En last.fm hay dos entradas para este mismo artista: Alí Primera y Ali Prim… Read Full Bio ↴En last.fm hay dos entradas para este mismo artista: Alí Primera y Ali Primera (sin tilde) Sería útil unirlas

On last.fm there are two entries for the same artist: Alí Primera & Ali Primera (without accent mark).
It would be useful to merge them.
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Alí Primera was baptized as Alí Rafael Primera Rosell by his parents Antonio Primera and Carmen Adela Rossell. Poor from the start, he lost his father when he was three. His father, who worked served as an official in Coro, died accidentally during a shooting incident that occurred when some prisoners tried to escape from the jail in town in 1945. As Primera was still quite young when his father died, he travelled with his mother and 2 siblings through different towns on the Paraguaná Peninsula, including San José, Caja de Agua, where he graduated from elementary school; Las Piedras and finally, La Vela, near Punto Fijo. It was in this town that Primera worked a number of jobs, from a shoeshiner at the age of 6 to a boxer, due to the miserable conditions his family lived in. These jobs did not, however, discourage him from continuing his studies.

In 1960, Primera and his family left La Vela looking for a better life and moved to Caracas, where he enrolled in the “Liceo Caracas” in order to complete his education. After he graduated in 1964, he enrolled at the Central University of Venezuela to study Chemistry at the School of Science. While at the university, he started singing and composing music. At first, it was a just a hobby for him, but it gradually came to take up all of his time. His first songs, Humanidad and No basta rezar, the latter of which was presented at the Festival of Protest Songs organized by the Universidad de los Andes in 1967, propelled him to fame.

Between 1969 and 1973, Primera lived in Europe thanks to a scholarship he was received in 1968 from the Communist Party of Venezuela to continue his studies in Romania. Once in Europe, he earned a living by washing dishes and occasionally sang in places that respected his work. He recorded his first album Gente de mi tierra in a studio in Germany. Primera’s compositions talk about the suffering of the people, destroyed by poverty and social inequality. Because of his songs, he quickly made his way into the hearts of the people and soon became known as El Cantor del Pueblo or The People’s Singer.

Primera died in a car accident on February 16, 1985 on the Autopista Valle-Coche in Caracas. Before his death, Alí Primera had started a new album at the end of 1984 that combined the recurring themes of his songs with beats that he had never used before such as the gaita from Zulia in Venezuela.

Even though the Venezuelan government declared in 2005 his music to be national property, the reality is that the rights to his albums were turned over years ago to the now defunct Venezuelan record company Top Hits, which was acquired by the Mexican record company Balboa Records.

Dios se lo cobre
Alí Primera Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

DIOS SE LO COBRE

Cuando el ruido del tan tan
No deje escuchar el llanto del pobre
Cuando los que no tienen pan
Ya gritando están mi Dios se lo cobre

Somos semejantes

Es decir, pareciera que lo somos
En la manera de rezarle a Dios
En la manera de engañar a Dios
Y en la forma de engañar con Dios.

(recitado)
"Yo quiero semejanza en la escuela
Donde el niñito moreno
El indio y el niño blanco
Te aprendan la misma "A"
No semejanza en la Iglesia
Porque allí usted puede
Ver un hombre sentando en
Un banco con su nombre
Después de pisar a otro hombre
Después de pisar mil hombres
Queriendo lavar su alma
Diciendo: Dios me perdone"

Cuando el ruido del tan tan
No deje escuchar el llanto del pobre
Cuando los que no tienen pan
Ya gritando estan: mi Dios se lo cobre

Cuando salgamos de pobre
Cuando salgamos de pobre

(recitado)
"El Papa vinó a Colombia
El primero en besarle la mano
Fue un oligarca señor
Y Camilo el sacerdote
El que no engañaba a Dios
En un bolsillo de la sotana
Un libro de Santo Tomás de Aquino
Y en el otro, en el de la izquierda
Un libro de Carlos Marx
Buscaba la semejanza
Para ofrendarsela a Dios"

Una nueva sociedad
Sin colegios privados
Sin hacienda y
Sin patrón

(recitado)
"Y Camilo el sacerdote
El que no engañaba a Dios
Él murió lleno de moscas
¿y saben quién lo mató?
Lo mató quien defendía
Al mismo que besó al Papa
Cuando bajo del avión"

