In March 1987 they released Soy una arveja, an album which unlike their previous record featured dark, humorous and satirical lyrics based around characters from the city of Tajo, a fictional city (an inside-joke between the members). This would also be their first album to feature the drummer Álvaro Pintos.
They would later release Emilio Garcia in 1988 and Canciones del Corazon in 1991. However, in 1994 with the release of Otra navidad en las trincheras the band unexpectedly gained massive popularity in Uruguay and stopped being a cult band. This caused Otra navidad en las trincheras to become the #1 best selling album in the country for a long time.
After the success of their previous album they released Barranca Abajo, a concept album revolving around the life of a fictional character named José Barrancas created by the band. The next year El tren bala was released and generated controversy throughout the country due to the Ministry of Education and Culture's attempts to ban the album over the song "El dia que Artigas se emborracho" which made fun of uruguayan national hero José Gervasio Artigas. However, this only expanded the group's popularity. Afterwards Revista ¡¡Ésta!! was released in 1998.
Riki Musso temporarily left the band in 2000 before the release of Cortamambo due to differences with their label and bandmates about the album cover. However, his brother convinced him to stay. Their 2004 self-titled album was the first to feature Juan Campodonico who would later produce all of their post-Cortamambo discography including Raro, a power pop album which made the band well known in other countries, allowing them to tour through South America. Riki would leave the band a second time due to musical differences with Bipolar being his last contribution to El Cuarteto de Nos.
Gustavo Antuña replaced guitarist Riki Musso in 2010 and joined the band alongside keyboardist Santiago Marrero. The first album to feature them both was the more pop rock influenced Porfiado which won two latin grammy awards.
El Guardián del Zoo
El Cuarteto De Nos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
tenía voz de soprano
usaba gorra y salía
a pasear con un enano
En la bolsa del canguro
secuestraba a las muchachas
se comió al rinoceronte
cantando "La Cucaracha"
No esperó que se cocine
aquella tarde el puchero
se lo echó por la cabeza
se acostó con el perchero
Por las noches se transforma
en un animal malvado
con cabeza de león
y cuello de diputado
y cuello de diputado
Raptó al lagarto el domingo
lo violó en el serpentario
el lunes veinte lo vieron
trepado del planetario
El guardián de este zoo
tenía voz de soprano
todas las noches dormía
abrazado del enano
abrazado del enano
The lyrics to El Cuarteto De Nos's song "El Guardián del Zoo" tell the strange story of a zookeeper who is both bizarre and terrifying. The song describes the zookeeper's odd appearance, including his soprano voice, hat, and strange companion, a small dwarf who he takes on walks. The lyrics further detail the zookeeper's disturbing behavior and illicit activities. He kidnaps young women and carries them in a kangaroo pouch, devours a rhinoceros while singing "La Cucaracha," and even transforms into a ferocious animal with the head of a lion and neck of a politician by nightfall. In one of the most unsettling verses, the zookeeper sexually violates a crocodile in the reptile house, culminating in him sleeping with a coat rack.
Line by Line Meaning
El guardián del zoo
This song is about the zookeeper who works at the zoo.
Tenía voz de soprano
The zookeeper had a high-pitched voice like a soprano.
Usaba gorra y salía
He wore a cap and went outside.
A pasear con un enano
He went for a walk with a dwarf.
En la bolsa del canguro
He carried girls in the kangaroo's bag.
Secuestraba a las muchachas
He abducted young women.
Se comió al rinoceronte
He ate the rhinoceros.
Cantando 'La Cucaracha'
He sang 'La Cucaracha' song while eating the rhinoceros.
No esperó que se cocine
He did not wait for the stew to cook.
Aquella tarde el puchero
He cooked the stew that afternoon.
Se lo echó por la cabeza
He poured it over his head.
Se acostó con el perchero
He went to bed with the coat rack.
Por las noches se transforma
At night, he transforms into something else.
En un animal malvado
He turns into a wicked animal.
Con cabeza de león
He has lion's head.
Y cuello de diputado
He has a politician's neck.
Raptó al lagarto el domingo
He abducted the lizard on Sunday.
Lo violó en el serpentario
He raped the lizard in the reptile house.
El lunes veinte lo vieron
On the twentieth, people saw him.
Trepado del planetario
He was climbing on top of the planetarium.
El guardián de este zoo
This song is still about the zookeeper.
Todas las noches dormía
Every night he slept.
Abrazado del enano
He hugged the dwarf while sleeping.
Contributed by Aubrey A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.