Carlos Mejía Godoy is a Nicaraguan musician, composer and singer. Many of h… Read Full Bio ↴Carlos Mejía Godoy is a Nicaraguan musician, composer and singer. Many of his songs, performed with his band Los de Palacagüina, became associated with the Sandinista movement as songs of laborers and revolutionaries.

He was the vice-presidential running mate of Edmundo Jarquín of the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS) in the November 2006 Nicaraguan presidential election, but they came in fourth place.

Alforja campesina
Carlos Mejía Godoy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Alforja campesina pinolera,
sos el mero escapulario de mi tierra,
cuando vienes del pueblo bien cargada
te pareces a una indita embarazada.

Alforja campesina proletaria,
olorosa a trigo nuevo y a quebrada,
y te quiero por ser hija de mi brazo

y hermanita menor del calabazo.

Dicen que en el Chilamate
Juan Camenate murió,
los pocoyos siempre cantan
donde el campisto cayó.

Ya viene la fiesta de agosto,
ya los chinamos ya están en pie,
ennavaja el gallo giro
que a don Casimiro le merqué.

Alforja campesina pinolera,
sos el mero escapulario de mi tierra,
cuando vienes del pueblo bien cargada
te pareces a una indita embarazada.

Alforja campesina proletaria,
olorosa a trigo nuevo y a quebrada,
y te quiero por ser hija de mi brazo
y hermanita menor del calabazo.

Novia mía, en este broche
un regalo para vos,
una flor de Sacunjoche
que corté en la cuesta del Coyol.

Yo te ofrezco en esta ronda
mi inflamado corazón,
que es una cosa redonda
cargadita de ilusión.

Alforja campesina pinole e ra.

Overall Meaning

The song "Alforja Campesina" by Carlos Mejía Godoy is a tribute to the life and work of Nicaraguan peasants. The first two verses evoke an image of a peasant walking with a large, heavy bag, called an "alforja," on her back. The singer calls this bag the "escapulario" (a religious garment worn by devout Catholics) of the land, emphasizing its importance and symbolism as a necessary item for a peasant's daily chores. The singer goes on to say that the bag reminds him of a pregnant indigenous woman, which is a nod to the deep ancestral history of indigenous peoples in Nicaragua.

In the third verse, the singer shifts to describing the bag as "proletarian," suggesting that it is a tool of labor used by working-class people. He describes the bag as smelling of freshly harvested wheat and the mountains. The singer says that he loves the bag because it was made by his own hands, and its existence represents the labor of his people. The fourth verse is a reference to the death of Juan Camenate, a legendary peasant leader, at the hands of the ruling class. The final verse is a series of simple, romantic gestures between two rural lovers.

Line by Line Meaning

Alforja campesina pinolera,
Oh, rural pouch filled with the staple food of Nicaragua, you are the true talisman of my land.

sos el mero escapulario de mi tierra,
You are the embodiment of my country's spirit and culture.

cuando vienes del pueblo bien cargada
When you return from town loaded with goods,

te pareces a una indita embarazada.
you resemble a pregnant indigenous woman.

Alforja campesina proletaria,
Oh, working-class rural pouch,

olorosa a trigo nuevo y a quebrada,
infused with the scent of freshly harvested wheat and the earthy aroma of ravines,

y te quiero por ser hija de mi brazo
I love you for being my trusty companion,

y hermanita menor del calabazo.
my little sibling of the pumpkin patch.

Dicen que en el Chilamate
They say that in Chilamate,

Juan Camenate murió,
Juan Camenate died,

los pocoyos siempre cantan
the pocoyos always sing