he was exiled.// He talks to them about the unspeakable/ and about other worst things/ he reads them books of verses/ and doesn't put them donkey's ears.// When he explains any war/ he always get cautious/ to explain clearly/ who won and who was defeated (6).// He never was friend of parties/ nor attends to the meetings/ of the advanced ladies/ bosses' wifes/ for these and other reasons/ at the end the good judgment won/ and at the fall of the winter/ they relieve him from the post// and now the good people/ have calmed the sleep/ because they have released their children/ from a teacher's danger// with the soul on a cloud/ and his body like a lament/ goes out the people's Father (1 bis)/ goes out the teacher.

Patxi Andión

NOTE: the transcription is a exactly reproduction of the words that appear in Patxi's LP.
1 & 1bis. I think in this text, Patxi makes a difference between "pueblo" and "Pueblo". In Spanish, the word "pueblo" has two principal meanings: first, "pueblo" as village, and second, as people.

2. The priest, the mayor and the cape: after civil war, the local authorities of the villages were 3, following the francoist ideology. The priest, obviously, was the Spanish church's representative; the mayor was member of the unique party: FET-JONS (Traditionalist Spanish Phalanx - National-Syndicalist Offensive Junta -Falange Española Tradicionalista - Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista-, what was the result of join FE-JONS and the Traditionalist Party): so he was the representative of the civil/ political power. And the civil guard cape, who represents military power. This three characters, during the 40 and 50s were the absolute authorities in the villages.

3. Really don't know if this word exists in English or not. The Spanish word, "politiquear", makes reference to the practice of talking about politic excessively and wrong, but also to be a conspirator.

4. The word that Patxi uses is "menistrerio": this word doesn't exists, is a vulgar form of "ministerio": the institution of a minister.

5. Obviously, he means Antonio Machado: one of the greater Spanish poets. By his sympathies and activities for the Spanish Republic, before and during the war, Antonio Machado, who died in exile a little days since he went out from Spain, was a forbidden poet during almost all the Franco's regime. Maybe, watching these verses, the village could be situated at any place of Castilla, maybe Soria.

6. He explains civil war. The teacher is a clearly old republican.

La Nueva Canción Castellana (New Castilian Song), contrary to others originals movements as Nova Cançó, Nova Canción and Kanta Berria, was a kind of publicity trick by some journalist, as an imitation of Catalan movement. Some of the names that were in that list were Manolo Díaz, Luis Eduardo Aute, Patxi Andión, successful female singer Massiel and others. Although not true at all, most of them were in a commercial spirit. Didn't get in the list other interesting proposition from Castilla and Madrid as Canción del Pueblo or the folk-singers and folk groups that were appearing. In despite this, most of them were not to say they belonged to this movement, and each one were going to develop and make great songs.

Luis Cilia-Adolfo Celdrán: "Hold out"

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:34:31 GMT

Luis Cilia is one of the greater Portuguese songwriter, with a beautiful music and poetry that was a song of rebellion during the Oliveira Salazar's dictatorship at the 60 and 70's decades. Although not as known as his countryman Jose Afonso, was very influential in many Spanish songwriters as Luis Pastor, Pablo Guerrero and, in this case specially, Adolfo Celdrán. Between his great songs, this one, "Resiste, meu Amor, resiste" ("Hold out, my love, hold out"):

Resiste, meu Amor, resiste

Resiste, meu Amor, resiste,
Nas grades do país-prisão,
Não mostres esse ar triste,
Não mostres desolação.

Não, meu Amor,
Não penses que te deixei,
Eu tenho milhões de irmãos
E como eles te salvarei.

De vermelho a nova aurora,
De vermelho vai chegar,
Sorrirá quem chora agora
Quando eu cantar novo cantar.

