The band started when Jorge González and Miguel Tapia decided to start their own band while being high school students. They were inexperienced but enthusiastic, after many practices and writing songs, they asked Claudio Narea if he would like to join them, and impressed by the music they were making, he accepted. Towards the early 80's they went through some name changes and before settling on "Los Prisioneros" they had the name "Los Vinchukas" as their original name. In 1983, they had played a number of local shows and that's when they met Carlos Fonseca, their future manager. Through him, they managed to score a record deal with Fusión Producciones.
In 1984, the band's debut album was released, with the hit song "La Voz De Los '80" (which was never a single). They reached acclaim in the radio and by the next year they would be touring. In 1986, their long awaited second album "Pateando Piedras" went double Platinum album in Chile. By that time, the group was invited to perform at Argentina's Chateau Rock Festival and later to a similar event in Montevideo, Uruguay. They continued touring and they became more successful mainstream wise.
The band disbanded in 1992, then as a quartet with additional members Cecilia Aguayo (keyboards) and Robert Rodríguez (guitar), since Claudio Narea had left the band earlier in 1990.
The original lineup of the band decided to get back together in 2001, offering two massive concerts in the National Stadium of Santiago, and then releasing "Los Prisioneros", their first original studio album in 13 years. However, internal problems between González and Narea led again to the departure of the guitarist in 2001. Los Prisioneros continued working as a duet with guest members like Álvaro Henríquez whom with they released a cover album. In 2004 two additional musicians joined the band: Sergio "Coty" Badilla and Gonzalo Yáñez, releasing their sixth album Manzana the same year. A little while after the release of the album band members decided to establish themselves in Mexico, attempting to get more international exposure. Yáñez decided not to leave Chile and left the band. After touring through several locations in North and South America, they finally disbanded in 2006.
¿Por Qué Los Ricos?
Los Prisioneros Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Con los curas con las monjas
De la caridad
Con sus cuerpos llenos de comida
Crecen como europeos
Rubios y robustos
Nos quitan el camino a la universidad
Sus cabezas saben todo lo que hay
Que responder
Tienen las escuelas numeradas
Nos enseñan humildad y resignación
Nos explican de que esta de más
Intentar pensar siquiera en ser profesional
Tu educación es una porquería
Yo con esas notas, ni siquiera trataría
Dedícate a ladrón, a vago o esclavo
Y nunca trates de entender
Por qué, por qué los ricos
Por qué, por qué los ricos
Tienen derecho a pasarlo tan bien
Tienen derecho a pasarlo tan bien
Por qué, por qué los ricos
Por qué, por qué los ricos
Tienen derecho a pasarlo tan bien
Si son tan imbéciles como los pobres
Allí van cruzando su ciudad
Taquillando en sus autos
O en el de su papá
Disfrutando de la juventud
Del derecho de herederos
De los dueños de América del Sur
A veces unos tienen ganas de igualar
Forman entidades, juegan a luchar
De exclusos o reclusos
Y de intelectual
Y todo sigue tan igual
Tan igual
Por qué, por qué los ricos
Por qué, por qué los ricos
Tienen derecho a pasarlo tan bien
Tienen derecho a pasarlo tan bien
Por qué, por qué los ricos
Por qué, por qué los ricos
Tienen derecho a pasarlo tan bien
Si son tan imbéciles
Si son tan imbéciles
Si son tan imbéciles
Y los de arriba siguen
Y los de abajo siguen
Y nadie tiene ganas de ver un final
Si los de abajo creen
Lo que de arriba dicen
En quién voy a confiar
Quizá al final me de igual
Dime por qué
Tantos Mercedes tanta comida
Tantas palabras, tantas mentiras
The lyrics in Los Prisioneros's song Por Qué los Ricos are a commentary on socioeconomic inequality and the privileged lives of the rich. The verses describe how the wealthy have access to better education, resources, and opportunities to succeed. The opening lines compare the carefree childhoods of the rich, who attend private schools and play with the nuns and priests, with the struggles of the poor. The lyrics highlight the disparity between the lives of the rich and the poor and question why the rich have the right to enjoy life so much, even though they are no smarter than the poor.
The second verse talks about how the education system is rigged against the poor, who are prevented from pursuing higher education, and are instead taught to be humble and resigned to their lot in life. The rich, on the other hand, are given every advantage, including access to the best schools, and are practically guaranteed success.
The chorus repeats the question "why do the rich have the right to have such a good time?" and suggests that even though the rich are no smarter than the poor, they still have access to resources that allow them to enjoy life to the fullest. The song ends on a note of resignation, suggesting that the poor have given up trying to fight against the system that benefits the rich.
