Jorge Cafrune was born in the estancia "La Matilde" of El Sunchal , Perico Del Carmén , Jujuy . He completed his secondary studies in San Salvador de Jujuy, during which he took guitar classes with Nicolas Lamadrid.
In 1957 he recorded his first disk with the band Las voces de Huayra that in 1960 changed its name to Los cantores del Alba, with Ariel Ramirez as manager. Beginning in 1962 , Cafrune began to perform at the Cosquin Folkloric Festival . In 1966 in one of his visits to smaller villages, he met a young folklorist singer named José Larralde .
In 1967 shown the trip "De caballo por mi patria" in homage to Chacho Peñaloza . During this trip Cafrune traveled about Argentina as had many gauchos, taking his art and message around the country.
In 1977, after several years spent living in Spain, he returned to his country. Times were difficult for the Argentine, as the government was under the restrictive military dictatorship of Jorge Rafael Videla . The government saw a menace in Cafrune's outspoken music, and in particular one politically controversial song of his, "Zamba de mi esperanza". On his persistence, Cafrune said, "Although it is not in the authorized repertoire, if my people request it of me, I am going to sing it." On January 31th of 1978, Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Enrique Villanueva ordered the assassination of Cafrune. After being run over by a van driven by two nineteen year old men, Cafrune died within twelve hours.
La Llorona
Jorge Cafrune Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pero mis penas no me abandonan;
Por algo canto esta zamba
Que han de llamar "la llorona".
Por más que olvidar yo quiera
Todas las penas que me atormentan,
Llorando van las guitarras,
¡Dónde te has ido!
¡Quién te ha llevado!
Mi corazón, día y noche,
Como el crespín te ha llamado!
Sollozan junto a sus nidos
Las urpillitas sus sentimientos:
Igual que esas avecitas,
Al aire doy mis lamentos.
La zamba que estoy cantando
Va despertando las alegrías;
No saben que en ella canto
Las propias desdichas mías...
¡Dónde te has ido!
¡Vidita mía!
Adónde están las constancias
Que me juraste aquel día
In the song "La Llorona" by Jorge Cafrune, the singer expresses his desire to leave his sorrows behind, but they seem to cling to him. He sings a zamba, which is a traditional Argentine folk dance and music genre. This particular zamba is called "La Llorona," a name that means "the weeping woman." The singer explains that even though he wants to forget his troubles, the guitars that accompany him in his singing seem to cry and mourn, almost as if they are lamenting his own sorrows. He calls out to a loved one who has left him, wondering where she has gone and who took her away. He compares his emotions to those of the small birds that sob in their nests, and he too sends his laments into the air.
As the singer performs the zamba, he feels that it has a transformative power over him. He suggests that although it may bring joy to those who hear it, it is also a vehicle for him to exorcise his own personal demons. He believes that the zamba reveals to others the misfortunes he has experienced in his own life. The lyrics reveal a sense of longing, grief, and heartache that the singer cannot shake off, no matter how much he tries to forget them.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo quiero dejar mis penas,
I wish to leave behind my sorrows,
Pero mis penas no me abandonan;
However, my sorrows never leave me behind;
Por algo canto esta zamba
That's why I sing this folk song
Que han de llamar "la llorona".
Which they will call "the weeping woman."
Por más que olvidar yo quiera
No matter how much I try and forget
Todas las penas que me atormentan,
All of the sorrows that torment me,
Llorando van las guitarras,
The guitars go on weeping,
Y ellas por mi se lamentan.
And they lament for me.
¡Dónde te has ido!
"Where have you gone!"
¡Quién te ha llevado!
"Who has taken you away!"
Mi corazón, día y noche,
My heart, day and night,
Como el crespín te ha llamado!
Calls out for you like the morning dew!
Sollozan junto a sus nidos
The little birds sob by their nests
Las urpillitas sus sentimientos:
The little flowers express their feelings:
Igual que esas avecitas,
Just like those little birds,
Al aire doy mis lamentos.
Into the air, I pour out my lament.
La zamba que estoy cantando
This folk song that I am singing
Va despertando las alegrías;
It awakens the joys;
No saben que en ella canto
They don't know that in it, I am singing
Las propias desdichas mías...
My own misfortunes...
¡Dónde te has ido!
"Where have you gone!"
¡Vidita mía!
"My dear life!"
Adónde están las constancias
"Where are the promises"
Que me juraste aquel día
You swore to me that day?
Writer(s): Gabino Coria Peñaloza, José Luis Padula
Contributed by Jeremiah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.