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.
Me Lo Contó Canelón
Alí Primera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que yo la acabo de oir
Que me la ha contado el pueblo
El pueblo nunca la ha escrito
Porque él no sabe escribir
Cuenta el viejo Canelón
El cuenta sobre un caballo
Que da la vaca marrón
Galopando, galopando
Buscando Samán de Güere
Buscando la misma sombra
Que su jinete buscó
Y Canelón nunca miente
Si una vez el mintió
Dijo una mentira hermosa
Escondía en el fogón
Cuatro hombres vestidos
Color de monte
Y que llaman cimarrones
Al jefe de cazadores
Una tarde contestó:
Hace tiempo no veo a 'naiden'
Estamos mi perro y yo
Y Canelón nunca miente
Siguió hablando el viejo Canelón
El caballo galopando
Una tarde tropezó
Con las botellas vacías
Que el Presidente dejó
Cuando vino con los gringos
A hacer la celebración
Del 24 de junio
Cuando el jinete triunfó
Y nuestro mejor Presidente
Cantaba el Himno Nacional
"Gloria al Bravo Pueblo..."
Y el gringo decía: ¡yes!
¿Por qué dicen bravo pueblo
Si lo venden?
¿por qué dicen bravo pueblo
Si lo envainan?
Digo con mi canto
Lo que no aprendí en la Escuela
Bandera de Venezuela
¿por qué te han vendido tanto?
Digo con mi canto
Lo que no aprendí en la Escuela
Bandera de Venezuela
¿por qué te han manchado tanto?
El caballo siguió hablando
Dijo el viejo Canelón
Ciudado con los del Norte
Su jinete pronunció
Pero este pensamiento
No se oye por televisión
Te siguen vendiendo al pueblo
Cada uno a su manera
Pero total que lo venden
Vienen con su comitiva
Hasta el mercadeo del pueblo
Y lo vende al mejor postor
Que está situado en el Norte
El caballo dice el viejo Canelón
A pesar de la arrechera
Casi se le sonrió
Cuando le dijo; veo a Venezuela libre
Veo a Venezuela nuestra
Porque con los gringos
Brindará el Presidente
Porque el pueblo
Brindar con los gringos
Esa verga sí que no
El hombre se mata a tiros
Dice el viejo Canelón
El hombre no se maltrata
Buen amigo cazador
El hombre se mata en seco
Dice el viejo Canelón
El hombre no se maltrata
Buen amigo Canelón
El hombre no se maltrata
Buen amigo Canelón
El hombre se mata en seco
Buen amigo cazador
El hombre se mata en seco
Buen amigo cazador
El hombre no se maltrata
Buen amigo Canelón
The lyrics of Ali Primera's Me Lo Contó Canelón tell a story narrated by an old man named Canelón. The story is about a white horse that was searching for the same shade that its rider once looked for. As the horse goes on its search, it comes across empty bottles left by the President and the Americans who came to celebrate the 24th of June, a date that marked a victory in the country's history. The song also addresses the issue of the country's flag being sold and corrupted for selfish interests of those in power. Canelón questions why they still call the people of Venezuela "Brave People" when they are being sold out and oppressed by their leaders. The song ends with Canelón talking about how people kill themselves silently, emphasizing how the government and those in power do not necessarily have to use guns to oppress their people.
The song highlights the strong political undertones in Ali Primera's music, as he uses his platform to protest against the oppression and exploitation of those in power. The themes in this song reflect the political environment in Venezuela during the 1980s, when Primera was active, and the country was facing economic and political struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Les voy a contar una historia
I am going to tell you a story
Que yo la acabo de oir
That I heard just now
Que me la ha contado el pueblo
That was told to me by the people
El pueblo nunca la ha escrito
The people have never written it
Porque él no sabe escribir
Because they do not know how to write
Cuenta el viejo Canelón
Old Canelón tells the tale
El cuenta sobre un caballo
He is talking about a horse
Blanquito como la leche
White as milk
Que da la vaca marrón
Belonging to the brown cow
Galopando, galopando
Galloping, galloping
Buscando Samán de Güere
Searching for Samán of Güere
Buscando la misma sombra
Looking for the same shade
Que su jinete buscó
As his rider sought
Y Canelón nunca miente
And Canelón never lies
Si una vez el mintió
And if he ever lied before
Dijo una mentira hermosa
It was a beautiful lie
Escondía en el fogón
That he kept hidden in the hearth
Cuatro hombres vestidos
Four men dressed
Color de monte
The color of the mountain
Y que llaman cimarrones
Called cimarrones
Al jefe de cazadores
To the leader of the hunters
Una tarde contestó: Hace tiempo no veo a 'naiden'
One afternoon he replied: 'Haven't seen anyone in a while'
Estamos mi perro y yo
Just my dog and I are here
Siguió hablando el viejo Canelón
Old Canelón continued speaking
El caballo galopando
The horse still galloping
Una tarde tropezó
One evening it stumbled
Con las botellas vacías
On empty bottles
Que el Presidente dejó
Left by the President
Cuando vino con los gringos
When he came with the Americans
A hacer la celebración
To celebrate
Del 24 de junio
The 24th of June
Cuando el jinete triunfó
When the rider triumphed
Y nuestro mejor Presidente
And our best President
Cantaba el Himno Nacional
Sang the National Anthem
"Gloria al Bravo Pueblo..."