Luis Cilia

(Adolfo Celdrán with Miguel Hernández's wife Josefina Manresa)
Adolfo Celdrán is one of the best Spanish songwriters in Castilian language. Living in Madrid, he took part of the songwriters collective of Madrid Canción del Pueblo (People's Song). Adolfo's poetry is so influenced by the poetry of Miguel Hernández, León Felipe, Jesús López Pacheco, from whom has made musical versions, and the words of the Portuguese songwriters as Jose Afonso, Luis Cilia, Adriano Correia de Oliveira and others. His music is very influenced by Portuguese songwriters' songs. Some of his records are Cajitas (1969)-Little boxes-, an EP based on the Malvina Reynolds' classic "Little boxes"; Silencio -Silence- (1970), 4.4444 veces por ejemplo (1975) -4.444 times for example- and Al borde del principio (1976) -At the edge of the beginning-, an homage to Miguel Hernández. Adolfo Celdrán still is in active.
This is the Spanish version that Adolfo made of Cilia's "Resite, Amor meu, resiste", translated by himself almost exactly:

Resiste

Resiste, mi amor, resiste
tras las rejas de tu prisión,
no tengas ese aire triste
ni tengas desolación.

No, no, mi amor
no pienses que te dejé
que tengo miles de hermanos
y con ellos volveré.

Pronto, la nueva aurora,
pronto llegará.
Sonreirá quien llora ahora
Cuando yo cante otro cantar
Cuando cante un nuevo cantar.

Hold out, my love, hold out/ behind your prison's bars,/ don't you have that sad expression/ nor desolation.// No, no, my love,/ don't you think I left you,/ because I have thousands of brothers/ and I shall back with them.// Soon, the new dawn/ shall come soon. Who is now crying shall smile/ when I'd sing other song,/ when I'd sing a new song.

Translation from Portuguese to Spanish:
Adolfo Celdrán

Canción del Pueblo (People's Song) was a collective of songwriters from Madrid born in 1968. Their objective was to sing the forbidden by the regime genial poetry of the poets of 20's Generation, Miguel Hernández, León Felipe, the poets of the 50's Generation and others, and making songs with a generally social charge, following the Catalan collective Setze Jutges (Sixteen Judges) example. French, Latin-American and Portuguese songwriters were at the beginnings their influences. Between its members there were Adolfo Celdrán, Hilario Camacho, Elisa Serna, Manuel Toharia, Juan Manuel Bravo "Cachas" and later, at the 70's beginnings, the songwriters from Extremadura Pablo Guerrero and Luis Pastor. Their ideologist and record-provider was journalist and producer Antonio Gómez.

Joan Manuel Serrat: I'm going on foot

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 14:08:38 GMT

Joan Manuel Serrat is the most popular Catalan songwriter, singing as in Catalan as in Castilian. Also is the most known Spanish songwriter abroad. In 1965 he came to take part of the Catalan songwriters collective Els Setze Jutges (The Sixteen Judges), being one of the firsts and younger members of the group, singing only in Catalan. In 1968 decides to sing also in Castilian, which makes that most companions criticize him for consider that a kind of treason. Serrat's case is very curious, because get a position in the middle of being a compromised songwriter and a successful star singer; but that complex situation don't let him to get lost by success, so he always has known which was his place in the music. Serrat's music is very gentle and sweet; his words use to be very romantics, but also compromised with his time and reality, making pictures of workers, peasants, lonely people. etc. He also has made songs with poems of Catalan poets as Salvat-Papasseit, and Castilian poets' as Antonio Machado and Miguel Hernández (all of them, as Catalans as Castilians, forbidden by Franco's regime). Although he never has made songs which could be considerated as anthems, his personal and political positions made of him a non-grata person for regime, to the point of not to let him back to his country by his critics to the last Franco's executions. Joan Manuel Serrat keeps recording LPs and making tours, being one of the Spanish songwriters most admired on Latin-America.

Me'n vaig a peu

Cal oblidar la teulada vermella
i la finestra amb flors.
L'escala fosca i la imatge vella
que s'amagava en un racó.
I el llit de fusta negra i foradada
i els teus llençols tan nets
i l'arribar suau d'una matinada
que et desperta més vell.