Cuando el ruido del tantan
No deje escuchar el llanto del pobre
Cuando los que no tienen pan

Ya gritando estan:
Su Dios y mi Dios se lo cobre

Overall Meaning

The song Dios se lo cobre by Alí Primera is a call for justice and equality in society, where the poor and marginalized are often ignored or oppressed. The lyrics speak of the deafening noise of society's distractions, represented by the "tan tan," that drown out the cries of the poor. When those who are suffering and hungry cry out for help, the singer asks for God to take notice and hold accountable those who ignore their plight. The singer also speaks of the need for unity among people of different races, religions, and backgrounds. He criticizes those who use religion to deceive and exploit people but also acknowledges that there are those who use their faith to work for justice and change. He speaks of a vision for a new society without class division, where education and resources are shared equally.

The song contains spoken word segments which add depth and nuance to the message. The singer draws attention to the importance of education in shaping the future, promoting equal opportunities in education regardless of race or class. He challenges the hypocrisy within religious institutions and those who use it for personal gain. The segment also speaks of the importance of a new society devoid of class-based resources control, where every member has equal access to the resources they need.

Dios se lo cobre is a powerful and impactful song that highlights the struggles and concerns of marginalized and oppressed communities. It calls for a new society that promotes justice, equality, and compassion for all. The song's messages are still relevant today and continue to inspire countless people to fight for a better world.

Line by Line Meaning

Cuando el ruido del tan tan No deje escuchar el llanto del pobre Cuando los que no tienen pan Ya gritando están mi Dios se lo cobre
When the noise of power and privilege becomes too loud And drowns out the cries of the suffering and the poor, When those who have nothing left to lose Are shouting for justice, as they surely will, May God hold accountable those who are responsible.

Somos semejantes Es decir, pareciera que lo somos En la manera de rezarle a Dios En la manera de engañar a Dios Y en la forma de engañar con Dios.
We are all alike Or at least we seem to be In the way we pray to God In the way we deceive God And in the way we deceive others in God's name.

(recitado) "Yo quiero semejanza en la escuela Donde el niñito moreno El indio y el niño blanco Te aprendan la misma "A" No semejanza en la Iglesia Porque allí usted puede Ver un hombre sentando en Un banco con su nombre Después de pisar a otro hombre Después de pisar mil hombres Queriendo lavar su alma Diciendo: Dios me perdone"
(spoken) "I want to see sameness in the schools Where the dark-skinned child, The Indian, and the white child Learn the same "A" Not in the church Where you can see a man sitting In a pew with his name on it After trampling over another man Or a thousand men, Trying to cleanse his soul Saying, 'God forgive me.'"

Cuando salgamos de pobre Cuando salgamos de pobre
When we finally escape poverty, When we finally rise above the oppression That has kept us down for so long.

(recitado) "El Papa vinó a Colombia El primero en besarle la mano Fue un oligarca señor Y Camilo el sacerdote El que no engañaba a Dios En un bolsillo de la sotana Un libro de Santo Tomás de Aquino Y en el otro, en el de la izquierda Un libro de Carlos Marx Buscaba la semejanza Para ofrendarsela a Dios"
(spoken) "The Pope came to Colombia And the first one to kiss his hand Was a wealthy oligarch And Camilo the priest, Who never deceived God Carried in one pocket of his robe A book by Saint Thomas Aquinas And in the other pocket, on the left, A book by Karl Marx, Seeking sameness To offer to God as an offering."

Una nueva sociedad Sin colegios privados Sin hacienda y Sin patrón
A new society without Private schools, Without haciendas, And without bosses.

(recitado) "Y Camilo el sacerdote El que no engañaba a Dios Él murió lleno de moscas ¿y saben quién lo mató? Lo mató quien defendía Al mismo que besó al Papa Cuando bajo del avión"
(spoken) "And Camilo the priest, Who never deceived God, Died covered in flies. Do you know who killed him? He was killed by those who defended The same man who kissed the Pope's hand When he got off the plane."

Cuando el ruido del tantan No deje escuchar el llanto del pobre Cuando los que no tienen pan Ya gritando estan: Su Dios y mi Dios se lo cobre
When the noise of power and privilege becomes too loud And drowns out the cries of the suffering and the poor, When those who have nothing left to lose Are shouting for justice, as they surely will, May God hold accountable those who are responsible.

Contributed by Mila T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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