Vocalist/guitarist David Hidalgo and drummer Louie Pérez met at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, and bonded over their mutual affinity for obscure musical acts such as Fairport Convention, Randy Newman and Ry Cooder. Pérez recalls, "We’re looking at each other, 'You like this stuff? I thought I was the only weird one.' So I went over to his house one day for about a year, which we spent listening to records, playing guitars, and starting to write songs." The two borrowed reel-to-reel recorders from a friend and created multi-track recordings of music spanning from parody songs to free-form jazz. They later enlisted fellow students Cesar Rosas and Conrad Lozano to complete the group's line-up in 1973.
Formed in the late 1970's, band members Dave Hidalgo, Cesar Rojas, Steve Berlin, Louie Pérez and Conrad Lozano became the bellwether for Mexican-American music in the U.S. when they recorded the music for "La Bamba" in 1987, which added popular acclaim to the critical praise they had received for their 1984 album "How Will the Wolf Survive?".
They have since become one of the mainstays of the Latin music scene as well as rock music in general, staying together through over 20 albums, and for almost three decades, through changing music climate and personal tragedies, they've continued cranking out albums and touring to dedicated fans.
Anselma
Los Lobos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cuando pregunten en seguida me opondré
Y si pregunta el cura que porqué me opongo
Yo le diré que porque tu eres mi querer
Y si se enoja el que iba a ser tu esposo
Saco mi cohete y me pongo a disparar
Al fin y al cabo yo no le temo a la muerte
Ay! Anselma, Anselma, Anselma
Chaparra de mis penares
O, dejas que te visite
O, te mando a los gendarmes
Y si te niegas a matrimoniar conmigo
Les quito el rancho y propiedad de tu papa
Les pongo impuestos y hasta les quemo la casa
Porque por algo soy aquí la autoridad
Yo ordeno, y mando en todo este municipio
Yo te lo digo por si quieres escapar
Allá en el otro el que manda es mi tío Elijio
No más le aviso y te tiene que agarrar
Ay! Anselma, Anselma, Anselma
Chaparra de mis penares
O, dejas que te visite
O, te mando a los gendarmes
The lyrics of Los Lobos's song "Anselma" are about a man who is so in love with a woman named Anselma that he is willing to resort to extreme measures in order to be with her. He threatens to disrupt her wedding to another man by showing up with a weapon and causing a scene. He claims that he is not afraid to die, as he is the authority in his town. The lyrics also suggest that the man holds some sort of power in the town, as he threatens to take away Anselma's family's property if she refuses to marry him. He asserts that he is the authority in the municipality and that Anselma cannot escape from him because even in the next town over, his uncle holds the power.
The lyrics portray a dangerous obsession with a woman who is not interested in the man. The man's threats and use of power are unsettling and violent. The song could be interpreted as a cautionary tale about the dangers of obsession and the abuse of power.
Line by Line Meaning
Cuando te cases con el otro iré a tu boda
When you marry someone else, I'll go to your wedding
Cuando pregunten en seguida me opondré
When they ask, I will object right away
Y si pregunta el cura que porqué me opongo
And if the priest asks why I object
Yo le diré que porque tu eres mi querer
I will tell him it's because you are my beloved
Y si se enoja el que iba a ser tu esposo
And if the one who was going to be your husband gets angry
Saco mi cohete y me pongo a disparar
I will take out my gun and start shooting
Al fin y al cabo yo no le temo a la muerte
After all, I'm not afraid of death
Y voy al bote porqaue soy la autoridad
And I'll go to jail because I'm the authority here
Ay! Anselma, Anselma, Anselma
Oh! Anselma, Anselma, Anselma
Chaparra de mis penares
My little one, the cause of my sorrows
O, dejas que te visite
Or let me come visit you
O, te mando a los gendarmes
Or I'll send the police after you
Y si te niegas a matrimoniar conmigo
And if you refuse to marry me
Les quito el rancho y propiedad de tu papa
I'll take away your father's ranch and property
Les pongo impuestos y hasta les quemo la casa
I'll impose taxes on them and even burn down their house
Porque por algo soy aquí la autoridad
Because I am the authority here for a reason
Yo ordeno, y mando en todo este municipio
I give orders and I'm in charge in this municipality
Yo te lo digo por si quieres escapar
I'm telling you in case you want to escape
Allá en el otro el que manda es mi tío Elijio
Over there, my uncle Elijio is in charge
No más le aviso y te tiene que agarrar
I just have to give him a heads up and he'll catch you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CESAR SUEDAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jim Wood
on Me Estas Matando
I would like to learn this song. My Spanish is sufficient, but I require the lyrics. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Jim Wood
on Me Estas Matando
I can't seem to find lyrics for this song. Can anyone help me out?