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
Por Qué Eres Así?
Los indios tabajaras Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
¿Porque tus ojos me dicen que si?
Si se muy bien que no.
Si mi consuelo es mirarte nomas para vivir por ti.
¿Porque me llamas de luego te vas? ¿Porque eres asi? ¿por que?
Si tu estas, la vida no puede serrr
Necesito tenerte siempre conmigo en mi corazon.
¿Porque te vas? me desespera tu adios
Si tu no estas la vida no puede ser
Necesito tenerte siempre conmigo en mi corazon.
¿Porque te vas? me decespera tu adios
No es posible que seas asi no quiero vivir sin ti.
The lyrics of Los Indios Tabajaras's Por Qué Eres Así? beautifully capture the pain and confusion of unrequited love. In the opening lines, the singer wonders what the person they are looking at is thinking and why their eyes seem to be saying "yes" even though the singer knows that they don't feel the same way. Despite this, the singer finds comfort in simply being able to look at this person and live for them.
The chorus of the song becomes more anguished, as the singer asks why this person repeatedly calls them only to leave them again. The singer is addicted to this person's presence in their life and cannot imagine living without them. The repetition of the line "Si tu no estás la vida no puede ser" underscores just how much this person means to the singer, and how lost they feel without them. The final lines express desperation and hopelessness, as the singer pleads with the person not to leave them and insists that they cannot live without them.
Overall, the lyrics of Por Qué Eres Así? are powerful and emotional, conveying the all-consuming nature of unrequited love and the pain of feeling utterly dependent on someone who does not feel the same way.
Line by Line Meaning
¿Porque suspiras? ¿que piensas de mi? Cuando te miro yoo
Why do you sigh? What do you think of me? When I look at you
¿Porque tus ojos me dicen que si? Si se muy bien que no.
Why do your eyes tell me yes? When I know very well it's not true
Si mi consuelo es mirarte nomas para vivir por ti.
If my only solace is looking at you to live for you
¿Porque me llamas de luego te vas? ¿Porque eres asi? ¿por que?
Why do you call me and then leave? Why are you like this? Why?
Si tu estas, la vida no puede serrr Necesito tenerte siempre conmigo en mi corazon.
If you're here, life can't be bad. I need to always have you in my heart.
¿Porque te vas? me desespera tu adios No es posible que seas asi, no quiero vivir sin ti.
Why are you leaving? Your goodbye drives me crazy. It's not possible for you to be like this, I don't want to live without you.
Si tu no estas la vida no puede ser Necesito tenerte siempre conmigo en mi corazon.
If you're not here, life can't go on. I need to always have you in my heart.
¿Porque te vas? me decespera tu adios No es posible que seas asi no quiero vivir sin ti.
Why are you leaving? Your goodbye drives me crazy. It's not possible for you to be like this, I don't want to live without you.
Writer(s): los indios tabajaras
Contributed by Stella C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.