|
La Murga |
The Murga
* (Héctor Lavoe) Chorus: Let's dance the Murga The Panama murga This is easy And good to dance Eh... Let's dance the Murga The Panama murga This is easy And good to dance Hey, you've got a walk That's got me going mad And when you dance the Murga Oh mami you look so good Chorus: This is the Panama Murga Murga over here, murga over there Hey little girl, let's dance This is the Panama murga Listen I want to dance Panama and Panama Pana Pana Panama. Murga over here, murga over there This is the Murga and it's so good Hey chacuchucuchai chacuchucucha cha cha The maracas in the Murga are so good mama. |
Lyrics Translated by Alan Smith Robertson, Song Translator
Editor's note: * A Murga is a form of popular musical theatre performed primarily in Uruguay, Argentina and Spain during the Carnival season. A Murga is performed by a group of a maximum of 17 people, usually men. In the months prior to Carnival, which takes place from late January to early March, each group will prepare a musical play consisting of a suite of songs and recitative (heightened speech) lasting around 45 minutes. This suite will be performed on popular stages in the various neighbourhoods, known as tablados, throughout the Carnival period. Groups also vie against one another in a very prestigious official competition. Content is based on a particular theme, chosen by the group, which serves to provide commentary on events over the preceding year. Consequently, murga lends itself well to being used as a form of popular resistance. For example, during the dictatorship in Uruguay in the 1970s, groups like Araca La Cana became known for their left-wing tendencies, subversive commentary and oppositional stance. A traditional murga group is comprised of a chorus and three percussionists and this is the type of murga performed on stages at Carnival. The singers perform in polyphony using up to five vocal parts. Guitars are frequently used, and the percussion instruments, derived from the European military band, are bombo (a shallow bass drum worn at the waist and played horizontally), redoblante (snare drum) and platillos (cymbals). The two most important pieces of the performance are the opening song (saludo) and the exit song (retirada or despedida). These get played on the radio during the Carnival period and some of them, such as the Saludo Araca La Cana 1937, are cherished by Uruguayans as cultural icons. Murguistas dress in elaborate, colourful, jester-like costumes. Staging is sparse with minimal use of props. The singers tend to be foregrounded with the percussionists at the back or off to the side of the stage.
back .|. lyrics search .| .home. | .send these lyrics to a friend .| .put these translated lyrics on your website or blog
-
-
-
-