Illapu was exiled due to their very liberal viewpoints during the right-wing dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, and returned to Chile in 1988. Their return was captured in the 1989 album `En Vivo: Parque La Bandera', which was a recording of their returning concert.
During their exile from Chile, they spent time in Europe in general and France in particular, where they gained a good amount of fame, as with other similar groups such as Inti Illimani and Los Calchakis.
Illapu comes from the Quechua word for "Lightning Bolt" (Quechua being the language of the Incan empire and still spoken by many Native American groups in South America).
Lejos Del Amor
Illapu Lyrics
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Estas gaviotas
Tan lejos del mar
Qué hacen aquí
Entre piedras y rincón
En este río marrón
Qué hacen aquí
Tan lejos del mar.
Estos pequeños
Lejos del hogar
Que hacen aquí
Entre hiedras y dolor
En este sucio baldón
Qué hacen aquí
Lejos del hogar
Qué hacen aquí
Estos amantes
En este lugar
Qué hacen aquí
Entre hierbas y candor
En este parque de amor
Qué hacen aquí
Lejos de la razón.
Lejos del amor
Lejos del cielo
Como un alma perdida
Un sol sin vida
Qué hacen aquí estos desvelos
Qué hacen aquí sin un consuelo.
The lyrics to Illapu's song Lejos Del Amor speak of things that are out of place or lost, wondering what they are doing in places where they don't belong. The first verse speaks of seagulls being so far away from the sea, and wonders why they are among rocks and brown rivers. The next verse refers to small things being far from home, and questions what they are doing in dirty corners, away from the warmth and safety of their homes. The third verse talks about lovers being in a park, surrounded by herbs and innocence, far away from reason. All these situations are described as being "far from love" and "far from heaven", with the feeling of being lost and without comfort.
The song can be interpreted in different ways, but it seems to convey a sense of displacement and longing. The seagulls, the small things and the lovers are all out of place, perhaps searching for something they can't find where they belong. The lyrics are poetic and evoke vivid imagery, with the use of metaphors and comparisons. The repetition of the phrase "qué hacen aquí" (what are they doing here) creates a feeling of unease and questioning.
Line by Line Meaning
Qué hacen aquí
What are you doing here
Estas gaviotas
These seagulls
Tan lejos del mar
So far from the sea
Entre piedras y rincón
Among stones and corners
En este río marrón
In this brown river
Estos pequeños
These little ones
Lejos del hogar
Far from home
Entre hiedras y dolor
Among ivy and pain
En este sucio baldón
In this dirty stain
Estos amantes
These lovers
En este lugar
In this place
Entre hierbas y candor
Among herbs and innocence
En este parque de amor
In this park of love
Lejos de la razón
Far from reason
Lejos del amor
Far from love
Lejos del cielo
Far from heaven
Como un alma perdida
Like a lost soul
Un sol sin vida
A lifeless sun
Qué hacen aquí estos desvelos
What are these sleepless nights doing here
Qué hacen aquí sin un consuelo
What are they doing here without comfort
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDRES MARQUEZ BUGUENO, LUIS ALBERTO VALDIVIA, ROBERTO RAMON MARQUEZ BUGUE�O
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind