Muriendo De Plena
Ruben Rada Lyrics

In "Muriendo de Plena," Ruben Rada expresses a desire for a joyful celebration of life even after his death. He declares that he does not want mournful songs at his funeral; instead, he wants people to dance and celebrate his life by playing a joyful plena. Rada emphasizes his love of life, declaring that even if he does not die, he will dance to the plena all his life. He proclaims that he does not want mourners dressed in black at his funeral; rather, he wants everyone dressed in red, and he wishes for his father-in-law to be wearing a red suit. Rada desires a grand feast at his funeral with roasted chicken, rice, goat legs, and melon, along with red wine. He declares that he has been happy in his life and wants to die while eating delicious food and drinking red wine.

The song's lyrics reflect a cultural phenomenon in Latin America known as la fiesta del Chivo (the Feast of the Goat). This celebration is held in honor of a symbolic sacrificial goat that represents the community's ills, and its sacrifice is meant to usher in a new era of prosperity, happiness, and harmony. Rada's lyrics take this tradition and emphasize the need to celebrate life beyond the goat's sacrificial death.

This song represents the broader Latin American popular music style called plena, which originated in Puerto Rico around the beginning of the twentieth century. Plena music combines African and European rhythms and features instruments like the pandero, guiro, and cuatro. Rada, a Uruguayan Afro-Uruguayan, also combines this music genre with candombe, a popular Uruguayan rhythm with African roots.