1) The performing name of Lhas… Read Full Bio ↴Lhasa is a name of at least two acts:
1) The performing name of Lhasa de Sela (1972-2010), who was a Canadian singer of Mexican and Jewish descent.
Born in Big Indian, New York, she grew up in the United States and Mexico, and moved to Canada when she was twenty years old. After the success of her 1998 album La llorona, which mixes everything from traditional Mexican music to klezmer to alternative rock, she moved to France. Her album The Living Road was released in 2003. In 2005 she won the "Americas" category in the Awards for World Music. She released her third and last album, Lhasa in 2009.
Lhasa de Sela died of breast cancer in Montréal, Québec, on the 1st January 2010.
2) A Tokyo, Japan screamo / sludge band, aka Lhasa (Jap). Their only release is a split CD with Daitro and Raein entitled "The Harsh Words As the Sun" (Oct 2004, Oto / Satire records).
El Payande
Lhasa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bajo la sombra de un payande
Como mi madre fue una esclava
Tambien la marca yo la lleve
Ay, suerte maldita llevar candenas
Y ser esclava
Y ser esclava de un vil señor
Ay, suerte maldita llevar cadenas
Y ser esclava de un vil señor
The opening lines of "El Payande" by Lhasa begin with an autobiographical statement. She tells us that she was born on a beach with "mar y arena", or sea and sand, "bajo la sombra de un payande", beneath the shade of a "payande". For those who are not familiar with the term, a "payande" is a type of tree in South America that provides ample shade with its branches and leaves. In this way, it becomes a symbol of protection and nurturing for Lhasa in her early years of life.
Next, Lhasa reveals that her mother was a slave, and her own life has been marked by this fact as well. The lines "Como mi madre fue una esclava/Tambien la marca yo la lleve" indicate that Lhasa is carrying the same "mark", or stigma, as her mother. The song takes on a melancholy tone as she sings of her "suerte maldita", or wretched luck, to have been born into a situation where she is shackled by "cadenas", or chains. These chains represent both the physical bondage of slavery and the emotional burden of being bound to a "vil señor", or cruel master.
Overall, "El Payande" is a powerful statement about the legacy of slavery and the ongoing impact of this history on those who have been affected by it. Lhasa's lyrics evoke a sense of sorrow and yearning for freedom, while also acknowledging the resilience and strength of those who have suffered under oppressive systems.
Line by Line Meaning
Naci en la playa de mar y arena
I was born on the beach of sand and sea
Bajo la sombra de un payande
Under the shade of a payande tree
Como mi madre fue una esclava
Just like my mother who was a slave
Tambien la marca yo la lleve
I too carry the mark of slavery
Ay, suerte maldita llevar candenas
Oh, cursed luck to wear chains
Y ser esclava
And be a slave
Y ser esclava de un vil señor
And be a slave to a vile master
Ay, suerte maldita llevar cadenas
Oh, cursed luck to wear chains
Y ser esclava
And be a slave
Y ser esclava de un vil señor
And be a slave to a vile master
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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