In the year 1967 in the city of Bilbao, eight Basque students decided to f… Read Full Bio ↴In the year 1967 in the city of Bilbao, eight Basque students decided to form a musical group to be known as Voces y Guitarras ("Voices and Guitars"), citing folk and spiritual music and The Beatles as influences. This group of siblings Amaya Uranga, Estibaliz Uranga, Izaskun Uranga, Roberta Uranga, brothers Rafael Blanco and Sergio Blanco, José Ipiña and Francisco Panera spent a year performing around their hometown before sending a demo cassette to producer Juan Carlos Calderón in Madrid. He took and immediate interest in the group and renamed them Mocedades ("Things of Youth").

Their most known song is "Eres Tu", which became second at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973 (Luxembourg). Final Position: 2 - Total Points: 125. Eres Tu was accused of plagiarism. It was suggested by critics that the song was merely a copy of the Yugoslav entry of 1966, Brez Besed performed by Berta Ambroz. The Spanish entry was not sanctioned though and became a huge hit internationally - it even outsold the winner Tu Te Reconnaitras by Anne-Marie David.

El Arriero
Mocedades Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

En las arenas bailan los remolinos,
El sol juega en el brillo del pedregal,
why prendido a la magia de los camios,
El arriero va, el arriero va.

Es bandera de niebla su poncho al viento,
Lo saludan las flautas del pajonal,
why apurando a la tropa por esos cerros,

El arriero va, el arriero va.

Las penas why las vaquitas,
Se van por la misma senda,
Las penas why las vaquitas,
Se van por la misma senda,
Las penas son de nosotros,
Las vaquitas son ajenas,

Las penas son de nosotros,
Las vaquitas...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Mocedades' song "El Arriero" depict a picturesque scene of swirling sand twisters, the sun's glow radiating off the rocky terrain, and a skilled horseman who is entranced by the magic of the open road. The song describes the arriero's journey through the Andes mountains, where he is recognized as a friend to the land and her people. The arriero's trusty poncho blows in the wind like a flag, the whistle of the flutes played by the native people greet him, and he is propelled forward by his sense of duty to his troop of pack animals.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Las penas y las vaquitas se van por la misma senda", which translates to "Sorrows and cows travel the same path." This lyric highlights the notion of shared experience, where everyone who travels the road, whether in human or animal form, shares in the hardships and joys alike. While the cows have nothing to do with the arriero's sorrows, they continue to trek alongside him, bearing witness to the many stories and experiences of the open road.

Line by Line Meaning

The whirlwinds dance in the sand,
The sand is moving quickly and chaotically due to the force of the wind.

The sun plays in the shimmering rocks,
The sunlight is reflecting and shining off of the rocky terrain.

And captivated by the magic of the roads,
The arriero is fascinated and entranced by the beauty and mystery of the paths he travels.

The arriero goes, the arriero goes.
The arriero continues on his journey despite any challenges or obstacles he may face.

His poncho flies like a flag in the misty wind,
The arriero's poncho flutters in the wind like a banner blowing in the foggy air.

He is greeted by the flutes of the tall grass,
The arriero hears the sound of the wind blowing through the grass as if it were playing a musical instrument.

And he urges his herd through the hills,
The arriero encourages and pushes his cattle through the challenging terrain of the hills.

The sorrows and the little cows,
Both the arriero's personal troubles and his cattle follow the same path.

They follow the same trail,
The arriero's problems and his cows share common experiences and endure similar hardships.

The sorrows are our own,
Our personal sorrows are unique to us and nobody else.

The little cows are someone else's,
The difficulties faced by the arriero's cattle belong to someone else and not him.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HECTOR ROBERTO CHAVERO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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