Miguel Mateos (26 de enero of 1953) is a rock and pop music singer/songwrit… Read Full Bio ↴Miguel Mateos (26 de enero of 1953) is a rock and pop music singer/songwriter from Villa Pueyrredón, Argentina. He is considered one of the most important exponents of Rock en Español, specially in the 1980s when he along with Charly Garcia, Soda Stereo, Enanitos Verdes, Virus, Sumo, Fabulosos Cadillacs, Rata Blanca, and many more bands became international stars in the so-called "Argentine Invasion" ("La Ola Argentina") of rock music that swept Latin America and parts of North America and Europe. It would help popularize Spanish-language rock outside of Argentina, and make the genre a commercially successful industry.
Becoming involved in music since he was 15, in 1979 he and his brother Alejandro formed underground rock band ZAS. The following year he managed to contact Queen frontman Freddie Mercury and gain a spot on stage as the opening act for the British group for their Buenos Aires concerts. He turned ZAS into one of the most important argentine rock bands of the early 80s.

In 1986, Mateos recorded in the United States his first solo album (officially, but in practice he still used members of ZAS as supporting band). With a much more polished sound, and greater pop accessibility than the ZAS works, Mateos jumped on the crest of the wave of Argentine rock acts that dominated the 1986-1988 period all over Latin America, Spain, and elsewhere.

Solos en América was considered a watershed album containing cuts that would become classics of Rock en Español from that time, including the homonymous track, "Cuando Seas Grande", and "Mi Sombra en la Pared".

Riding a wave of massive popularity in Mexico, Mateos introduced the slogan "Rock en tu Idíoma" (Rock In Your Language) in 1987. He began touring that nation, introducing along the way local acts such as Caifanes and Maldita Vecindad, among others. All those groups would become major acts in their own right within a short period. In the 1987-1988 Mateos would tour Latin America to sell-out stadiums.[1] He was among the first Rock en Español acts to receive active support from fledgling MTV International.

The 1990s would be a period of continued solo success for Mateos and his now adult-pop rock music across the Spanish-speaking world, though ironically he would drop off somewhat in popularity in his homeland. In general, what in the rest of Latin America is considered rock, in Argentina tends to be seen as pop. This has sometimes led to cultural confusion about how to categorize the current Miguel Mateos musical output, as outside Argentina Mateos remains an iconic figure of the Rock en Español movement.

Mateos went on the so-called first Rock en Español tour of the United States in 1990, where he was awared the Bravo Musical Award. He released Bar Imperio in 1998 and after a hiatus released Uno in 2005.

Dejen Las Armas
Miguel Mateos Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ana quiere tener un bebé
Y el gobierno no la deja
Oscar quiere dejar de estudiar
Y ponerse a trabajar
Ursula está sola
Juan se fue y el nene llora
Todo el mundo tiene derecho a fallar
Para volverlo a intentar

Por eso
Hey! solo dejen las armas
Hey! es inútil pelear
Hey! solo dejen las armas
Con eso no hay que jugar

Cien mil barriles de plutonio
Bajo el taller de antonio
Va a haber un escape de gas
Y el gasista no va a estar
Nos mientes de ambos lados
Nos espían los costados
Cuando van a censurar
La pornografía nuclear
Por eso
Hey! solo dejen las armas
Hey! es inútil pelear
Hey! solo dejen las armas
Con eso no hay que jugar

Tengo balas en el alma
Y en carne viva tu amor
Ya sabés que me haces falta
Tenés que venir
Vení por mí
Vení por mí

Hey! solo dejen las armas
Hey! solo dejen las armas
Hey! es inútil pelear

Hey! solo dejen las armas
Hey! es inútil pelear

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Dejen Las Armas" by Miguel Mateos address both societal and personal issues. The first verse addresses the struggles of people who are not given the opportunity to make their own choices. Ana wants to have a baby, but the government is preventing her from doing so. Oscar wants to stop studying and start working, but societal expectations are holding him back. Ursula is lonely, and Juan has left her with their crying child. Mateos is conveying the idea that everyone should have the right to fail and try again.

The second verse shifts to a more global issue, calling attention to the dangers of nuclear energy. The mention of "cien mil barriles de plutonio" (one hundred thousand barrels of plutonium) highlights the potential environmental and human damage from a nuclear accident. Mateos also mentions government censorship, specifically their lack of action regarding the censorship of "pornografía nuclear" (nuclear pornography), likely a metaphor for the glorification of nuclear weapons.

The chorus repeats the message of the song, calling for people to put down their weapons - both literal and metaphorical - and to stop fighting. There is a sense of desperation in the repetition of "Hey!" before each line, emphasizing the urgency of the message.

Overall, "Dejen Las Armas" is a call for peace and understanding, urging people to recognize their shared humanity and to work together towards a better future.

Line by Line Meaning

Ana quiere tener un bebé
Ana desires to have a baby.

Y el gobierno no la deja
However, the government is not permitting her to do so.

Oscar quiere dejar de estudiar
Oscar desires to drop out of school.

Y ponerse a trabajar
And engage in work instead.

Ursula está sola
Ursula is feeling lonely.

Juan se fue y el nene llora
Juan left and the child is crying.

Todo el mundo tiene derecho a fallar
Everyone has the right to fail.

Para volverlo a intentar
So they can try again.

Por eso
That is why

Hey! solo dejen las armas
Hey, just leave the weapons alone.

Hey! es inútil pelear
Hey, it's useless to fight.