RCA and their promoters have always drawn a veil of mystery around Los Indios Tabajaras, so it's tough to trace their early years accurately. Their literature claimed they discovered a guitar in the jungle near Ceara, Brazil, and, after making sure it wasn't going to explode like other firearms their tribesmen had found, began to examine it. Eventually, they both mastered the instrument and came to the attention of townspeople, one of whom took them to Rio de Janeiro to play.
Dressing up in ceremonial Indian costumes, the brothers perfected a nightclub act in which they sang and played Brazilian and Latin folk songs. They changed their names to Natalicio and Antenor Lima and began touring throughout South America. In 1943, RCA's Latin American arm signed them to a contract.
In the early 1950s, they took a break from touring and returned to study, each with a different teacher. Natalicio focused on melody and Antenor worked on harmony. They also added a substantial classical repertoire to their act, including guitar pieces by Bach, Falla, and Albeniz.
Another tour followed, this time to Europe as well, and they recorded several more albums for RCA in Mexico. One of their singles, "Maria Elena," released in 1958, became a steady seller, and by early 1962, its success caught the eye of RCA's U.S. division. They issued the tune, and this lovely, gentle melody quickly carved a solid niche in the U.S. pop charts. It ended up spending 14 weeks in the U.S. Top 10 and 17 weeks in the U.K. charts, and the subsequent album placed in the Top 10 album chart as well. Within a year, the brothers followed with another single, "Always in My Heart," but the novelty had worn off and it barely dented the Top 100.
Chet Atkins was particularly impressed by the brothers' guitar work, and he invited them to Nashville, where they recorded an instrumental album with Atkins and pianist Floyd Cramer, and--in one of the oddest releases of the countrypolitan era--one with singer Don Gibson ("Oh, Lonesome Me").
RCA--both the U.S. and Latin American divisions--continued to record them well into the 1980s, and the brother's mellow guitar style proved a big influence on a new generation of guitarists such as Rick Vito
Penelope
Los indios tabajaras Lyrics
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con su bolso de piel marrón
why sus zapatos de tacón,
why su vestido de domingo.
Penélope,
se sienta en un banco en el andén
why espera que llegue el primer tren
Dicen en el pueblo que un caminante paró
su reloj una tarde de primavera.
Adiós, amor mío, no me llores, volveré
antes que de los sauces caigan las hojas...
Piensa en mí, volveré por ti...
Pobre infeliz,
se paró tu reloj infantil
una tarde plomiza de abril,
cuando se fue tu amante.
Se marchitó
en tu huerto hasta la última flor,
no hay un sauce en la calle mayor
para Penélope.
Penélope,
tristes a fuerza de esperar,
sus ojos parecen brillar
si un tren silba a lo lejos.
Penélope,
uno tras otro los ve pasar,
mira sus caras, les oye hablar,
para ella son muñecos.
Dicen en el pueblo que el caminante volvió,
la encontró en su banco de pino verde.
La llamó: "Penélope, mi amante fiel, mi paz,
deja ya de tejer sueños en tu mente...
Mírame, soy tu amor, regresé..."
Le sonrió
con los ojos llenitos de ayer,
no era así su cara ni su piel:
"Tú no eres quien yo espero..."
why se quedó
con su bolso de piel marrón
why sus zapatitos de tacón
sentada en la estación
The song "Penelope" by Los Indios Tabajaras tells the story of a woman named Penelope who sits on a bench at the train station, waiting for her lover to return. She is described as carrying a brown leather bag, wearing high heels, and her Sunday best dress. The lyrics convey her sadness and desperation as she waits for her lover, who apparently stopped his watch one spring afternoon and said goodbye without shedding a tear. The song mentions the town's rumor of the returning of her lover and how every train that passes only adds to her heartache.
As Penelope's lover returns, she realizes that he is not the person she was waiting for, and her heartbreak deepens. Her eyes fill with tears as she understands that her true love will never come back. The song ends with Penelope sitting alone at the station with her brown leather bag and high heels, the symbol of her waiting and longing.
The lyrics in "Penelope" depict a woman's longing for the return of her lover, and the pain she experiences as she waits. It embodies the idea of love and loss, as well as the theme of time, with the image of the stopped watch. The song conveys the idea of hope and waiting, something that many people can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
Penélope, con su bolso de piel marrón y sus zapatos de tacón y su vestido de domingo.
Penelope, carrying a brown leather purse, with high-heeled shoes and her Sunday dress.
Penélope, se sienta en un banco en el andén y espera que llegue el primer tren meneando el abanico.
Penelope sits on a bench on the platform and waits for the first train to arrive while fanning herself.
Dicen en el pueblo que un caminante paró su reloj una tarde de primavera. Adiós, amor mío, no me llores, volveré antes que de los sauces caigan las hojas...
They say in the village that a traveler stopped his clock once in a spring afternoon. Goodbye, my love, don't cry for me, I'll return before the willow leaves fall...
Piensa en mí, volveré por ti... Pobre infeliz, se paró tu reloj infantil una tarde plomiza de abril, cuando se fue tu amante.
Think of me, I'll come back for you... Poor unfortunate, your child's clock stopped on a drizzly April afternoon, when your lover left.
Se marchitó en tu huerto hasta la última flor, no hay un sauce en la calle mayor para Penélope.
He withered away in your garden till the last flower, there's no willow on the main street for Penelope.
Penélope, tristes a fuerza de esperar, sus ojos parecen brillar si un tren silba a lo lejos.
Penelope, weary from waiting, her eyes seem to shine if a train whistles in the distance.
Penélope, uno tras otro los ve pasar, mira sus caras, les oye hablar, para ella son muñecos.
Penelope sees them pass one by one, she watches their faces, hears them talk, to her they're dolls.
Dicen en el pueblo que el caminante volvió, la encontró en su banco de pino verde. La llamó: "Penélope, mi amante fiel, mi paz, deja ya de tejer sueños en tu mente... Mírame, soy tu amor, regresé..."
They say in the village that the traveler returned, found her on her bench of green pine. He called her: Penelope, my faithful lover, my peace, stop weaving dreams in your mind... Look at me, I'm your love, I returned...
Le sonrió con los ojos llenitos de ayer, no era así su cara ni su piel: "Tú no eres quien yo espero..." y se quedó con su bolso de piel marrón y sus zapatitos de tacón sentada en la estación.
She smiled at him with her eyes full of yesterday, but his face and skin were not the same: "You're not the one I'm waiting for..." and she stayed with her brown leather purse and high heel shoes, sitting at the station.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LESLIE BRICUSSE, JOHN T. WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind