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Candombé
for José
by Roberto Ternán
In a forgotten town I don’t know why
And his dark man’s dance makes him move.
In the town they call him Negro José,
Friend Negro José.
Negro José dances with a lot of love,
He has the color of night on his skin.
He’s very happy dancing, ecstatic, our
Friend Negro José.
Forgive me if I tell you Negro José,
you are devil but Friend Negro José.
Your future is linked to mine Negro José,
I tell you because I know.When he starts to dance, a lot of loving
glances,
and the drumbeat of his eyes seems to talk
And his bedeviled shirt wants to jump,
Friend Negro José.
You seem to have no troubles,
But you abound in troubles, Negro José.
You leave them behind in your dance, I know that very well,
Friend Negro José.
Forgive me if I tell you Negro José,
You are devil but friend Negro José,
Your future is linked to mine Negro José,
I tell you because I know,
Friend Negro José.
I tell you because I know,
Friend Negro José.
Journalist
Patricia Verdugo had also spoken about this song:
In
November of 1976, Pinochet, through U.S. pressure basically, had
no other alternative but to open the prisoners’ camps. (Later,
there were other prisoners, but this marked the end of political
prisoners jailed since the coup.) When the last camp, Tres Alamos,
was opened, I was there covering the event. All the prisoners
were lined up with their knapsacks and their bundles waiting to
be liberated. When the doors are about to be opened, some of them
decide to say good-bye to each other and the way they have of
saying good-bye starts with singing El Negro José.
Then, all the voices -- we’re talking about hundreds of people
in a huge patio of a concentration camp -- start to sing, and
then their families who are outside waiting for them also start
to sing. You felt these thousands and thousands of voices joined
in one song and there was nothing more to say. One song said it
all.
End
Part I
Of
related interest:
The
Pinochet Prosecution: The Genocide Controversy
The Pinochet Prosecution:
Gains, Losses, Lessons
The Pinochet Precedent:
Who Could be Arrested Next (October 2000)
www.alercelaotramusica.cl
www.grec.com/cancioneros
www3.gratisweb.com/candidos
www.barrocoandino.scd.cl
schwenkeynilo.scd.cl
www.eperalta.scd.cl
www.manns.tripod.com
www.violetaparra.scd.cl
www.jaivas.scd.cl
www.geocities.com/victorjaracl/victor.html
This is the Victor Jara Foundation's page on Victor.
www.uklatino.co.uk/events/v_jara.html
Announces book signing in London on September 6, of new edition
of Joan Jara's book "An Unfinished Song" with guest
appearances by Emma Thompson, John Williams, Paco Peña.
www.echonyc.com/~onissues/f98emma.html
Marilyn Stasio's article on Emma Thompson talking about film
about Victor.
www.arlo.net/lyrics/victor-jara.shtml
This is the song Joan Jara speaks of in her story.
www.illapu.cl
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