Yupanqui was born Héctor Roberto Chavero Haram in Pergamino (Buenos Aires Province), in the Argentine pampas, about 200 kilometers away from Buenos Aires. His family moved to Tucumán when he was ten. In a bow to two legendary Incan kings, he adopted the stage name Atahualpa Yupanqui, which became famous the world over.
In his early years, Yupanqui travelled extensively through the northwest of Argentina and the Altiplano studying the indigenous culture. He also became radicalized and joined the Communist Party of Argentina. In 1931, he took part in the failed uprising of the Kennedy brothers and was forced to seek refuge in Uruguay. He returned to Argentina in 1934.
In 1935, Yupanqui paid his first visit to Buenos Aires; his compositions were growing in popularity, and he was invited to perform on the radio. Shortly thereafter, he made the acquaintance of pianist Antonieta Paula Pepin Fitzpatrick, nicknamed "Nenette", who became his lifelong companion and musical collaborator under the pseudonym "Pablo Del Cerro".
Because of his Communist Party affiliation (which lasted until 1952), his work suffered from censorship during Juan Perón's presidency; he was detained and incarcerated several times. He left for Europe in 1949. Édith Piaf invited him to perform in Paris in June of that year. He subsequently toured extensively throughout Europe.
In 1952, Yupanqui returned to Buenos Aires. He broke with the Communist Party, which made it easier for him to book radio performances.
Recognition of Yupanqui's ethnographic work became widespread during the 1960s, and nueva canción artists such as Mercedes Sosa recorded his compositions and made him popular among the younger musicians, who referred to him as Don Ata.
Yupanqui alternated between houses in Buenos Aires and Cerro Colorado, Córdoba province. During 1963-1964, he toured Colombia, Japan, Morocco, Egypt, Israel, and Italy. In 1967, he toured Spain, and settled in Paris. He returned regularly to Argentina, but these visits became less frequent when the military dictatorship of Jorge Videla came to power in 1976.
Yupanqui died in Nimes, France in 1992 at the age of 84; he was buried in the Cerro Colorado Cementery.
La Pastorcita Perdida
Atahualpa Yupanqui Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
¡Devuélveme, devuélveme
Mi pastorcita perdida!
¡Punay! ¡Punay!
¡Devuélveme, devuélveme
Mi pastorcita perdida!
Te extraviaste en noche mala
Pastorcita de mi vida
Te extraviaste en noche mala
Mi voz te busca en el viento
Y en la Puna te reclama
Mi voz te busca en el viento
Y en la Puna te reclama
¡Punay! ¡Punay!
¡Devuélveme, devuélveme
Mi pastorcita perdida!
Aunque tenga en esta vida
Que viento y tierra tragar
Aunque tenga en esta vida
Que viento y tierra tragar
Pastorcita de la vida, te iré a encontrar
Te iré a encontrar
Pastorcita de la vida, te iré a encontrar
Te iré a encontrar
¡Punay! ¡Punay!
¡Devuélveme, devuélveme
Mi pastorcita perdida!
¡Punay! ¡Punay!
¡Devuélveme, devuélveme
Mi pastorcita perdida!
Aunque tenga en esta vida
Que viento y tierra tragar
Aunque tenga en esta vida
Que viento y tierra tragar
Pastorcita de la vida, te iré a encontrar
Te iré a encontrar
Pastorcita de la vida, te iré a encontrar
Te iré a encontrar
¡Punay! ¡Punay!
¡Devuélveme, devuélveme
Mi pastorcita perdida!
Punay
Punay
Punay
La canción "La Pastorcita Perdida" de Atahualpa Yupanqui narra la historia de un pastor que ha perdido a su pastora. El pastor busca desesperadamente a su amada pastora en el viento y en las montañas de la Puna, y le pide al espíritu de la "Punay" que le devuelva a su amor. A pesar de los obstáculos que pueda enfrentar en la vida, promete encontrarla. La letra de la canción se enfoca en la tristeza y la esperanza del pastor mientras busca a su amada pastora.
La canción es en realidad una zamba, un género de música y danza folklórica argentina. La canción se realizó en el estilo folklórico tradicional de la música argentina, con la voz de Atahualpa Yupanqui y el acompañamiento de guitarra. Es una canción clásica muy popular en los festivales de música folklórica y se ha convertido en una pieza icónica del repertorio de Yupanqui.
Line by Line Meaning
¡Punay! ¡Punay!
The repetition of 'Punay' aims to call for attention and plead for help.
¡Devuélveme, devuélveme
Mi pastorcita perdida!
The singer is desperately asking for his lost 'pastorcita' to be returned to him.
Pastorcita de mi vida
Te extraviaste en noche mala
The singer is addressing his 'pastorcita' as the love of his life and highlights how unfortunate it is that she got lost in a bad night.
Mi voz te busca en el viento
Y en la Puna te reclama
The singer is either looking for his 'pastorcita' by shouting out her name in the wind, or is figuratively wishing for her to come back. He is also referring to 'Puna', a region in Argentina where they used to hang around and probably where he lost her.
Aunque tenga en esta vida
Que viento y tierra tragar
The singer expresses how willing he is to go through anything in this life, regardless of the cost, if it means he can have his 'pastorcita' back.
Pastorcita de la vida, te iré a encontrar
Te iré a encontrar
The singer is directly addressing his 'pastorcita', promising to find her no matter what it takes.
Punay
Punay
Punay
The repetition of 'Punay' at the end is just another call for help to get his 'pastorcita' back.
Writer(s): A. Yupanqui
Contributed by Connor B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@gonzalo1975full
Que hermosos recuerdos Horacio. Y se que en el cielo te juntastes con todos los grandes del folclore. Un abrazo y hasta siempre ❤
@zoubirboudjeba6628
Un grand monsieur de la chanson tradictionnelle une icone
@cristiangioiello1341
Que hermosa canción, gracias Don Ata♥️
@isabelnid
Punay, del quichua: puna = llanura alta muy fría, -y posesivo de 1ra. persona. mi, mío. Puna mía.
@nicolasantoine7192
Oh Gracias! Así entiendo lo que canto!
@dvdortiz9031
Atahualpa yupanqui
@mariedereyes3955
lo conocí por devendra !!
@Sourheart
So delicate, yet such mastery.
@eridanus4361
Çok güzel
@dsnooz
One of the niftiest songs I know. Hella dank