Esclavo
La Sarita Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Canto pa no llorar
canto para olvidar
canto a la esclavitud de la modernidad
danzando alrededor de penas y dolor
mis males alegré a ritmo de un cajón
una voz ancestral resuena en mi interior
es el grito inmortal grito de libertad
es una maldición, una broma de dios
o una broma quizá de un diablo jugador
es este mundo un gran galpón
aun los esclavos alimentamos al patrón
no hay más verdad, no hay humanidad




por eso canto, canto a mi libertad
canto a mi libertad.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of La Sarita's song Esclavo are a melancholic reflection on the state of modern society, where despite advances in technology and economy, people are still enslaved to their daily struggles and sufferings. The song's opening lines, "Canto pa no llorar, canto para olvidar" (I sing so I don't cry, I sing to forget), express the singer's desire to find solace in music and escape the harshness of reality. However, the following lines reveal that the song is not just about personal pain, but also about the universal condition of human servitude.


The lyrics describe how we are all "esclavos" (slaves) to the demands of modern life, dancing "alrededor de penas y dolor" (around pain and sorrow). The singer finds some respite from this oppression in the rhythm of a cajón, a traditional Afro-Peruvian percussion instrument that serves as a bridge between the past and the present. The lyrics also touch on themes of ancestry and spirituality, as the singer hears an "ancestral voice" inside her that speaks of "libertad" (freedom). The song questions the nature of the world we live in, whether it is a "maldición" (curse), a "broma de dios" (God's joke), or a "broma quizá de un diablo jugador" (a devil's prank). Ultimately, the song is a call for self-reflection and resistance, as the singer asserts her right to "canto a mi libertad" (sing to my freedom).


Line by Line Meaning

Canto pa no llorar
I sing so that I don't cry


canto para olvidar
I sing to forget


canto a la esclavitud de la modernidad
I sing about the slavery of modernity


danzando alrededor de penas y dolor
Dancing around sorrow and pain


mis males alegré a ritmo de un cajón
I cheered up my troubles to the beat of a percussion instrument (cajón)


una voz ancestral resuena en mi interior
An ancestral voice resounds within me


es el grito inmortal grito de libertad
It's the immortal cry of freedom


es una maldición, una broma de dios
It's a curse, a joke from God


o una broma quizá de un diablo jugador
Or maybe a joke from a gambling devil


es este mundo un gran galpón
This world is a big shed


aun los esclavos alimentamos al patrón
Even the slaves feed the boss


no hay más verdad, no hay humanidad
There is no more truth, no more humanity


por eso canto, canto a mi libertad
That's why I sing, I sing for my freedom


canto a mi libertad
I sing about my freedom




Contributed by Miles S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions