Los Fronterizos are among the most famous Argentine musical ensembles. They have recorded over thirty records throughout the more than fifty years in which they were active. Their genre is Folklore Argentino ("Argentine Folk") which blends powerful, vibrant rhythms from the Spanish Flamenco with indigenous South American elements such as the Andean flute, or quena. The latter is a hallmark of the Musica Andina genre which became well known in the U.S with Simon & Garfunkel's English version of "El Condor Pasa". Some of the Fronterizos' most famous records are Personalidad en Folklore (circa 1962), Color en Folklore, and Ariel Ramirez' Misa Criolla (1964 and 1977). In most songs, the band's instrumentation includes acoustic guitars and bombo legüero (a large indigenous drum), and occasionally, charango and quena.
Los Fronterizos' success may be attributed to their touching melodies written by some of Argentina's best song writers and to their remarkable harmony and rare combination of voices (one alto, two tenors, and one bass).
The group formally disbanded in 1977 but continued to reunite and perform in tours with great success for years thereafter. The very powerful lead voice (one of the two tenors) belonged to Gerardo López who died in 2004.
Añoranzas
Los Fronterizos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lloré sin saber porqué pero yo les aseguro
Que mi corazón es duro pero aquel día afloje.
Dejé aquel suelo querido y el rancho donde nací
Donde tan feliz viví alegremente cantando
En cambio vivo llorando igualito que el crespín.
De mi memoria apartar y hacer que te eche al olvido
Hay mi Santiago querido yo añoro tu quebrachal.
Mañana cuando me muera si alguien se apiada de mí
Llevenmé donde nací si quieren darme la gloria
Y toquen a mi memoria la doble que canto aquí.
En mis horas de tristeza siempre me pongo a pensar
Como pueden olvidar algunos de mis paisanos
Rancho, padre, madre, hermano con tanta facilidad.
Santiagueño no ha de ser el que obre de esa manera
Despreciar la chacarera por otra danza importada
Eso es verla mancillada a nuestra raza campera.
La otra noche a mis almohadas mojadas las encontré
Mas ignoro si soñé o es que despierto lloraba
Y en lontananza miraba el rancho aquel que dejé.
Tal vez en el campo santo no haya un lugar para mí
Paisanos les vua' pedir que cuando llegue el momento
Tirenmé en el campo abierto pero allí donde nací.
The language in Los Fronterizos's song "Añoranzas" expresses nostalgia and longing for a land left behind. The lyrics describe the singer's departure from Santiago, during which he wept without knowing why. The departure from his beloved home and the ranch where he was born is a painful experience for the singer. He marks the moment as a turning point when he realized that his heart was not as tough as he thought it was. He acknowledges that he has been living in sorrow ever since leaving the land of his birth, much like the cypress tree. The years and distances have not erased from his memory the beauty of Santiago, and he deeply misses the trees (particular species of trees called "quebrachos") that grew on its soil.
The song goes on to express a desire for a final resting place near where he was born. In his moments of sadness, he thinks about how it is possible for some of his fellow countrymen to forget the simple pleasures of life and to prefer foreign dances over their own traditional "chacarera." The memory of his home is vivid in his mind, and at times he dreams of it as he longs to return to Santiago. Ultimately, the singer wishes to be buried in an open field near his birthplace, surrounded by the familiar colors of his homeland.
Line by Line Meaning
Cuando salí de Santiago todo el camino lloré
When I left Santiago, I cried the entire way without knowing why.
Lloré sin saber porqué pero yo les aseguro
I cried without knowing why, but I assure you that my heart is normally strong and unemotional.
Que mi corazón es duro pero aquel día afloje.
My heart is usually tough, but that day, it weakened and became emotional.
Dejé aquel suelo querido y el rancho donde nací
I left the beloved land and the ranch where I was born.
Donde tan feliz viví alegremente cantando
I lived there happily, singing joyfully all the time.
En cambio vivo llorando igualito que el crespín.
But now, I live crying all the time, just like a weeping willow.
Los años ni las distancias jamás pudieron borrar
Neither time nor distance could ever erase or remove
De mi memoria apartar y hacer que te eche al olvido
From my memory, the love and memories of Santiago that I hold dearly.
Hay mi Santiago querido yo añoro tu quebrachal.
Oh my beloved Santiago, I long for your quebrachal, the place where I was born and grew up.
Mañana cuando me muera si alguien se apiada de mí
If someone takes pity on me when I die tomorrow,
Llevenmé donde nací si quieren darme la gloria
Take me to where I was born if you want to give me glory.
Y toquen a mi memoria la doble que canto aquí.
And sing double the songs in my memory that I sing here.
En mis horas de tristeza siempre me pongo a pensar
Whenever I'm sad and lonely, I start thinking
Como pueden olvidar algunos de mis paisanos
How some of my fellow countrymen could forget
Rancho, padre, madre, hermano con tanta facilidad.
Their home, father, mother, and siblings so easily.
Santiagueño no ha de ser el que obre de esa manera
A person from Santiago should not act in that way.
Despreciar la chacarera por otra danza importada
Disregarding the folk dance Chacarera for a foreign one.
Eso es verla mancillada a nuestra raza campera.
That's seeing our country race and tradition being disgraced.
La otra noche a mis almohadas mojadas las encontré
The other night, I found my pillows soaked with tears.
Mas ignoro si soñé o es que despierto lloraba
But I'm not sure if I was dreaming or crying while awake.
Y en lontananza miraba el rancho aquel que dejé.
And in the distance, I looked at the ranch that I left behind.
Tal vez en el campo santo no haya un lugar para mí
Perhaps there isn't a place for me in the cemetery.
Paisanos les vua' pedir que cuando llegue el momento
I want to ask my fellow countrymen
Tirenmé en el campo abierto pero allí donde nací.
To bury me in the open field, but where I was born.
Writer(s): Julio Argentino Jerez
Contributed by Henry H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.