El Cuarteto de Nos is an Uruguayan alternative rock band formed in 1984 in … Read Full Bio ↴El Cuarteto de Nos is an Uruguayan alternative rock band formed in 1984 in Montevideo. The band was originally comprised of the Musso brothers (Roberto and Riki Musso) and Santiago Tavella, who they had met in high school. In 1984 they released their debut album, a split LP with uruguayan candombe musician Alberto Wolf under the Ayuí / Tacuabé label. Leonardo Baroncini was hired to be a guest drummer on the record.

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.

Halbin De La Selva
El Cuarteto De Nos Lyrics

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halbin de la selva
en una piragua
halbin hombre blanco
arriba del agua
halbin de los monos
viaja por el aire
viaja en una liana
se dirige a el zaire

viaja por motivos
de tipo comercial
halbin lleva y vende
material artesanal
halbin se los compra
a tribus inocentes
halbin lo revende
a turistas indolentes

su trabajo es duro
mas tiene futuro
tiene mucho seso
halbin es progreso
su trabajo es duro
mas tiene futuro
tiene mucho seso
halbin es progreso
su trabajo es duro
mas tiene futuro
tiene mucho seso
halbin es progreso
su trabajo es duro
mas tiene futuro
tiene mucho seso
halbin es progreso
su trabajo es duro
mas tiene futuro
tiene mucho seso
halbin es progreso
su trabajo es duro, mas

tiene gran futuro
tiene mucho seso

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of El Cuarteto De Nos's song "Halbin De La Selva" depict the character of Halbin, who seems to represent a white man exploiting the resources and people of the jungle. The song starts by describing how Halbin travels in a canoe through the jungle, highlighting the contrast between him, the "white man," and the native inhabitants, the "monkeys."

The lyrics suggest that Halbin's motives for traveling through the jungle are commercial, as he buys and sells artisanal material. He purchases these items from innocent tribes and then resells them to indifferent tourists. This portrays Halbin as taking advantage of both the indigenous people and the tourists, profiting from their lack of knowledge or concern for the exploitation.

Despite the harsh nature of his work, the song affirms that Halbin has a bright future ahead. The repetition of the line "tiene mucho seso, Halbin es progreso" (he has a lot of brain, Halbin is progress) implies that Halbin's intelligence and opportunistic mindset contribute to his success. However, the repetition also emphasizes the irony of progress being associated with exploitation and indifference.

In summary, "Halbin De La Selva" critically portrays a character who exploits the resources and people of the jungle for personal gain, highlighting themes of colonialism, capitalism, and the negative consequences of progress driven by exploitation.

Line by Line Meaning

halbin de la selva
A man named Halbin comes from the jungle

en una piragua
In a canoe

halbin hombre blanco
Halbin, a white man

arriba del agua
On top of the water

halbin de los monos
Halbin among the monkeys

viaja por el aire
He travels through the air

viaja en una liana
He travels on a vine

se dirige a el zaire
He heads towards the Congo

viaja por motivos
He travels for reasons

de tipo comercial
Of a commercial nature

halbin lleva y vende
Halbin carries and sells