Atahualpa Yupanqui (22 January 1908 - 23 May 1992) was an Argentine singer,… Read Full Bio ↴Atahualpa Yupanqui (22 January 1908 - 23 May 1992) was an Argentine singer, songwriter, guitarist, and writer.

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.

Madre Del Monte
Atahualpa Yupanqui Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

La copla y el hombre tienen
Un secreto que guardar
Cuando cantan noche afuera
Por dentro llorando están

Ay, Madre del Monte
Por dónde andaré

Si Dios no quiere escucharme
Callado me alejaré
Por el camino del monte
Ni polvo levantaré

Ay, Madre del Monte
Por dónde andaré

Como colgada en el aire
Mi copla se quedará
Dejen que el sol la madure
Luz en el aire será

Ay, Madre del Monte
Por dónde andaré
Como una errante vidala
Por este mundo, pasé
Cuando me tape el silencio
Ya ni vidala seré

Ay, Madre del Monte
Por dónde andaré

Overall Meaning

Madre Del Monte is a heartfelt and wistful tune about a deep connection to nature, which is represented by the figure of the "Madre Del Monte" or Mother of the Mountain. The first stanza speaks to the connection between music and emotion. The copla or popular song, and the human voice that sings it, have a secret bond that's not easily understood by others. When they sing out in the stillness of the night, they often carry a sorrow or pain that's hidden within. The singer is revealing that the beauty of music belies the vulnerability of the human heart.

The chorus speaks directly to the Mother of the Mountain, asking where the singer might go if they're not able to be heard by God. The second stanza refers to the idea of the singer leaving quietly, without even stirring up dust on the road. Here, we see a longing for a kind of spiritual freedom, where the only pursuit is that of the heart. This is where the idea of the "Madre del Monte" comes in; she is the embodiment of a nurturing and transformative force. The singer invokes her name as a symbol of hope that they will find their way.

The third stanza concludes the song on a poetic note. The singer's song is described as a "hanging" one, that will remain in the air until it ripens in the sun and takes on a life of its own. The final lines reveal the singer's itinerant nature, that they have wandered far and wide in this world. But when the silence finally falls over them, even their song won't be enough to describe who they are.

Line by Line Meaning

La copla y el hombre tienen
The folk song and the singer have a secret to keep

Un secreto que guardar
A secret to hold

Cuando cantan noche afuera
Singing throughout the night

Por dentro llorando están
Crying inside their hearts

Ay, Madre del Monte
Oh, Mother of the Mountains

Por dónde andaré
Where will I wander?

Si Dios no quiere escucharme
If God doesn't want to hear me

Callado me alejaré
I will depart in silence

Por el camino del monte
Through the path of the mountain

Ni polvo levantaré
I won't raise any dust

Como colgada en el aire
Like hanging in the air