Pau Donés, born and raised in Barcelona, worked for various groups before being able to take on his current project, Jarabe de Palo. He began at age 15 with his brother Marc, with whom he formed a group known as J.& Co.Band and later another one named Dentaduras Postizas. During this period, he completed his musical tracks in Barcelona with a job at an advertising firm.
His greatest success came to him after a trip to Cuba, where he was inspired to write La Flaca which became the title of his first album, "La Flaca," in 1996. A year later came the big surprise: millions of albums were sold around the world, and "La Flaca" became the song of the summer in 1997.
After this great success on his first album, Pau was determined to show that the band would not be a one-hit wonder, and with this idea, he launched Depende (1998), which was produced by Joe Dworniak in Moody Studios in London over two months. This album featured collaborations with the likes of Ketama and continued with Jarabe de Palo's ironic and ingenious lyrics, which managed to connect with the Hispanic public and even made inroads among Italians.
In 2001 they released De vuelta y vuelta, their most conceptual album. It showed a change in the band with the first music video of the album, in which Pau appears shaving his head, shedding his long-haired features. This album featured collaborations with the likes of Antonio Vega, Jovanotti, Vico C, and Celia Cruz.
In 2003 the band tried to show a change to more positive songs with their album Bonito, which featured the likes of Los Mártires del Compás, the singer-songwriter Elena Andujar, and their Italian friend, Jovanotti.
In the autumn of 2004, the band announced that they would go on tour with their new album, 1 m2 (Un metro cuadrado (A Square Meter)) featuring the likes of Jorge Drexler, Lucrecia, and Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders).
The group has received great awards such as Premios de la Música, Premio Ondas, and Grammy nominations. They have collaborated with La Vieja Trova Santiaguera, Antonio Vega, Vico C and Celia Cruz (soundtrack of El milagro de P. Tinto). Pau has also composed tracks for Ricky Martin and starred in a music video with Alanis Morissette.
On 9 June 2020, Donés died near Barcelona after five years of dealing with colon cancer, causing the band to split up shortly after.
La Plaza De Las Palmeras
Jarabe de Palo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Es el centro de la Tierra
En la plaza siempre hay vida
Día, noche noche y día
La plaza de las palmeras
Es la casa de una vieja
Una vieja muy borracha
Hay bohemios en la plaza
Pobres, ricos y morenos
Vendedores ambulantes
Putas, listos y pendejos
Hay bohemios en la plaza
Pobres, ricos y morenos
Vendedores ambulantes
Putas, listos y pendejos
En la plaza, en una esquina
Vive Juan, el de María
Su terraza da a la plaza
Y en su casa siempre hay vida
En los bares de la plaza
Se comercia la mandanga
Jazz, flamenco, mambo y salsa
Según marca la demanda
Hay jaleo en la plaza
Vino, whisky y tomateo
Y en la plaza siempre hay vida
Día y noche noche y día
Hay jaleo en la plaza
Vino, whisky y tomateo
Y en la plaza siempre hay vida
Día y noche noche y día
Hay bohemios en la plaza
Pobres, ricos y morenos
Vendedores ambulantes
Putas, listos y pendejos
Hay jaleo en la plaza
Vino, whisky y tomateo
Y en la plaza siempre hay vida
Día y noche noche y día
Hay bohemios en la plaza
Pobres, ricos y morenos
Vendedores ambulantes
Putas, listos y pendejos
Hay jaleo en la plaza
Vino, whisky y tomateo
Y en la plaza siempre hay vida
Día y noche noche y día
The lyrics to "La Plaza De Las Palmeras" by Jarabe de Palo describe the vibrancy and liveliness of a plaza (square) in the heart of a city. The plaza is described as the center of the Earth, suggesting its importance and vitality to the community. Day and night, there is always life in the plaza, with bohemians, vendors, and even prostitutes mingling together.
One notable character in the plaza is an old drunken woman who sleeps, smokes, drinks, and sings. She represents the less desirable aspects of the community, but her presence adds to the colorful atmosphere of the plaza. Another resident of the plaza is Juan, who lives in a house overlooking the square. He adds to the energy of the plaza by hosting gatherings and parties.
The plaza is also a hub for commerce and entertainment, with bars selling "mandanga" (slang for marijuana) and music filling the air with jazz, flamenco, mambo, and salsa. The chaos of the plaza is described as "jaleo" (excitement), with people drinking wine and whisky and causing a ruckus day and night.
Line by Line Meaning
La plaza de las palmeras
The square with palm trees
Es el centro de la Tierra
It's the center of the Earth
En la plaza siempre hay vida
In the square there is always life
Día, noche noche y día
Day, night, night and day
Es la casa de una vieja
It's the house of an old woman
Una vieja muy borracha
A very drunk old lady
Duerme, fuma, bebe y canta
She sleeps, smokes, drinks, and sings
Hay bohemios en la plaza
There are bohemians in the square
Pobres, ricos y morenos
Poor, rich, and dark-skinned people
Vendedores ambulantes
Street vendors
Putas, listos y pendejos
Prostitutes, smart people, and idiots
En la plaza, en una esquina
In the square, on a corner
Vive Juan, el de María
Juan lives there, Maria's husband
Su terraza da a la plaza
His terrace faces the square
Y en su casa siempre hay vida
And there is always life in his house
En los bares de la plaza
In the bars of the square
Se comercia la mandanga
Drugs are traded
Jazz, flamenco, mambo y salsa
Jazz, flamenco, mambo and salsa
Según marca la demanda
According to the demand
Hay jaleo en la plaza
There's a ruckus in the square
Vino, whisky y tomateo
Wine, whiskey and bickering
Y en la plaza siempre hay vida
And there is always life in the square
Día y noche noche y día
Day and night, night and day
Hay bohemios en la plaza
There are bohemians in the square
Pobres, ricos y morenos
Poor, rich and dark-skinned people
Vendedores ambulantes
Street vendors
Putas, listos y pendejos
Prostitutes, smart people, and idiots
Hay jaleo en la plaza
There's a ruckus in the square
Vino, whisky y tomateo
Wine, whiskey and bickering
Y en la plaza siempre hay vida
And there is always life in the square
Día y noche noche y día
Day and night, night and day
Hay bohemios en la plaza
There are bohemians in the square
Pobres, ricos y morenos
Poor, rich and dark-skinned people
Vendedores ambulantes
Street vendors
Putas, listos y pendejos
Prostitutes, smart people, and idiots
Hay jaleo en la plaza
There's a ruckus in the square
Vino, whisky y tomateo
Wine, whiskey and bickering
Y en la plaza siempre hay vida
And there is always life in the square
Día y noche noche y día
Day and night, night and day
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Pau Dones Cirera
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind