[Alpharius]

Las casas de cartón - Los Guaragao

This song was banned throughout the region during a lot of the civil wars. It still may not be too popular depending on where you are and who you're with. Listen to with discretion. People got killed for listening to/playing rebel music during the height of the conflicts that embraced the region. This song is a classic with campesinos, for who the conditions haven't changed since the song was written.

Que triste se oye la lluvia
en los techos de cartón.
Que triste vive mi gente
en las casas de cartón.

How sad it is to hear the rain
on the cardboard roofs.
How my people live sadly
in the cardboard houses.

Viene bajando el obrero
casi arrastrando sus pasos
por el peso del sufrir.
Mira que mucho ha sufrido
mira que pesa el sufrir

The worker decends
almost dragging his steps
from the weight of suffering.
See how much he has been suffering.
See the weight of suffering.

Arriba deja la mujer preñada
abajo está la ciudad
y se pierde en su maraña
Hoy es lo mismo que ayer,
es un mundo sin mañana.

Above he leaves the pregnant woman,
below is the city,
and he becomes lost in the maze.
Today is the same as yesterday,
it's a world without a tomorrow.

Que triste se oye la lluvia
en los techos de cartón.
Que triste vive mi gente
en las casas de cartón.

Above he leaves the pregnant woman,
below is the city,
and he becomes lost in the maze.
Today is the same as yesterday,
it's a world without a tomorrow.

Niños color de mi tierra
con sus mismas cicatrices
millonarios de lombrices
y por eso...
que triste viven los niños
en las casas de cartón.

Children the color of my earth
with his own scars
millionaires of worms
and so ...
How the children live sadly
in the cardboard houses.

Que alegres viven los perros,
casa del explotador.

How happily the dogs live
in the exploiter's house.

Usted no lo va a creer
pero hay escuelas de perros
y les dan educación
pa' que no muerdan los diarios,
pero el patrón
hace años muchos años
que está mordiendo al obrero.

You are not going to believe
but there are dog schools
that give them education.
so they don't to bite the newspapers,
but the boss!
for years, many years
has been biting the worker.

Que triste se oye la lluvia
en los techos de cartón
que lejos pasa la esperanza
en las casas de cartón...

How sad to hear the rain
on the roofs of cardboard.
How far away hope passes
from the cardboard houses...

(In case anyone is wondering, I lived in places like this when I was there the first time studying. Songs like this helped me understand where I was and what life was like for the people that were kind enough to share everything with me.)