The band was unable to secure a record deal in Mexico, as their music was considered to be insufficiently commercial, and ended up releasing their first album Latin Ska Force independently. However, in 1999 they secured a deal with David Byrne's Luaka Bop record label to release their international debut, Los de Abajo.
The follow-up Cybertropic Chilango Power was released in 2002 and won BBC Radio 3's World Music Award for the Americas. 2006's LDA v The Lunatics saw them continue to absorb influences from around the world and included a Spanish-language version of The Fun Boy Three song "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum)", featuring Neville Staples.
The band are supporters of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation and have played benefits gigs for the revolutionary group. The Zapatistas' Comandante Esther features on "Resistencia", the first track on LDA v The Lunatics.
Joder
Los de Abajo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mantenerte en este estado
De pobreza why desagrado?
?con las manos
Atadas a las espaldas
De puerquito te he agarrado
¿Cuántas veces te he encajado
Con miedo te tengo
Orillado, atado sin educación
Así nos quieren joder (Repeat)
Me has dado
Todo el poder en estas manos
why con las mismas mato
why con las mismas robo
Me chingo a tus padres why a tus hermanos
Me los traigo bien cortitos
Dando impuestos como esclavos
why a la tumba me los llevo
Ya que ni los tengo tranquilos
why a salvo con seguro social
¡Eh, eh, eh eh?!
Vendemos al país con los tratados
why teniéndolos bien tarados
No nos quitarán los puestos
¡Los queremos bien dispuestos! (Repeat)
Así nos quieren joder (Repeat)
The song "Joder" by Los de Abajo is a powerful critique of the social and economic inequalities that many people in Mexico face. The lyrics pose a series of questions about the causes of poverty and desperation, questioning why so many people are left in such dire circumstances. The singer notes that he has had to resort to violence and manipulation to survive, taking advantage of those around him to maintain his own power and control. He acknowledges that fear is a powerful motivator for many people, and that those who are uneducated and disengaged from the world around them are particularly vulnerable to exploitation.
The chorus repeatedly emphasizes the message that the powers that be are actively working to "joder" or screw over the people, using their positions of authority to enrich themselves at the expense of those who are less fortunate. The second verse highlights the ways in which this manifests, with the singer boasting about his willingness to do whatever it takes to maintain his own power and wealth, including exploiting his own family members and selling out his own country through trade deals that benefit the rich and powerful.
Overall, the song is a powerful call to action, urging listeners to wake up to the injustices around them and to fight back against those who are determined to keep them down.
Line by Line Meaning
No sabes cuántos años nos ha costado
You don't know how many years it has taken us
Mantenerte en este estado
To keep you in this condition
De pobreza why desagrado?
Of poverty and dissatisfaction?
?con las manos
With our hands
Atadas a las espaldas
Tied behind our backs
De puerquito te he agarrado
I have caught you like a pig
¿Cuántas veces te he encajado
How many times have I stabbed you
Este filo por el costado?
With this blade in your side?
Con miedo te tengo
I have you scared
Orillado, atado sin educación
Cornered, tied up without education
Así nos quieren joder (Repeat)
This is how they want to screw us over
Me has dado
You have given me
Todo el poder en estas manos
All the power in these hands
why con las mismas mato
And with them I kill
why con las mismas robo
And with them I steal
Me chingo a tus padres why a tus hermanos
I screw your parents and siblings
Me los traigo bien cortitos
I bring them short
Dando impuestos como esclavos
Paying taxes like slaves
why a la tumba me los llevo
And I take them to the grave
Ya que ni los tengo tranquilos
Since I can't keep them calm
why a salvo con seguro social
And safe with social security
¡Eh, eh, eh eh?!
Hey, hey, hey, hey?
Vendemos al país con los tratados
We're selling the country with treaties
why teniéndolos bien tarados
And keeping them well fooled
No nos quitarán los puestos
They won't take away our positions
¡Los queremos bien dispuestos! (Repeat)
We want them well disposed!
Así nos quieren joder (Repeat)
This is how they want to screw us over
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAMIAN PORTUGAL, CARLOS ARMANDO CUEVAS CERON, LIBER TERAN GOMEZ, YOCUPITZIO ARELLANO, VLADIMIR EMILIANO GARNICA LOVERA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind