BoRev.Net

The Cut: "Los escuálidos de siempre"
The Band: Luis Canaguá
The Album: Criollo y Revolucionario

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Liner Notes (by T.M. Scruggs):

The music most typically associated, and in the past officially promoted, as the “national” style of Venezuela is música llanera, or simply Music from the Llanos. The Llanos are a natural wonder that is difficult to wrap one’s head around, if for nothing else that they’re so huge: a broad swath of plains that extend through over a fourth of Venezuela’s national area and into a good portion of southeast Colombia. This area is dry in the, well, dry season, and during the wet season doesn’t just get wet but floods for miles and miles, for weeks and weeks. The Llanos are cattle country and similar in many ways to the what the cattle-raising West of the United States used to be. Only cowboys don’t just push their horses with water up to riders’ knees to ford ragin’ rivers; for months of the year they routinely half-swim to herd cows onto the islands with grass for feed. The little four stringed cuatro and small-sized maracas were the perfect instruments to bring along, diminutive and light. These two team up with the unmistakable sound of the arpa llanera, Harp of the Llanos. Originally the strings were made of gut, but like so many other string instruments – including the cuatro – the strings are now different diameters of nylon.

The singing comes in strophes, little groups of lyrics with rhymes, and it is kind of an expected right of passage for young males to be able to “rap” out some rhyming lyrics at least enough to protect their artistic honor to some extent. Someone from a very humble background from the southwestern part of Venezuela who passed this test with flying colors in his adolescence was one Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, who has demonstrated his abilities in adulthood on many occasions – enough to have various of his TV singing exploits used to break up his indeterminably long Sunday TV show Hello Mr. President compiled into a CD (a little surprise sprung on him by show’s crew.) Like the duels, desafíos, of central and southern Spain, and like the acerbic commentary of griots from the Sahel region of western Africa – and therefore like rap – a good llanera singer locked in competition or just “stating the facts” will very often rip apart his singer compatriots with cutting insults. You know, something like, “you were just here, I can still smell the sulfur of the devil” and then cross yourself for protection – in front of the world assembly of the United Nations. Hey: you can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take (all of) the country outta da boy.

Luis Canaguá is actually Luis García from the town of Canaguá, Mérida. He has a solid reputation and has won several musical festivals for his contrapunteo, literally “counterpoint”, improvised verbal dueling. This song is done in classic música llanera style. Some examples of anti-Chávez llaneras were produced in the early years as well, but the overwhelming majority are strongly supportive, as might be expected from people from the working poor and rural and semi-urban working class that have been prime beneficiaries from the process in the last few years. The last time Mr. Canaguá and I spoke on the phone I told him of a (still stillborn) idea of CD of political Venezuelan music and he went beyond consent, asking me “please tell everyone, I want everyone to hear this.” The meter is a quick 6/8, the cuatro, left- and right-hand of the harp accent the rhythm in different places to create the excitement and tremendous forward propulsion of the faster-paced llaneras. Whereas many political llaneras are simply “viva” or “down with Chávez,” these lyrics give a sense of what the promise of profound social change has meant for so many people of humble socioeconomic background; not to mention some stingingly accurate zingers directed at the (still) powerful right wing. I confess to male llanero incompetence and can’t catch all the lyrics: please help me out if you can grasp the words half-hidden in the harp’s attacking arpeggios that I just left with underscores (I put in timings per strophe to help out!). Email me your own guesses tm-scruggs (at) uiowa (dot) edu. Mil gracias en anticipación/thanks ahead of time.

LYRICS (SPANISH)
all transcriptions and translations by T.M. Scruggs

Los escuálidos de siempre [5:51]

Criollo y revolucionario regresó Luis Canaguá apoyando al presidente
asombrado por los medios por la forma como mienten
bombardeando con embustes al pobre televidente.
Lo hacen para complacer a los corruptos de ayer que hoy creen omnipotentes,
oigan el grito de guerra de un soldado combatiente
dispuesto a quemarse el pecho como lo hacen los valientes.

Esta Venezuela nuestra es dos por cuatro décadas dominaba por serpientes
cuarenta años robando libre- y descaradamente
y su pseudo-república en manos de negligentes.
Fijados …_ en Coroto_ están volviendo locos a perderlo totalmente,
el Pacto de Punto Fijo se les hundió de repente
dejando a la oligarquía ahogandose en su corriente [1:09]

Por respecto y por vergüensa y para crear consciencia en los cinco continentes,
todos los venezolanos no somos tan inocentes
para dejarnos convencernos con pseudo-dirigentes.
Que aunque cambian de partido son los mismos corrumpidos con un nombre diferente
este rechazo del pueblo ustedes lo merecen
escuálidos y aflijidos con disfraz de independientes. [1:37]

--solo: arpa

No permitas que los “fijos” que llevaron al abismo al país rico y solvente
tengan el poder de nuevo solo para enriquecerse
esta plaga es más dañida que la malaria y la peste.
Juventud venezolana la revolución bolivariana es un proyecto excelente
de amor, de paz y de justicia y la moral suficiente
con el más profundo arraigo democrático existente.

Con el amor más fraterno se unieron pueblo y gobierno guiado por su presidente,
de la noche a la mañana nada pueda resolverse
verán que en muy corto plazo grandes cambios van a verse.
Positivos y optimistas – eso es mi punto de vista, y sobre todo pacientes
con la bendición de Dios esto vuelva a componerse
Venezuela va pa’lante y jamás va a detenerse.

