The group was formed by students at Universidad Técnica del Estado at Santiago, Chile in 1967. In 1973 as they were on tour abroad, General Augusto Pinochet launched a coup d'etat and took power. Having heard of the numerous extra-judicial killings of many fellow artists by Chile's army, they took up residence in Italy, resulting in "the longest tour in history" for Inti-Illimani as they lived in de facto exile. They continued their efforts supporting Chilean democracy internationally; magnitizdat copies of their work continued to be widely distributed in Chile. In September 1988, days after they were no longer banned from Chile, they began touring Chile again. They helped organize the voting down of the referendum that would have re-elected Pinochet. Recently, they were actually supported by Chile as representatives of Chilean culture.
In the past the group was musically led by Horacio Salinas and politically led by Jorge Coulon. However, in 2001 there was a controversial split of the group, which started when three key members left the group (José Seves, Horacio Durán and Horacio Salinas). They were replaced by Manuel Meriño (from Entrama), Cristián González and Juan Flores. Due to the importance of departed members, many called into question the ability of the remainder to carry on the Inti-Illimani name. Meanwhile, the three departed members started their own group they call Inti-Histórico. From 2005 there are two groups:
Inti-Illimani New (Coulon brothers)
Inti-Illimani Histórico (José Seves, Horacio Durán and Horacio Salinas)
Membership
In August 1967 Inti-Illimani's earliest membership consisted of:
Horacio Durán
Max Berrú
Jorge Coulon
Luis Espinoza
Oscar Guzmán
Ciro Retamal
Pedro Yáñez
In 1968 Inti-Illimani's membership consisted of:
Horacio Salinas (Musical director and main composer)
Horacio Durán
Max Berrú
Jorge Coulon
Ernesto Perez de Arce
Current line-up of the "Inti-Illimani Nuevo":
Jorge Coulon
Christian González
Daniel Cantillana
Juan Flores
Efren Viera
Marcelo Coulon
Manuel Meriño
César Jara
Current line-up of the "Inti-Histórico":
Horacio Salinas
Horacio Durán
José Seves
Jorge Ball
Fernando Julio
Camilo Salinas
Danilo Donoso
Other members in the history of the group:
Ernesto Pérez de Arce
Homero Altamirano
José Miguel Camus
Renato Freyggang
Pedro Villagra
Entre nosotros
Inti-Illimani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Perdiste el trigo, el agua y el solar
Perdiste la luz que subía del sur
Perdiste al marchar la ruta del mar.
Perdí el madero, el fuego, el pedernal
Perdí la soga, el clavo, el eslabón
Perdí la cuenta de los días y
Cómo te atreviste
A cortar los nudos
Con que la existencia
Nos ató desnudos.
Dímelo tú.
Perdí tu pecho, tu ritual, tu voz
Perdiste mi confusa realidad.
Y así nos fuimos de nosotros dos
Saltando el umbral de la eternidad.
Perdí el madero, el fuego, el pedernal
Perdí la soga, el clavo, el eslabón
Perdí la cuenta de los días y
Perdí la noción de tu corazón.
The lyrics of Inti-Illimani's song "Entre nosotros" depict the loss and separation between two people who were once connected. They describe the various elements that have been lost, both tangible and intangible, by both people. The first half of the song lists the things that both parties have lost, such as "musgo" (moss), "trigo" (wheat), "agua" (water), and "ruta del mar" (the sea route), which represent the physical and natural realities that once surrounded and defined their relationship. As the lyrics continue, it becomes clear that they have also lost the intangible aspects of each other, such as "pecho" (chest), "ritual" (ritual), and "voz" (voice).
The song reflects on the nature of human connections and how they can be broken, and the feelings that come with that. The chorus, which asks "Cómo te atreviste / A cortar los nudos / Con que la existencia / Nos ató desnudos / Dímelo tú" (How dare you cut the knots with which existence tied us naked; tell me why/what inspired you), expresses the bitterness and confusion that the singer feels towards their partner, questioning why their relationship had to come to such an end.
Overall, "Entre nosotros" is a heartbreaking representation of loss and disconnection, and the struggle to reconcile with it. The lyrics remind us that relationships involve more than just the two people involved in them - they are shaped by the world around us, and when those ties are broken, it feels like a great loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Perdiste el musgo, el girasol, la red
You lost the moss, the sunflower, the net
Perdiste el trigo, el agua y el solar
You lost the wheat, the water, and the sun
Perdiste la luz que subía del sur
You lost the light that rose from the south
Perdiste al marchar la ruta del mar
You lost the route of the sea when you left
Perdí el madero, el fuego, el pedernal
I lost the wood, the fire, the flint
Perdí la soga, el clavo, el eslabón
I lost the rope, the nail, the link
Perdí la cuenta de los días y
I lost track of the days and
Perdí la noción de tu corazón.
I lost the sense of your heart.
Cómo te atreviste
How dare you
A cortar los nudos
To cut the knots
Con que la existencia
With which existence
Nos ató desnudos.
Bound us naked.
Dímelo tú.
You tell me.
Perdí tu pecho, tu ritual, tu voz
I lost your chest, your ritual, your voice
Perdiste mi confusa realidad.
You lost my confused reality.
Y así nos fuimos de nosotros dos
And so we left each other
Saltando el umbral de la eternidad.
Jumping over the threshold of eternity.
Writer(s): Horacio Salinas, Patricio Manns
Contributed by Tristan M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@TheChequeron
Maravilloso video que me transporta a una década inolvidable. Gracias por compartirlo
@andresbarria4532
Maravillosa cancion e interpretación
@carlositurra3792
Uno de los mejores cantados , espectacular
@piacumsillenunez
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