Y En Eso Llego Fidel

Carlos Puebla

Heading to Virginia tomorrow morning, thought I’d share a Song of the Day before going to bed. Today’s track is called “Y En Eso Llego Fidel” (That’s When Fidel Arrived”) by Cuban trovador (troubador) Carlos Puebla. Many people are familiar with the nueva trova sound, which is best represented in the music of Silvio Rodriguez, Pablo Milanes and Carlos Varela, but Puebla’s songs belong in its parent genre, the distinctly Cuban trova. Most music from this genre features traditional Cuban instruments and sounds more heavily than nueva trova, and as such has similarities with Cuban son. Trova’s popularity began to decline toward the end of the 1960s, when the nueva trova movement took off with very enthusiastic support from the Ministry of Culture, a popularity that continues unabated to this day.

This song talks about 1950’s Cuba under Fulgencio Batista, when exploitation, oppression, and decadence flourished in Cuban society, and points out how these things came to an end upon Fidel Castro and his guerrillas’ victory on January 1st, 1959 in the now-infamous Cuban Revolution. Sure, it’s a bit propagandish, but still an awesome song dedicated to El Comandante. As always, the lyrics are translated to the best of my (and Google Translate)’s ability :-). Enjoy!

SPANISH:

Aquí pensaban seguir
ganando el ciento por ciento
con casas de apartamentos
y echar al pueblo a sufrir

Y seguir de modo cruel
contra el pueblo conspirando
para seguirlo explotando…
y en eso llegó Fidel

Se acabó la diversión,
llegó el Comandante
y mandó a parar (x2)

Aquí pensaban seguir
tragando y tragando tierra
sin sospechar que en la Sierra
se alumbraba el porvenir

Y seguir de modo cruel
la costumbre del delito
hacer de Cuba un garito…
y en eso llegó Fidel

Se acabó la diversión,
llegó el Comandante
y mandó a parar (x2)

Aquí pensaban seguir
diciendo que los ratreros,
forajidos bandoleros
asolaban al país

Y seguir de modo cruel
con la infamia por escudo
difamando a los barbudos…
y en eso legó Fidel

Se acabó la diversión,
llegó el Comandante
y mandó a parar (x2)

Aquí pensaban seguir
jugando a la democracia
y el pueblo que en su desgracia
se acabara de morir

Y seguir de modo cruel
sin cuidarse ni la forma
con el robo como norma…
y en eso llegó Fidel

Se acabó la diversión,
llegó el Comandante
y mandó a parar (x2)

ENGLISH:

Here they thought to continue
charging us too much
in their apartment complexes,
and to toss the people to the dogs

And to continue in a cruel way
conspiring against the people
to keep exploiting them,
and that’s when Fidel arrived

He ended their games
the commander arrived
and made them stop (x2)

Here they thought to continue
swallowing up land,
without suspecting that in the Sierra
the light of the future shined

And to continue in a cruel way
their habit of crime,
to make Cuba a gambling den,
and that’s when Fidel arrived

He ended their games
the commander arrived
and made them stop (x2)

Here they thought to continue
saying that they were thugs,
bandits and outlaws
ravaging the country

And to continue in a cruel way
with their infamy as a shield
slandering the bearded ones
and that’s when Fidel arrived

He ended their games
the commander arrived
and made them stop (x2)

Here they thought to continue
playing games with democracy,
and the people in their misery
would end up dying

And to continue in a cruel way,
without caring how,
in their usual theft,
and that’s when Fidel arrived

He ended their games
the commander arrived
and made them stop (x2)

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