Duncan Dhu were a Spanish pop-rock group of the 1980s. The group was found… Read Full Bio ↴Duncan Dhu were a Spanish pop-rock group of the 1980s. The group was founded in San Sebastian, Spain in 1984 by singer Mikel Erentxun (Aristogatos), and Diego Vasallo, and Juan Ramón Viles (Los Dalton). The name Duncan Dhu comes from the book "Kidnapped: The adventures of David Balfour" by Robert Louis Stevenson where there is a character named Duncan Dhu, who is a lover of music.

Their style was based on an acoustic and simple pop-rock with a touch of rockabilly in great contrast with the more radical rock played in the area at the time. After being hired by 'Grabaciones Accidentales, S.A.' they contributed with two songs (Mi Amor and Bésame Mucho) to the new bands compilation La única alternativa (The Only Alternative).

In 1985 they recorded their first album, Por Tierras Escocesas (Around Scottish Lands), and Canciones (Songs) a year later, both produced by Paco Trinidad. The songs were immediately successful and gave them big popularity. After even more successful El Grito del Tiempo (The Cry of Time, 1984) and Grabaciones Olvidadas (Forgotten Recordings, a compilation of B-Sides, 1989) they became a duo and recorded the double album Autobiografía (Autobiography), with collaborations by Black and Sam Brown among others. They later also had several hits such as "Esos Ojos Negros" ("Those Black Eyes"). They finally came to a close as a band with their final cd, "Crepúsculo y Crudités" (Sunset and Crudités [1]) which was more orchestrated and softer than their older music.

Their most known hit is "En Algún Lugar" ("In Some Place"). The song was initially featured in Canciones, but it was the remix included in El Grito del Tiempo that became widely popular.

Fantasmas
Duncan Dhu Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Los ves llegar
son tres, en medio de la noche
no son, sí, sí son
son los fantasmas del pasado
y han vuelto para ver limpio su honor
el honor.

Perder, ganar, luchar

sobre los muertos
sentir, morir, vivir
en aquel tiempo
y han vuelto para ver limpio su honor
el honor.

Esperan su ocasión
cabalgan bajo el sol
selkir vieja prisión
los ves llegar
son tres en medio de la noche
lo son, son luchadores
son los fantasmas del pasado
y han vuelto para ver limpio su honor
el honor.

Esperan su ocasión
cabalgan bajo el sol
selkir viejo amor
perder, ganar, luchar
sobre los muertos
sentir, morir, vivir
en aquel tiempo

y han vuelto para ver limpio su honor
el honor.

Overall Meaning

The song Fantasmas by Duncan Dhu tells the story of three ghosts who appear in the middle of the night to reclaim their honor. The first verse describes their arrival, noting that they are indeed ghosts and that they have returned to see their honor restored. In the second verse, the song explores the themes of loss, struggle, and death that were present during their time on earth. The ghosts have come back to see their honor restored after all of these struggles, and they will not be denied.

The chorus of the song repeats the idea that the ghosts have come back to reclaim their honor. They wait for their opportunity and ride under the sun, perhaps on horseback, as they did in life. The final verse repeats the themes of the second verse, emphasizing that the ghosts have come to reclaim their honor, and they will not be discouraged, regardless of the obstacles they face.

Overall, the song Fantasmas is about the idea of redemption, and the importance of honor and respect in life. It speaks to the idea that one's actions on earth will have consequences long after they are gone, and that it is important to live a life of integrity, dignity, and honor.

Line by Line Meaning

Los ves llegar
You see them arrive

son tres, en medio de la noche
They are three, in the middle of the night

no son, sí, sí son
They are not, but yes, they are

son los fantasmas del pasado
They are the ghosts of the past

y han vuelto para ver limpio su honor
And they have come back to clear their honor

el honor.
Their honor.

Perder, ganar, luchar
To lose, to win, to fight

sobre los muertos
Over the dead

sentir, morir, vivir
To feel, to die, to live

en aquel tiempo
In that time

Esperan su ocasión
They wait for their chance