Joe Arroyo was born in Cartagena. At the age of ten he was already singing in one of Cartagenas' popular music halls. His father had 40 sons with different women, a story that he usually tells.
In the year 1971 Arroyo had his biggest opportunity of becoming a nationally known artist. He was discovered by Ernesto Estrada, the bass player and singer of the band "Fruko y sus Tesos" (Fruko and his buddies) and signed up with Colombian record label Discos Fuentes. With the band he performed for ten years until in 1981 when he began his solo career leading his own band, named "La Verdad" (The truth).
Joe Arroyo became very successful by mixing salsa, merengue, soca, zouk and other Afro-American music beats in a unique style that has earned him the prefix of Sonero de la Salsa by renown critics and fans.
Born in Cartagena de Indias, 1 November 1955 – Died in Barranquilla, 26 July 2011
El Palo
Joe Arroyo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Y de los controles que
Aja
Yo no me arrepiento ni voy amagar
Yo no me arrepiento ni voy amagar
Es pa que respete
Que yo le voy a dar
Pa que me respete
Palo sobre palo
Hasta en la cabeza
Es para que aprenda
Yo le voy a dar
Palo sobre palo
Hasta en la cabeza
Así sea mi novia
Yo le doy con fuerza mama
Ajua
Oye y se acabaron las piedras
Pero lo que traigo es palo na ma
Oye viejo piti hay na ma
Yo no me arrepiento ni voy amagar
Yo no me arrepiento ni voy amagar
Yo le voy a dar
Pa que me respete
Que yo le voy a dar
Pa que me respete
Palo sobre palo
Hasta en la cabeza
Es para que aprenda
Yo le voy a dar
Palo sobre palo
Hasta en la cabeza
Así sea mi novia
Yo le doy con fuerza mama
Oye Villanueva
Aunque sea mi novia mi amiguita o mi mujer
Eso es palo na ma
Palo palo palo palo palo palo palo palo palo palo palo
Aunque sea mi novia mi amiguita o mi mujer
A mí quien me la hace
Así le he de responder
Palo palo palo palo palo palo palo palo palo palo palo
Y aunque sea mi novia mi amiguita o mi mujer
Le doy con el palo
Porque ese es mi gran poder mama
Palo palo palo palo palo palo palo palo palo palo palo
Oye y ahora es para el combo musical en Barranquilla
Ajua.ajua
The lyrics to Joe Arroyo's song "El Palo" deal with the concept of respect, specifically the idea that one must assert themselves and demand respect in certain situations. The opening lines mention Adolfo Molina Molinares, which is a common way to start a story in Colombian music, and then goes on to say that the singer has no regrets and will not back down. The repeated phrase "Yo le voy a dar" translates to "I am going to give it to him/her" and is a declaration of the singer's intent to use force to make the other person show respect.
The rest of the lyrics elaborate on this idea, using the metaphor of hitting somebody with a stick ("palo") to make a point. The phrase "palo sobre palo hasta en la cabeza" means "stick after stick, even to the head", indicating that the singer is willing to keep hitting the other person until they get the message. The line "asi sea mi novia yo le doy con fuerza" suggests that the singer is willing to use this force even on someone they love if necessary.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the importance of standing up for oneself and demanding respect, even if it means using force.
Line by Line Meaning
Adolfo Molina Molinares
Acknowledging the name of the person who inspired the song
Y de los controles que
Unknown meaning, possibly refers to a specific situation or event
Yo no me arrepiento ni voy amagar
I have no regrets or intentions of backing down
Yo le voy a dar
I will give it to him/her
Es pa que respete
So that he/she respects me
Que yo le voy a dar
I will give it to him/her
Pa que me respete
So that he/she respects me
Palo sobre palo
One hit after another
Hasta en la cabeza
Even in the head
Es para que aprenda
So that he/she learns a lesson
Así sea mi novia
Even if it's my girlfriend
Yo le doy con fuerza mama
I will hit him/her with strength, mama
Oye y se acabaron las piedras
A reference to a previous form of violence; now resorting to sticks
Pero lo que traigo es palo na ma
But what I have is just a stick
Oye viejo piti hay na ma
Unknown meaning, possibly a nonsensical phrase
Pa que me respete
So that he/she respects me
Que yo le voy a dar
I will give it to him/her
Oye Villanueva
Addressing someone named Villanueva
Aunque sea mi novia mi amiguita o mi mujer
Even if it's my girlfriend, little friend or wife
Eso es palo na ma
That's just a stick
A mí quien me la hace
Whoever does it to me
Así le he de responder
That's how I will respond
Y aunque sea mi novia mi amiguita o mi mujer
Even if it's my girlfriend, little friend or wife
Le doy con el palo
I hit him/her with the stick
Porque ese es mi gran poder mama
Because that's my great power, mama
Oye y ahora es para el combo musical en Barranquilla
Now it's time for the musical combo in Barranquilla
Ajua.ajua
Expressing excitement or joy
Contributed by Nathan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@alvarocamargo7448
amigo cuando miro tus videos las lágrimas se me salen solitas
@jairogomez9709
Este tema dio buen palo....
@misaelmenco6705
Barranquillero barranquillerisimo loco
@arturogonzalez4505
TODO LO HACIA BIEN, EL MAS GRANDE¡¡¡
@rubenpalacio5390
Musica de mi cartagena
@carlosjulioquesadat9617
Excelentes melodias de este grande de la musica ...unica einigualable
@sykopolak
good stuff
@yaniilozano9388
me encanta
@gliceriopenate366
Este Joe es un grande siempre con sus ritmos diferentes espectacular asi se puede calificar yvqueda pequeño
@rafaelmoronta6087
oye uaooooo