Line by Line Meaning
Van a sus colegios a jugar
They go to their schools to play
Con los curas con las monjas
With the priests with the nuns
De la caridad
Of charity
Con sus cuerpos llenos de comida
With their bodies full of food
Crecen como europeos
They grow up like Europeans
Rubios y robustos
Blond and robust
Nos quitan el camino a la universidad
They take away the path to university from us
Llenan sus libretas de notas sin igual
They fill their notebooks with unmatched grades
Sus cabezas saben todo lo que hay
Their heads know everything that’s there
Que responder
To respond
Tienen las escuelas numeradas
They have the schools numbered
Nos enseñan humildad y resignación
They teach us humility and resignation
Nos explican de que esta de más
They explain to us that it's unnecessary
Intentar pensar siquiera en ser profesional
To even try to think about being a professional
Tu educación es una porquería
Your education is crap
Yo con esas notas, ni siquiera trataría
With those grades, I wouldn't even try
Dedícate a ladrón, a vago o esclavo
Dedicate yourself to being a thief, a lazy person or a slave
Y nunca trates de entender
And never try to understand
Por qué, por qué los ricos
Why, why the rich
Tienen derecho a pasarlo tan bien
Have the right to have so much fun
Si son tan imbéciles como los pobres
If they're as stupid as the poor
Allí van cruzando su ciudad
There they go crossing their city
Taquillando en sus autos
Ticketing in their cars
O en el de su papá
Or in their dad's car
Disfrutando de la juventud
Enjoying their youth
Del derecho de herederos
From their right as heirs
De los dueños de América del Sur
From the owners of South America
A veces unos tienen ganas de igualar
Sometimes some want to be equal
Forman entidades, juegan a luchar
They form entities, play to fight
De exclusos o reclusos
Of the excluded or the incarcerated
Y de intelectual
And of the intellectual
Y todo sigue tan igual
And everything remains the same
Por qué, por qué los ricos
Why, why the rich
Tienen derecho a pasarlo tan bien
Have the right to have so much fun
Si son tan imbéciles como los pobres
If they're as stupid as the poor
Y los de arriba siguen
And those at the top continue
Y los de abajo siguen
And those at the bottom continue
Y nadie tiene ganas de ver un final
And no one wants to see an end
Si los de abajo creen
If those at the bottom believe
Lo que de arriba dicen
What those at the top say
En quién voy a confiar
In whom am I going to trust
Quizá al final me de igual
Maybe in the end, it doesn't matter to me
Dime por qué
Tell me why
Tantos Mercedes tanta comida
So many Mercedes, so much food
Tantas palabras, tantas mentiras
So many words, so many lies
Lyrics © SADAIC LATIN COPYRIGHTS, INC.
Written by: JORGE GONZALEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pedro Nuñez
Que diferencia pasar la cuarentena entre piscinas, televisores gigantes, casas con jardines inmensos, una jugosa cuenta bancaria y el almacén lleno de carnes... a pasar la cuarentena rompiéndote la cabeza pensando solo en como y que comerás al día siguiente... ¿Por que los ricos? Mas vigente que nunca.
Felipe Guarda
@Alfredo Alvarado ojalá el mundo funcionara con esa formula 🤣
Brunitox
@CG baah no es un insulto, es un lugar, al cual perteneces pues tambièn te arde que la gente estè harta de este paìs mientras tù vives de las migajas y no haces nada por surgir creo yo no sè...
Juantakero
@Alfredo Alvarado "No hables de meritocracia, me da gracia, no me jodas. Que sin oportunidades esa mierda no funciona".
REXTER
@Alfredo Alvarado osea el pobre es pobre pq quiere ?
CG
@Brunitox bueno y cual es el problema en que los escuche? Lloreria wn insulto mas patetico
Carlos Caceres
lo que daría por un concierto en vivo de los prisioneros
Brunitox
@Isi Pereira yo tengo 16, mi madre y mis tíos en aquel entonces (2001) tenían 30 y tantos años y dicen que cuando vieneron para rancagua al estadio braden, llenísimo y hasta había muuuucha gente desde afuera escuchando!!! Daría lo que fuera por verlos en vivo también! Pero con saber que los 3 están vivitos y coleando me conformo!!! 😇😇😇😊😊😊
Brunitox
@alan ramirez jauya ooooo rodrigog 😅😅😅 ese man si que era un prisionero!!!
Marlon Fabre
Yo desde antes de la cuarentena ya lo escuchaba.