Però no vull que els teus ulls plorin:
digue'm adéu.
El camí fa pujada
i me'n vaig a peu.

Cal dir adéu a la porta que es tanca
i no hem volgut tancar.
Cal omplir el pit i cantar una tonada
si el fred de fora et fa tremolar.
Cal no escoltar aquest gos que ara borda
lligat en un pal sec,
i oblidar tot d'una la teva imatge
i aquest petit indret.

Cal carregar la guitarra a l'esquena
i tornar a fer el camí
que un vespre gris remuntant la carena
em va dur fins ací.
Les ones han de d'esborrar les petjades
que deixo en el teu port.
Me'n vaig a peu, el camí fa pujada
i a les vores hi ha flors.

It's necessary to forget the red roof/ and the window with flowers./ The dark upstairs and the old image/ that was hidden in a corner./ And the black and pierced wooden bed/ and you sheets so clean/ and the gentle arriving of a morning/ that awakes you older.// But I don't want your eyes crying,/ tell me good bye./ The road goes up/ and I'm going on foot.// It's necessary to say good bye to the door that is closing/ and we haven't want to close./ It's necessary to full the breast and to sing a song/ if the outside cold makes you to shiver./ It's necessary not to hear that dog which is now barking/ tied in a dry stick,/ and forget once and for all your image/ and this little place.// It's necessary to carry the guitar on the back/ and turn to make the road/ that in a gray afternoon, going up the hill/ brought me here./ The waves must erase the footsteps / that I leave on your harbor.// I'm moving away walking,/ the road goes up/ and at the borders there are flowers.

Joan Manuel Serrat

La Nova Cançó Catalana (New Catalan Song) was a very important songwriter movement that pretended, making of Catalan their expression way, preserve and vindicate the language of Catalonia. Teresa Rebull, a Civil War exhiled, was the forerunner, but singer Raimon was the real beginner. The movement, principally, had two differents tendences: Els Setze Jutges (Sixteen Judges), inspired by French songwriters, and El Grup de Folk (Folk Group), North-American folk-singers inspiration. Jutges were more worried about Catalan poetry and refused to use Catalonia's folklore due to the populist use that the dictatorship was making with every Spanish folklore; but Grup de Folk like to combine old Catalans songs with North-American folk-songs. But in the beginnings of 70s, both were disolved, but the movement stood. New Catalan Song was imitated by others regional songwriters movement, borning in this way the New Songs from Basque Country, Castilia, Galicia, Andalucia... Some of the names of this movements are songwriters as Raimon, Lluís Llach, María del Mar Bonet, Pau Riba, Marina Rossell, Joan Manuel Serrat, Albert Batiste, Pi de la Serra, Ovidi Montllor; folk-groups as Al Tall and UC; folk-rock groups as Falsterbo 3 and Esquirols; and progresive and psychedelic rock bands as Companya Elèctrica Dharma or Maquina!... among others.

Els Setze Jutges (Sixteen Judges) was a Catalan songwriters collective, founded by Delfí Abella, Miquel Porter and Josep Mª Espinàs, among others, for vindicate language and poetry of the so called Països Catalans (Catalan Countries): the lands, in Spain, Andorra and France, where Catalan is talked, with an antifrancoist spirit. They decided to use French songwriters' music, specially Georges Brassens, and no Catalan folklore, because the regime was using it for demonstrate his power over all the Spanish lands. Between them, were future important artists as Joan Manuel Serrat, María del Mar Bonet and her brother Joan Ramón, Rafael Subirachs, Guillermina Motta, Francesc Pi de la Serra, and the last in come in, Lluís Llach, and others until complete 16. Songwriter Raimon, in despite the generally believing, was not a part of the collective, but he collaborated with them.