"Glory to the brave people..."
Y el gringo decía: ¡yes!
And the American said: "yes!"
¿Por qué dicen bravo pueblo
Why do they call us brave people
Si lo venden?
If they sell us out?
¿por qué dicen bravo pueblo
Why do they call us brave people
Si lo envainan?
If they put us away?
Digo con mi canto
I say with my song
Lo que no aprendí en la Escuela
What I did not learn in school
Bandera de Venezuela
Flag of Venezuela
¿por qué te han vendido tanto?
Why have you been sold so much?
Digo con mi canto
I say with my song
Lo que no aprendí en la Escuela
What I did not learn in school
Bandera de Venezuela
Flag of Venezuela
¿por qué te han manchado tanto?
Why have you been so stained?
El caballo siguió hablando
The horse continued speaking
Dijo el viejo Canelón
Said old Canelón
Ciudado con los del Norte
Beware of the North
Su jinete pronunció
As his rider declared
Pero este pensamiento
But this thought
No se oye por televisión
Is not heard on television
Te siguen vendiendo al pueblo
They keep selling you to the people
Cada uno a su manera
Each in their own way
Pero total que lo venden
But they are all selling you
Vienen con su comitiva
They come with their entourage
Hasta el mercadeo del pueblo
Even to the marketing of the people
Y lo vende al mejor postor
And they sell it to the highest bidder
Que está situado en el Norte
Who is located in the North
A pesar de la arrechera
Despite the anger
Casi se le sonrió
He almost smiled
Cuando le dijo; veo a Venezuela libre
When he said; I see Venezuela free
Veo a Venezuela nuestra
I see Venezuela belonging to us
Porque con los gringos
Because with the Americans
Brindará el Presidente
The President will toast
Porque el pueblo
Because the people
Brindar con los gringos
Cannot toast with the Americans
Esa verga sí que no
Absolutely not
El hombre se mata a tiros
The man kills himself with a gun
Dice el viejo Canelón
Says old Canelón
El hombre no se maltrata
The man is not mistreated
Buen amigo cazador
A good friend of a hunter
El hombre se mata en seco
The man kills himself dry
Buen amigo Canelón
Good friend Canelón
El hombre no se maltrata
The man is not mistreated
Buen amigo Canelón
Good friend Canelón
El hombre se mata en seco
The man kills himself dry
Buen amigo cazador
A good friend of a hunter
El hombre se mata en seco
The man kills himself dry
Buen amigo cazador
A good friend of a hunter
El hombre no se maltrata
The man is not mistreated
Contributed by Hannah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
roxeirys romero
Veo a Venezuela libre, veo a venezuela nuestra #GrandeAlí
Madimc
las letras de ali primera para esa epoca y todavia en esta epoca son pura verdad
roxeirys romero
Una de las mejores canciones de panita ALI PRIMERA!!!
ISAIAS COLINA
El por siempre recordado Alí Primera.
José Gregorio Sifontes
¿Como es un país normal?, será un país como México, Colombia,Chile,Perú???
Alfredo Leon
LETRA Y MUSICA. ALI PRIMERA
Guillermo López
no es un cántico es un himno de pueblo
Alfredo Leon
LETRA Y MUSICA: ALI PRIMERA
jesus dario gomez rodriguez
yo creo que los que escuchan las canciones de lia, no somos de esta era, devimos nacido antes o despues, es triste tener que discutir con tu propia gente......nadie me cambia
Anderson Rincones
yoquese se te olvida que ali le canto a cuba diciendo que es un paraíso se te olvido la canción para acordarme habla de fidel y del manifiesto comunista le canto al comandante Ernesto el che habla de guerrilleros revolución y comunismo y hasta la victoria siempre!! todavía piensas que en vez de decir gringo dices cubano y es lo mismo?