She started her career as an actress, working in the theatre and in some of the most famous Spanish movies from the 1940 decade.
During the 1950s, she started singing professionaly, eventually abandoning her career as an actress in the 1960s. Since then, she has recorded more than 35 albums.
As a singer, she is specialized in traditional Spanish and Latin American music: bolero, copla, ballad, ronda, vals, and folk music (Peruvian, Argentinian, Mexican, and Venezuelan). Her voice tone is clear and slightly low, and she has an extremely proper Spanish pronunciation. She typically sings with the only company of guitars, requintos, and drums.
She singed for close to 30 years with the same group, Los Gemelos, formed by two twin brothers, Santiago López Hernández and Julián López Hernández, until the death of Santiago in the early 1990s.
Sapo Cancionero
Maria Dolores Pradera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
sapo cancionero
que vive soñando
junto a tu laguna
tenor de los charcos
grotesco trovero
que estás embrujado de amor
por la luna.
Yo se de tu vida
sin gloria ninguna
se de la tragedia
de tu alma inquieta
y esa tu locura
de adorar la luna
que es locura eterna
de todo poeta.
Sapo cancionero
canta tu canción
que la vida es triste
si no la vivimos
con una ilusión.
Tu te sabes feo
feo y contra hecho
por eso de día
tu fealdad ocultas
y de noche cantas
tu melancolía
y suena tu canto
como letanía.
Repican tus voces
en franca porfía
las coplas son vanas
como son tan bellas
no sabes acaso
que la luna es fría
porque dio su sangre
para las estrellas.
The song "Sapo Cancionero" portrays the life of a toad who revels in singing near his lagoon, with a tenor voice that echoes in the marsh. He is under a spell, enchanted by the moon and its beauty. Despite his lack of glory, and his inherent ugliness, he is still in love, with a tumultuous soul that seeks the light of the moon, a madness that all the poets share. The song highlights the beauty in life's melancholy, and the importance of living life with a sense of purpose, even if it may seem futile.
Line by Line Meaning
Sapo de la noche
Nocturnal toad
sapo cancionero
Songbook toad
que vive soñando
who lives in dreams
junto a tu laguna
near your lagoon
tenor de los charcos
tenor of the pools
grotesco trovero
grotesque troubadour
que estás embrujado de amor
who is enchanted with love
por la luna.
by the moon.
Yo se de tu vida
I know of your life
sin gloria ninguna
with no glory at all
se de la tragedia
I know of the tragedy
de tu alma inquieta
of your restless soul
y esa tu locura
and that madness
de adorar la luna
of adoring the moon
que es locura eterna
which is eternal madness
de todo poeta.
of every poet.
Sapo cancionero
Songbook toad
canta tu canción
sing your song
que la vida es triste
because life is sad
si no la vivimos
if we don't live it
con una ilusión.
with a dream.
Tu te sabes feo
You know you're ugly
feo y contra hecho
ugly and misshapen
por eso de día
so during the day
tu fealdad ocultas
you hide your ugliness
y de noche cantas
and at night you sing
tu melancolía
your melancholy
y suena tu canto
and your song sounds
como letanía.
like a litany.
Repican tus voces
Your voices ring out
en franca porfía
in open dispute
las coplas son vanas
the verses are vain
como son tan bellas
although they are so beautiful
no sabes acaso
do you not know
que la luna es fría
that the moon is cold
porque dio su sangre
because it gave its blood
para las estrellas.
for the stars.
Writer(s): A. Flores, J. Chagra
Contributed by Natalie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Elhojalatero1
La letra es el poema "Sapo trovero" del chileno Alejandro Flores Pinaud, que el Negro Chagra (argentino) musicalizó dando origen a esta zamba.
Adrian Zaid
Elhojalatero1
Rossiel Raffo
Un experto y Gran amigo , de aquellos Marca Sol ! Gracias Poeta
Zenón Ayala
Gracias Rossiel... Tienes todas las canciones más románticas... Es una ternura éste sapo cancionero... "Tan feo.. Pero tan enamorado"... Saludos y un abrazo fuerte.!! ❤❤❤🌷🌷🌷🌷😘
Celso João De Souza Junior
Ficou lindo na voz de Pradera.
Yolanda Alonso
Y pensar q tuve en mi casa tantos sapos cancioneros.. Esta canciòn me los recuerda, gracias por esta canciòn.
Juan Carlos Vidal
M Dolores, pura, dulce poesia.
Elhojalatero1
Hace tiempo que buscaba esta versión de la que solo pude oír un poco, adoro a María Dolores y tú lo sabes bien amiga Rossiel.
Yolanda Alonso
Los sapos nos acompañan en medio de la noche.cierro los ojos y los escucho.
La cabeñita
cuando llueve se escuchan cantar hermosooo. !!!!