Raimon: "Let's say no"

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:49:44 GMT

Photo taken by Ramón Rodríguez durin the Recital of Madrid

For many people, Raimon is the best songwriter in Spain, as of Catalan as the of the others Spanish songwriters. Anyway, one thing that is true, it's that Raimon was and is a symbol of many dimensions of the anti-francoist resistance. With Paco Ibáñez and Chicho Sánchez Ferlosio, and with the precedent of Teresa Rebull, Raimon was the first in singing author's songs in Catalan and in whole Spain, and also the first in making songs over the great Catalan poets' poems. Raimon came from Jativa (Cat. Xátiva; Sp. Játiva), province of Valencia, to Barcelona for singing. His first songs, as "Al vent" (To the wind) or "Diguem no" (Let's say no) maybe are still, with 18 years old, a very simple songs, but really vehement, with his peculiar powerful tone of voice. After some performances in tv, recitals and festivals, and also some great adventures, as to give an illegal recital in the Complutense University's Economic Science faculty, regime's censure machinery look down on him, at the same time that people from all Spain take his songs as battle anthems, and he became a symbol, while also get international fame, specially in France, but also in USA, Japan, Italy... Although he was no a former, he collaborated with the songwriters Catalan collective Setze Jutges (Sixteen Judges). Despite all this, Raimon is more than a political singer: he sang songs about fear, about man, about peace, love, friendship, and return to Catalan people (and to the rest of Spain) the great Catalan poetry: from XVI's, as Joan Timoneda or Ausiàs March, to contemporary as Pere Quart or, his favourite, Salvador Espriu.

This song is one of his first songs. Although very simple, it was, since the beginning, an entire revolution, and became a symbol of the anti-francoism fight.

Diguem no

Ara que som junts
diré el que tu i jo sabem
i que sovint oblidem:

Hem vist la por
ser llei per a tots.
Hem vist la sang
-que sols fa sang-
ser llei del món.

No,
jo dic no,
diguem no.
Nosaltres no som d'eixe món.

Hem vist la fam
ser pa
per a tots*.

Hem vist qu'han fet
callar a molts
homes plens de raó**.

No,
jo dic no,
diguem no.
Nosaltres no som d'eixe món.

Now that we're together/ I'll say what you and I know/ and often forget:// We've seen fear/ be the law for everybody./ We've seen blood/ -which begets only blood-/ be the law of the world.// No,/ I say no,/ let's say no./ We don't belong to that world.// We've seen hunger/ be the bread/ for everybody./ We've seen they do/ shut up many/ men of reason.// No,...

Raimon

NOTE:
Francoist censorship made Raimon change some verses, those that are marked with an asterisk. The verses originals were:

Hem vist la fam
ser pa
dels treballadors.

Hem vist tancats
a la presó
homes plens de raó.

We've seen hunger/ be the bread/ of the workers.// We've seen/ locked in prison/ men full of wisdom.//

So, when Raimon says We've seen they do/ shut up many/ men of reason.//, he's making a denounce to censorship.

La Nova Cançó Catalana (New Catalan Song) was a very important songwriter movement that pretended, making of Catalan their expression way, preserve and vindicate the language of Catalonia. Teresa Rebull, a Civil War exhiled, was the forerunner, but singer Raimon was the real beginner. The movement, principally, had two differents tendences: Els Setze Jutges (Sixteen Judges), inspired by French songwriters, and El Grup de Folk (Folk Group), North-American folk-singers inspiration. Jutges were more worried about Catalan poetry and refused to use Catalonia's folklore due to the populist use that the dictatorship was making with every Spanish folklore; but Grup de Folk like to combine old Catalans songs with North-American folk-songs. But in the beginnings of 70s, both were disolved, but the movement stood. New Catalan Song was imitated by others regional songwriters movement, borning in this way the New Songs from Basque Country, Castilia, Galicia, Andalucia... Some of the names of this movements are songwriters as Raimon, Lluís Llach, María del Mar Bonet, Pau Riba, Marina Rossell, Joan Manuel Serrat, Albert Batiste, Pi de la Serra, Ovidi Montllor; folk-groups as Al Tall and UC; folk-rock groups as Falsterbo 3 and Esquirols; and progresive and psychedelic rock bands as Companya Elèctrica Dharma or Maquina!... among others.

