Towards 1970 there began to m… Read Full Bio ↴SINGER SONGWRITER FROM THE BASQUE COUNTRY.
Towards 1970 there began to materialise the Basque City. Never before had the noun and the adjective joined together. One spoke of the Mountain, the Earth, the Nation, all of them Basque; but the privileged space where the world became truly wide seemed forbidden to those who wished to express themselves in the language that sustains the adjective, the Basque tongue. It was as if someone, the Spirit of the Time, for example, might have hurled out an order: "Either change your language, or change your place". Which in the case of RO, meant: "Dear friend, either devote yourself to romantic music or to patriotic music. And if not, give it up". The message was clear. It meant solitude. And it was a curse. A snare.
RO put up with the solitude, and against the long road he opposed his will and his intelligence. RO forgot the curse: from his first records, his material was diverse, general, non-religious: he could do with the laundry, a van, or a visit from a woman. RO eluded the snare: instead of crossing to the other side of the border, he remained close to it and took on its history. He didn¹t become the chameleon of the storybook tale, neither in a branch of the General Bank of Music, nor in the International Basque Singer for Tourists. He remained a personal creator, with committed lyrics and music towards his loved, hated, distant, close Basque City.
Bernardo Atxaga
RUPER ORDORIKA
Recordings:
“HAUTSI DA ANPHORA” , 1980 Elkar C.D.
“NI EZ NAIZ NORUEGAKO ERREGE” , 1983 Elkar C.D
.
“BIHOTZERREAK” , 1985 Elkar C.D.
“H.BENGOA - INVENTARIUM” by Bernardo Atxaga, 1988 Elkar Cassette.
“EZ DA POSIBLE” , 1990 Gasa-Wea C.D.
“BILDUMA BAT” , 1992 Elkar C.D. An Elkar compilation.
“R.ORDORIKA & Mugalaris” , 1992 Emak Bakia Mini C.D.
“HIRU TRUKU” - R.Ordorika, J. Tapia, B. Martinez
1994 Nuevos Medios C.D.
“SO´IK SO´ “ , 1995 Nuevos Medios C.D.
“HIRU TRUKU 2” , R.Ordorika, J. Tapia, B. Martinez
1997 Nuevos Medios C.D.
“DABILEN HARRIA” , 1998 Nuevos Medios C.D.
“GAUR” , 2000 Esan Ozenki C.D. Live.
“ HURRENGO GOIZEAN”, 2001 Metak C.D.
“ RUPER ORDORIKA” Compilation. 2002 Nuevos Medios CD.
“ KANTUOK JARTZEN DITUT” 2003 Metak CD.
“HIRU TRUKU 3”, R.Ordorika, J. Tapia, B. Martinez
2004 Metak C.D.
“MEMORIAREN MAPAN”, 2006 Elkar. CD.
"HAMAR T¨ERDIETAN", Live,2008 Elkar. CD-DVD
PRODUCER on several records:
Hertzainak , Maurizia Leon eta Basilio , Emilio Cao, Tapia eta Leturia.
Worked on several LITERARY PROJECTS by the writer Bernardo Atxaga. Among them : “Henry Bengoa , Inventarium” and “Lezio berri bat ostrukari buruz”.
Ibaia
Ruper Ordorika Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ez da Mississippia,
Ibaizabal deitzen da nire
sorterriko ibaia.
Ez da Danubioa,
ez da Ibai Horia,
erreka labur mehe
herdoil urez betea.
hango Harripausuetan...
Ez da Danubio deitzen,
ez Nilo, ez Niagara,
Ibaizabal deitzen da nire
sorterriko ibaia.
Handik alde eginda,
zubirik zubi beti,
ez nuen uste berriz
topatuko nuenik.
Orain barruan sentitzen dut
Ibaizabaleko ur uherra.
Ez dakit zelan gertatu den
ura barrura sartzea.
Inoiz edan egingo nuen
Ibaizabalekoa.
Ez da Danubioa,
ez da Ganges saindua,
ume denboretako
gure erreka lohia.
Orain bihotzetik pasatzen zait
Ibaizabaleko ur uherra.
Ez da Danubio deitzen,
Ibaizabal da izena.
Handik urrun ibili arren,
barrura sartu zaidana.
Harrezkero zainetan
dabilkidan erreka,
neure benetako izenez
deitzen didan bakarra.
Ur zaharrez berritzen dit gogoa
Ibaizabaleko ur uherrak.
The lyrics to Ruper Ordorika’s “Ibaia” speak of a river that is not the Danube, nor the Mississippi or even the sacred Ganges. Rather, it is the Ibaizabal, the river of his homeland, that he sings about. The river is described as not being long or wide, but rather a short river that is full of humble water. The song speaks to the memories of his travels along the river, through the mountains and valleys of his homeland. It is a tribute to the river that runs through the Basque Country, where he hails from.
Throughout the lyrics, Ruper speaks of how he has never tasted the water of the Ibaizabal, despite walking along its banks many times in his life. He speaks of the many bridges that cross the river and how he never thought to take a sip of the water that flows beneath them. The singer is filled with nostalgia as he thinks back on his experiences walking along the river, with its old and new bridges, and how the river always seemed to be calling him back. The Ibaizabal may not be as well known as other rivers, but for Ruper, it will always be the most important river in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Ez da Danubio deitzen,
It is not called the Danube,
ez da Mississippia,
It is not the Mississippi,
Ibaizabal deitzen da nire
sorterriko ibaia.
It is called Ibaizabal, the river of my homeland.
Ez da Danubioa,
ez da Ibai Horia,
It is not the Danube,
or the Wide River,
erreka labur mehe
herdoil urez betea.
A short, narrow river
full of murky water.
Han ibiltzen ginen, antzina,
hango Harripausuetan...
We used to walk there, long ago,
through the Harripausu area...
Handik alde eginda,
zubirik zubi beti,
Going along its side,
always with bridges,
ez nuen uste berriz
topatuko nuenik.
I never thought
I would find it again.
Orain barruan sentitzen dut
Ibaizabaleko ur uherra.
Now I feel inside me
the water source of Ibaizabal.
Ez dakit zelan gertatu den
ura barrura sartzea.
I don't know how
the water got inside.
Inoiz edan egingo nuen
Ibaizabalekoa.
I will never drink
from Ibaizabal.
Ez da Danubioa,
ez da Ganges saindua,
It is not the Danube,
or the sacred Ganges,
ume denboretako
gure erreka lohia.
Our beloved river
is a muddy, sad river.
Orain bihotzetik pasatzen zait
Ibaizabaleko ur uherra.
Now, it flows through my heart,
the water source of Ibaizabal.
Ez da Danubio deitzen,
Ibaizabal da izena.
It is not called the Danube,
its name is Ibaizabal.
Handik urrun ibili arren,
barrura sartu zaidana.
Even though I have been far away,
it has entered me inside.
Harrezkero zainetan
dabilkidan erreka,
The river that always
waited for me,
neure benetako izenez
deitzen didan bakarra.
The only one that
really knows my name.
Ur zaharrez berritzen dit gogoa
Ibaizabaleko ur uherrak.
The water source of Ibaizabal
rejuvenates my soul with old water.
Contributed by Annabelle S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.