Living in the Colonies, What’s Left – Paradigm Shift Part II 12 Sept 2012
[Editor’s Note – Emerging from the Nueva Trova movement in Cuba comes some songs that were played at a concert in West End in the 1980s. You may ask why attach significance to this event? Well the struggles against both Pinochet in Chile and Bjelke-Petersen in Qld had been going on for sometime in the 1980s and this music contributed to those struggles in ways that may have not been clear at the time.
During the PShift show on 12 Sept 2012 I tried to capture the spirit of the times but was unable to find the words to the song, Strike the Beast Hard. For me this song lays down the attitude and hope that lies in the hearts of activists in protracted struggles like these. I am ambivalent about the outcome in the struggle against Bjelke-Petersen. We made many mistakes, but learnt much along the way,
Here is the music and words of Part 11 of ‘Living in the Colonies” that I played on Paradigm Shift – the band included musicians from Frontera, Monni Zow and others. The songs I played on the show were written by Ruben Galindo, Ángel Parra, Victor Jarra and some by local musicians John Boyd, Phil Monsour, Chris Andersen and Sue Monk & Lachlan Hurse. During the PShift show Chris Andersen (Monni Zow) participated in the commemoration of that period of struggle and sang his own songs from that era.
Many thanks to the musicians from Frontera, Monni Zow, especially Chris Anderson, Lachlan Hurse and Sue Monk for their consistency and musicianship over the years and of course to the troubadours from Latin America who participated in the struggle against imperialism and capitalism, some of whom lost their lives in those struggles,]
STRIKE THE BEAST HARD
Pégale duro al Fiero
Strike the beast hard
porque si no te deja el hombre;
Because if you don’t it will leave you hunger;
pégale porque te mata
Strike it because they’ll kill you
y te echan la tierra encima,
And they’ll cover you with earth,
canto tus mil canciones
Sing your thousand songs
y echo a andar con tus heridas
And set out walking with your wounds,
y juntos iremos al monte
And together we’ll go to the forest
a cantor luego a la vida.
To sing, then, to life.
STRIKE THE BEAST HARD Words and music: Ruben Galindo Arrangement: Grupo Moncada When the sun scorched the earth a child was being born in the mountain, in a cradle of hard stone that poisoned him. He opened his eyes to the world and saw nothing but misery, he touched the cruellest inferno where the fire attacked him; he grew up among the brambles where the smoke was like grape-shot. He rises up above the Andes with his warrior's poncho seeking a path, a path that he desired, that he wanted as a child; he never complained about being American by blood, sowing his determination and with his hands pulling out the spur of evil. Strike t he beast hard because if you don't it will leave you hunger; strike it because they'll kill you and they’ll cover you with earth, sing your thousand songs and set out walking with your wounds, and together we’ll go to the forest to sing, then, to life. They've given you very little bread for the sweat which you burned, you spent your whole life extracting riches for the beast; it's not time for fear because the sun's gone bad, the sky's covered over with terror and the fire's sputtering out. Now you've found the road that the light gave to your life, raise the child who follows you and teach him to sing, teach him that man has a lot of struggling to do, put your cope over him and set him on the road to struggle, jump from the Andes and shout over the earth. PEGALE DURO AL FIERO Letra y musica: Ruben Galindo Arreglo: Grupo Moncado Cuando el sol quemaba la tierra nocia un niño en la montana, en una cuna de piedra (dura) que lo envenenaba, Abría sus ojos al mundo y no vía más que miseria; tocó el infierno más cruel donde el fuego lo atacaba; creció entre las espinos donde el huma fue metralla. Se empino desde los Andes con su poncho guerrillero, a encontrar un comino, el comino que el anhelo. Lo quiso desde chiquito, nunca se quejo de ser americana de sangre que siembra su voluntad y arranca con las manos lo espuela de la maldad. Pégale duro al Fiero porque si no te deja el hombre; pégale porque te matón y te echan la tierra encimo, canto tus mil canciones y echo a andar con tus heridos y juntos iremos al monte a cantor luego a la vida. Te han dado muy poco pan por el sudor que quemaste, gastaste toda tu vida en sacarle el fruto al fiero, la hora no es para miedo, porque el sol se ha puesto malo, el cielo cubrió de espanta y el fuego se esta ahogando. Yo encontraste el camino que lo dio luz ha tu vida, crio el hijo que te sigue y ensénale a cantar, ensénale que el hombre tiene mucha que luchar, panle tu monto encima y encamínalo o pelear, soltó desde los Andes y grito sobre la tierra.
This my favorite rendition of these songs. I particularly like the opening verse by Sue Monk (Frontera, Gaviota, Jumping Fences) and the spirited singing by Sergio.]
They’ve given you very little bread
For the sweat which you burned,
You spent your whole life
Extracting riches for the beast;
It’s not time for fear
Because the sun’s gone bod,
The sky IS covered over with terror
And the fire’s sputtering out.
Now you’ve found the rood
That the light gave to your life,
Raise the child who follows you
And teach him to sing,
Teach him that man
Has a lot of struggling to do,
Put your cape over him
And set him on the rood to struggle,
Jump from the Andes and shout
Over the earth.
El día que vuelva a encontrar (Ángel Parra)
The day we again find
that land that I lost yesterday
dance three days,
but I was born in the port.
The day sing again
in Santiago or Punta Arenas,
my chest will cheerful
with dried meat and wine compra’o in Chillán.
In the distance I can not forget
the heart of my country today badly injured,
bad wound.
The day I heard again
sea off Isla Negra,
have no jails or prisons
that the people stealing your freedom.
And if I die far away
I will ask one thing:
bury me with my guitar
but I was born in the port.
Ni Chicha Ni Limonada (Victoe Jarra)
Arrímese mas pa’ ca
aquí donde el sol calienta,
si uste’ ya está acostumbrado
a andar dando volteretas
y ningún daño le hará
estar donde las papas queman.
Usted no es na’
ni chicha ni limoná
se la pasa manoseando
caramba zamba su dignidad.’
Come closer..here in the heat of the sun..if you’re already accustomed..to somersaulting about..it won’t hurt you..to be where the potatoes burn. You, you are nothing..You’re neither hard cider nor lemonade..you go about putting everybody down.. man you have no dignity.
“Hasta Siempre, Comandante”, or simply “Hasta Siempre”, is a 1965 song by Cuban composer Carlos Puebla. The song’s lyrics are a reply to revolutionary Che Guevara’s farewell letter when he left Cuba, in order to foster revolution in the Congo and later Bolivia, where he would be captured and executed [from wikipedia].
References
Grupo MONCADA – liner notes and lyrics
Living in the Colonies Part 1
See http://pessimistclub.blogspot.com.au/2008_08_01_archive.html
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