Coses: "We shall learn to live again"

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:35:53 GMT

Coses was a progressive folk-rock group from Catalonia. Formed by Jordi Fafregas (voice, acoustic and classic guitar), Miquel Estrada (voice and bass) and Ton Rulló (percussion, voice and effects), between 1976 and 1978, singing in Catalan, they alternated a very influenced by Beatles folk-rock and progressive rock with great Catalan poetry or with text by their own. They only recorded 3 LPs: Via Fora! -that means a kind of alarm shout- (1976), Ara és demà -now is tomorrow- (1977) and Perque no s'apagui l'aire (Because the air don't get off) (1978).

Aprendrem a viure novament

Aprendrem a viure
novament.
Cada petó serà donat
sense temor.
Ens llevarem de damunt
tant temor.
Ens ficarem al llit:
els cossos francs.
Els vells homes- cecs
hauran fugit.
La nostra pell dolça
acariciarem.
Trencarem
l'esquena del fracàs.
Amb els llavis junts
farem l'amor,
derrotats per a
sempre jutges mesquins,
mostrarem els secrets
del nostre cos.
Obrirem la porta
a la tempesta.
Tot el nostre amor
prendrà el gust càlid
de la terra i
del riu fresc.
Aprendrem a viure
i a voler-nos plenament.

We shall learn to live/ again./ Every kiss shall be given/ without fear./ We shall get rid of/ so fear./ We shall go to bed:/ the bodies true./ Old men -blind/ would have fled./ Our sweet skin/ we shall caress./ We shall break the failure's back./ With the lips together/ we shall make love,/ defeated for ever mean judges,/ we shall show/ our bodies' secrets./ We shall open the door/ to the storm./ All our love/ shall take/ the warm taste/ of the soil/ and the fresh river./ We shall learn to live/ again.

Coses

Pi de la Serra: "A pray"

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:05:56 GMT

Francesc Pi de la Serra, also called frequently Quico, is maybe the most imaginative and satirical Spanish songwriter in Catalan language. He was one of the younger first members of the Catalans songwriters collective Els Setze Jutges. With a poetry very inspired on French songwriters, specially Georges Brassens, Quico's music is very progressive and imaginative: his first LP was recorded with jazz music. Later he introduced in Spain a more actual music during the 70s. His words have been definite as bittersweet, making parodies about politic, high and middle class, relating events that were happening in the 70s, but also tremendously serious songs.
This song belongs to the LP that he recorded with Balear songwriter María del Mar Bonet, Quico i María del Mar. This is a very satirical and funny song: Spain, traditionally, has been a very religious country. Priests and nuns has been always the persons in charge of teachers, always watching for national morality. Since Franco's victory in the year 1939, priests and very religious people (as the so known Opus Dei) get powers in many fields, censorship specially; the francoist regime practiced the thesis of the national-catholicism: the union of church and state (under Franco, of course), which is considerate by them as a sacred and eternal union. This song ridicules the integrism of the Spanish catholic church. The song is very difficult, so see the notes for better understanding:

Oració

Aquesta és la història d'un escapulari,
d'una sagristia i d'un vell rosari,
d'una avemaria de sotanes negres,
confessions i hòsties, missal i quaresmes,
de déu i sa mare, de l'esperit sant,
oficis, litúrgies i cristos sagnant,
d'una temporada de la nostra vida
la de qualsevol que és parit i crida,
quan neix el bategen, confirmen, fuetegen,
sisè manament, el trempar és dolent,
hi ha gula o hi ha gana, peresa o desgana.

Déu! eh que tu em perdones al confessional
penitència dura que faci molt mal.
Sóc, no vull ofendre, anticlerical.