La educación, la vivienda, las Escuelas Bolivarianas son la prueba de asciende
y los __os zamoranos produciendo carne y leche
creditos pa’ campesino y unos tractores potentes:
al más humilde rincón de todita la nación llega nuestro presidente
llevando mil soluciones junto con su gabiente,
es verdad con Hugo Chávez la revolución se siente. [2:28]

--solo: arpa

Mandatarios anteriores al llegar a Miraflores se volvieron prepotentes
solo un grupito losaba_ de las bolas de billetes,
lo hicieron los adecos, copeyanos y convergentes.
Este nido de corruptos, ladrones vivos y astutos, malandros y delincuentes
se merecia acabarlos a plomo y plan_ de machete
pero lo hicimos con votos y democraticamente.

Desde el cuatro de febrero el llanero barinés llegó y marcó_ como_ presidente
este gesto despertador de la misión_ de su gente
y siete años más tarde se convertió en presidente.
Las inmensas mayorías son las clases populares, su base sólida y fuerte,
Las familias campesinas pobres pero muy decentes
hoy cuentan con un gobierno solidario y consecuente. [4:47]

Atención bolivarianos del pueblo venezolano, escuchanme atentamente:
la revolución está en las calles diariamente
y nos la quiere quitarnos cuello blanco y pudiente.
Circulos bolivarianos vamos a tomar las calles que al pueblo le pertenecen
_la boina y la bandera, me hago la cruz en la frente
al defender el proyecto si es preciso hasta la muerte.

Alegrate Venezuela, patria noble, patria buena, que no todo es mala suerte
nosotros somos tus hijos y queremos defenderte
que lo sepa el mundo entero que tu sí tienes dolientes_.
Solamente con trabajo vamos a salir de abajo, que importa cuanto nos cueste
ya basta de pesimísmo, piensa positivamente
no olvides el viejo dicho: que él que persevera, vence.

LYRICS (ENGLISH)
all transcriptions and translations by T.M. Scruggs

Homegrown and revolutionary, Luis Canaguá returns supporting the president
shocked by the media for the way in which they lie
bombarding the poor television viewer with deceptions.
They do it to please the corrupt ones from yesterday that today think they’re all powerful
Hear this war cry from a combat soldier
ready to put himself on the line as do all those of valor.

This Venezuela of ours has been dominated by snakes for two to four decades
forty years stealing freely and openly
and their pseudo-republic in the hands of negligent fools.
[those that signed the Punto Fijo agreement]_ are going crazy from losing it all
the Pact of Punto Fijo suddenly sank on them
leaving the oligarchy drowning in their own waters.

Out of respect and humbleness and to create consciousness throughout the five continents,
[note that] not all we Venezuelans are so naïve
to allow ourselves to be convinced by pseudo-leaders.
Although they change their party, they’re the same corrupt ones with a different name
they deserved this rejection by the people
squalid and diseased, dressed up as independents.

---solo: harp

Don’t let those of the Pacto Fijo that took a rich and solvent country to the abyss
get into power again just to enrich themselves
this plague is more damaging than malaria and a plague.
Venezuelan youth the Bolivarian Revolution is an excellent project
of love, of peace and justice and strong morals
with the deepest grounding in democracy available.

With most fraternal love the people and the government united, guided by their president,
nothing can be resolved just overnight
[but] you’ll see great changes in a short time.
Positive and optimistic – that is my point of view, and most of all patient
with God’s blessing this will come together
Venezuela moves forward and never holds back.

Education, housing, the Bolivarian Schools are the proof of advances
and the Zamoran _ producing meat and milk,
credits for the peasant farmer and powerful tractors:
to the most humble corner of the nation comes our president
together with his cabinet bringing a thousand solutions --
it’s so true that with Hugo Chavez one really feels the revolution.

--solo: harp

Previous leaders turned arrogant when they arrived at Miraflores
just a handful ever got their hands on_ the rolls of bills,
this is what the AD-ists, COPEI-ists and Convergence guys did.
This nest of corrupt ones, astute and busy thieves, rip-off artists and delinquents
deserved to be finished off with lead and machetes
but we did it with votes and democratically.

Since the fourth of February the llanero from Barinas came and _set his sights on the Presidency
this awakening gesture for his people _
and seven years later he became president.
The immense majority are the popular classes, his solid and strong base
the peasant farmer families who are poor but decent
now can count on a government that sides with them and produces results.

Attention, Bolivarians of the Venezuelan population, listen carefully:
the revolution is in the streets every day
and we don’t want it taken away by some all-powerful white collar guy [w/o neck tan].
Bolivarian Circles let’s take the streets that, after all, belong to the people
with beret and flag, I make the sign of the cross
to defend the process to the death if necessary.

Cheer up Venezuela, noble homeland, good homeland, not all is just bad luck
we are your children and we want to defend you
may the whole world know that you in fact have __.
Only with work are we going to raise ourselves up, who cares about the cost,
and forget pessimism, think positively
don’t forget the old saying: he that perseveres, wins.

-------------
some explanatory notes:
Pact of Punto Fijo: agreement between COPEI and AD to criminalize the Communist Party, Socialist League and others and divide spoils between themselves.
Miraflores: the presidential house (like White House USA).
COPEI: The party that most closely represented the business elite (not unlike Republicans in the USA). Traded off winning elections for decades with….
AD: once partly progressive, then progressively conservative (not unlike Democrats in the USA).