Mano Negra was a French/Spanish/Portuguese band fronted by Manu Chao, born … Read Full Bio ↴Mano Negra was a French/Spanish/Portuguese band fronted by Manu Chao, born in Paris, France to Spanish parents. The band was founded in 1987 by Manu, his brother Antoine, and his cousin Santiago Casiriego. It split circa 1995, but many members had already left in 1992.

The band was formed from the fusion of 2 smallers bands, the Hot Pants and the Casse-pieds.

Mano Negra mixed a number of styles: straight rock (with a lead guitar), latin music (with a brass section), punk (influenced by The Clash). Their songs often mixed French, Spanish and English lyrics.

Frontman Manu Chao later reappeared as as the lead in Radio Bemba Sound System to record their eponymous 2002 live album. He has also released four solo albums, Clandestino and Proxima Estacion: Esperanza in 1998 and 2002,Siberie M'Etait Conteee in 2005 and La Radiolina in 2007.

Former band member Tom Darnal was one of the founders of the band P18

About name

La Mano Negra ("The Black Hand") was a supposed anarchist organization in Andalucía, Spain, accused of many terrorist acts. Although, in latter studies, its existence was found unlikely and was probably an excuse used by the government under Sagasta to oppress anarchist activity in southern Spain.

Casa Babylon
Mano Negra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Entre casa y Babylon
Camino peleon
Entre tu mama y Babylon
Ni papa ni colchon
Entre colonia y Babylon
No te vayas de resbalon
Entre casa y Babylon
Camina la ilusion

Entre mama y Babylon
Camino sin perdon
Entre colonia y Babylon
No te vayas de resbalon
Entre gÃ¼ato y bacha
Camina la cucaracha
Entre poli y pelon
Camina la represion
Entre casa y Babylon
El camino esta cabron

Entre colonia y Babylon
No te vayas de resbalon

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Casa Babylon" by Mano Negra describe the struggle of walking the fine line between two contrasting worlds. The song invokes the image of a person walking between their household and Babylon, the city of sin and temptation. The singer of the song is engaged in a fight, constantly on guard not to slip and fall into temptation. The song speaks of the conflict between home and the wider world that is fraught with dangers.

As the song progresses, the lyrics illustrate the various struggles faced when navigating between two worlds. The line "Ni papa ni colchon" refers to the absence of the protection and comfort of a father and a bed to sleep in. The line "Camina la ilusion," or walking with hope, suggests perseverance, while "Camina sin perdon," or walking without forgiveness, implies a lack of mercy from society. The songwriter points out the realities of society, such as the presence of corruption, illustrated in the line "Entre poli y pelon, camina la represion," or walking the path of repression between the police and the baldman.

Overall, "Casa Babylon" speaks to the struggles of individuals trying to navigate between two different worlds without losing their footing.

Line by Line Meaning

Entre casa y Babylon
Between the comfort of home and the chaos of Babylon

Camino peleon
I walk the difficult path

Entre tu mama y Babylon
Between the safety of mother's love and the dangers of Babylon

Ni papa ni colchon
No father or mattress can save me

Entre colonia y Babylon
Between the familiar neighborhood and the foreign Babylon

No te vayas de resbalon
Don't slip and fall off the path

Camina la ilusion
I walk with hope

Camino sin perdon
I walk without forgiveness

Entre gÃ¼ato y bacha
Between poverty and fear

Camina la cucaracha
I walk like a cockroach