Al Mediterrani es ballen sardanes
em mires et miro esperances vanes
i a les rodalies monten confraries
per arrambar l'api a les abadies,
Sant Jordi torero mata el drac esquerp,
la verge si es verge trepitja la serp,
té cua el dimoni, vigila, vigila,
la monja més vella tranquil·la fa fila
soleta perduda dintre del convent,
a la superiora ha fet testament
que és súper i ora per no anar a l'infern.

Déu! eh que tu em perdones al confessional
penitència dura que faci molt mal.
Sóc, no vull ofendre, anticlerical.

Dintre una establia ha nascut tot sol
és l'Epifania campanes al vol,
els reis del petroli ja han arribat
però n'hi ha un que és negre i va descordat,
després via crucis el varen clavar,
Sant Llàtzer aixeca't ja pots caminar,
clausura, el torn gira, silicis tonsura
el dimoni et tempta com llaminadura
en forma de dona, en forma de llop,
toca la viola la violonada
la monja somica ja l'han violada.

Déu! eh que actualitzes el cerimonial
perquè si no et quedes sense personal,
potser és culpa teva
si tot ho manegues,
i tot ho vigiles,
i em deixes que sigui anticlerical.

A pray

This is the story of a scapular,/ of a sacristy and of an old rosary,/ of a black cassocks avemaria,/ confessions and wafers, mass and lents,/ of God and his Mother, of the Holly Ghost,/ of church services, liturgies and bleeding Christs/ of a time of our lifes,/ of anybody's who was given birth and shouts,/ when he borns they baptize him, confirm him, slap him (1),/ sixth commandment, to get an erection is wrong (2),/ there's gluttony or there's hunger, laziness or half-heartness.// God! Hey, forgive at the confessional/ hard penitence that hurts me./ I am, don't want to offend, anti-clerical.// At the Mediterranean it's dancing sardanas (3),/ I look to you, you look to me, vain hopes/ and in the vicinities they make fraternities/ for catch the celery in the abbeys,/ Saint George (4) torero kills the unfriendly dragon,/ the Virgin if she is virgin step on the snake,/ the devil has tail, watch out, watch out,/ the oldest nun stand in line quietly/ alone lost inside the convent,/ has made will to Mother Superior/ who is super and prays (5) for not to go to hell.// God!...// In a stable he has born all alone,/ that's the Epiphany the bells are ringing/ kings of petroleum have already arrive/ but there's one who is black and goes separated,/ later via crucis they sticked him,/ Saint Lazare get up you can already walk,/ closure, the winch turns (6), spiked-belts, tonsure,/ the devils entices you like candies,/ under the shape of a woman, under the shape of a wolf,/ play the viola, the "violonada" (7),/ the nun sobs they already raped her.// God! Update the ceremonial/ because if not you will end without personal,/ maybe that's your fault/ if you handle everything/ and watch everything/ and let me to be anti-clerical.

Pi de la Serra

(1) as the catholics know, confirmation is a sacrament whose ritual consists in a gentle slap on the cheek given by the priest.
(2) Quico use the word "trempar" (Sp. "empinar"), which is a popular vulgarity way of saying "to have an erection".
(3) "Sardana" is a kind of popular Catalan dance.
(4) St. George (Sant Jordi in Catalan) is the Holly Patron of Catalonia.
(5) An untranslatable phonetic word-game: "La Mare superiora que és súper-i-ora"
(6) High classes ladies, as old as young maidens, when they have not-wished pregnancies, left their children on the convents winches.
(7) Another impossible game of words between the word "viola" (musical instrument) and "violada" (to be raped).

Mario Benedetti: We go

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:08:04 GMT

Vamos juntos

Con tu puedo y con mi quiero
vamos juntos compañero

compañero te desvela
la misma suerte que a mí
prometiste y prometí
encender esta candela

con tu puedo y con mi quiero
vamos juntos compañero

la muerte mata y escucha
la vida viene después
la unidad que sirve es
la que nos une en la lucha

con tu puedo y con mi quiero
vamos juntos compañero

la historia tañe sonora
su lección como campana
para gozar el mañana
hay que pelear el ahora

con tu puedo y con mi quiero
vamos juntos compañero

ya no somos inocentes
ni en la mala ni en la buena
cada cual en su faena
porque en esto no hay suplentes

con tu puedo y con mi quiero
vamos juntos compañero

algunos cantan victoria
porque el pueblo paga vidas
pero esas muertes queridas
van escribiendo la historia

con tu puedo y con mi quiero
vamos juntos compañero.

With your "I can" and my "I want"/ we go together, companions// companion you're kept awake/ by the same luck that me/ you promised and I promised/ to light this candel// With your "I can" and my "I want"...// death kills and listens/ life comes after/ the unity that worths is/ which joins us in fight// With your "I can" and my "I want"...// the history sonorous plays/ her lesson as the bell/ to enjoy the future/ must fight the present// With your "I can" and my "I want"...// we already are not innocents/ nor in the good nor in the bad/ everyone in his job/ because in that there's no substitutes// With your "I can" and my "I want"...// some people are claiming victory/ because People pays with life/ but those loved deaths/ are writing History// With your "I can" and my "I want"...

Mario Benedetti

Uruguayan poet Mario Benedetti's solidary words had been sung by many songwriters, as Latin-Americans, like Nacha Guevara, Mercedes Sosa, Isabel Parra or Daniel Viglietti, as Spanish, like Joan Manuel Serrat or Luis Pastor:

Luis Pastor was born in Berzocana (Cáceres, Extremadura), but, being a child, his family came to Madrid during the great migrate movement from countryside to town in the 50-60's Spain, for living at the Vallecas neighborhood. Born in 1952., he was one of the younger songwriters in the 70s: his influence are wide, but specially had a great respect to Portuguese songwriters as Jose Afonso. In his 1975's LP, Vallecas, he made a song based in this Benedetti's poem.

Raimon: May everyone

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 20:11:37 GMT

Que tothom

Que tothom diga prou,
que tothom siga lliure,
que tothom trobe el lloc
i el seu motiu de viure.

Del fons del fons del nucli del que sóc,
dels anys patits on tot ha estat perill,
del vell impuls, del clar bressol del crit
que ens ha fet junts i m'ha fet ser com sóc,
naix aquest cant que vol fer-se presagi
i anunciar com als pregons antics
els signes nous que ja veiem venir:
els pobles van sortint del dur naufragi.

Que tothom diga prou,
que tothom siga lliure,
que tothom trobe el lloc
i el seu motiu de viure.

Aquest serà, segons tots els indicis,
el darrer temps de por i de malson:
comença ja ben fort el gran inici,
anem posant les vides al seu lloc.

De bat a bat obrim totes les portes,
que entre el desig més gran de llibertats,
que les presons siguen contrades mortes
i que el silenci no ens siga imposat.

Que tothom diga prou,
que tothom siga lliure,
que tothom trobe el lloc
i el seu motiu de viure.

May everyone say enough,/ may everyone be free,/ may everyone find his place/ and his reason for living.// From the very bottom of the core of what I am,/ from the suffered years when all was danger,/ from the old impulse, from the clear cradle of the cry/ which has made us united and made me how I am,/ this song is born which wants to be an omen,/ and to proclaim as did the old town criers/ the new signs that we already see coming:/ the peoples are recovering from their hard shipwreck.// May everyone say enough,/ may everyone be free,/ may everyone find his place/ and his reason for living.// According to all the signs this will be/ the last time of fear and nightmares;/ the great beginning is starting very strongly,/ and we can start putting our lives in their right place.// We are opening wide all the doors/ so the greatest desire for freedom may enter,/ so the prisons may be dead places,/ and so silence is not imposed on us.// May everyone say enough,/ may everyone be free,/ may everyone find his place/ and his reason for living.

Raimon

words in Catalan, Spanish and English, taken from http://www.trovadores.net/