Poetica Murguera
Tabaré Cardozo Lyrics


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Las voces de las musas clandestinas
Sobrevolando el sueño más profundo,
Sublevan al poeta en cada esquina
Donde se conformaba con el mundo...
Le arrancan los botones casi grises
De su camisa exhausta de ser blanca.
Le planchan las antiguas cicatrices,
De esas horas marchitas que le arrancan.

Le parten el bastón y la botella
Para que se enfurezca y se enderece!

Chamullan en lunfardo, a las estrellas
Y un aire de jazmín rejuvenece...

Se trepa al camión,
A perseguir las lágrimas lloradas,
Con el corazón
A punto de estallar en carcajadas.
A pintarse la cara con las flores!
Robadas del jardín de la memoria...
A iluminarse el alma de colores!
Con los vestidos de todas sus novias...

Y presa del hechizo de una murga,
Bajo el embrujo de la madrugada
Igual que en la conversa de los curdas
Mezclar con alegría la nostalgia.
Llorando en el rugido inexplicable
De un coro de pintados ciudadanos.
Melancolía de los arrabales;
Poesía irreverente del tablado

Se deja fascinar por la belleza
Del rústico y grotesco contracanto
Y empieza a enriquecerlo la pobreza
Del canto padre de su propio canto.
Para gritar en medio del bramido
De la filosofía callejera,




Que despertó su amor adormecido,
La voz de la poética murguera.

Overall Meaning

The song "Poetica Murguera" by Tabaré Cardozo delves into the power of art and expression, specifically through the lens of the Uruguayan murga tradition. The song paints a picture of a poet who is awoken from a complacent, grey world by the clandestine voices of the muses. They strip him of his old, tired clothes and resurrect the scars of past hardships, invigorating him with a newfound sense of purpose and passion. In this moment, the poet is reborn and compelled to follow the murga – a group of musicians and performers who celebrate the spirit and culture of the barrios.


The murga serves as the conduit for the poet's reawakening, as he is drawn into their world of beauty and nostalgia. They urge him to confront his tears, to paint his face with the flowers of memory, and to illuminate his soul with the colors of his past loves. With the murga as his guide, the poet embraces the rugged and grotesque contracanto (counter-song) – the heart and soul of the murga – and begins to enrich it with his own voice.


As the song reaches its climax, the poet embraces the full force of the murga and all that it represents. He is moved by the inexplicable roar of the painted citizens, and swept up in the waves of joyous, irreverent poetry that emanates from the stage. Through the murga, the poet finds the voice of the poetic murguera – the spirit of the murga that has been carried forward for generations, and that lives on in the hearts and souls of all who join in its celebration.


Line by Line Meaning

Las voces de las musas clandestinas
The unheard whispers of muses, hidden from the world, come alive in his dreams.


Sobrevolando el sueño más profundo,
The voices of these muses engulf his deepest dreams with their presence.


Sublevan al poeta en cada esquina
Their existence constantly urges the poet to break free from the mundane world that surrounds him.


Donde se conformaba con el mundo...
The poet is motivated to break free from the monotony and not conform to the world around him.


Le arrancan los botones casi grises
The muses compel him to shed his complacency, as he rips the buttons from his faded shirt.


De su camisa exhausta de ser blanca.
He seeks inspiration and reinvention as he longs to stand out from the sea of unoriginality.


Le planchan las antiguas cicatrices,
The muses make him unburden himself of old scars and heal them with renewal.


De esas horas marchitas que le arrancan.
He is able to turn a new leaf on a past filled with decay and decay.


Le parten el bastón y la botella
He is forced to give up his crutches – the cane and bottle – and stand tall on his own.


Para que se enfurezca y se enderece!
He is pushed to his limits, to see if he has what it takes to face the world without dependence.


Chamullan en lunfardo, a las estrellas
The poet converses in slang to connect with even the stars above.


Y un aire de jazmín rejuvenece...
The muses fill him with fresh inspiration and rejuvenation like the scent of jasmine.


Se trepa al camión,
The poet boards a truck, embarking on a journey to unlock his emotions.


A perseguir las lágrimas lloradas,
He continues to chase the tears he has shed for his past, in search of hope and closure.


Con el corazón
With his heart full of emotions.


A punto de estallar en carcajadas.
He's on the verge of laughing out loud, through the chaos and the tears.


A pintarse la cara con las flores!
The poet adorns his face with flowers, a symbol of life and hope.


Robadas del jardín de la memoria...
These flowers are plucked from the garden of his memories.


A iluminarse el alma de colores!
The poet's soul is painted with the colors of love and hope.


Con los vestidos de todas sus novias...
He uses the ghosts of his past lovers to colour his world in vibrant shades.


Y presa del hechizo de una murga,
He is held captive in the enchantments of a 'murga', a type of musical performance popular in Uruguay.


Bajo el embrujo de la madrugada
In the early morning, he's captivated by the magic all around him.


Igual que en la conversa de los curdas
It's like a joyous conversation among drunks , where sadness is dulled by happiness.


Mezclar con alegría la nostalgia.
The poet merges sadness and nostalgia in a way that brings joy and happiness.


Llorando en el rugido inexplicable
He cries in voluminous roars of grief that are inexplicable to those around him.


De un coro de pintados ciudadanos.
Proudly, he sings with a chorus of fellow murgueros, celebrated members of the city.


Melancolía de los arrabales;
The melody echoes his melancholic roots of the suburbs.


Poesía irreverente del tablado
His poetry is bold and unapologetic, delivered on stage like a resounding declaration.


Se deja fascinar por la belleza
The poet becomes fascinated by the inherent beauty of his art form.


Del rústico y grotesco contracanto
He admires the rustic and grotesque counterpoint that provides a balance to his refined words.


Y empieza a enriquecerlo la pobreza
He enhances that raw form of music and makes it even richer with his lyrical exposition.


Del canto padre de su propio canto.
Thus, he finally finds his own voice, his own sound within the music that inspires him.


Para gritar en medio del bramido
In triumph, he shouts amidst the noise of the passionate crowds.


De la filosofía callejera,
He becomes a messenger of the street's philosophy filled with hope and nostalgia.


Que despertó su amor adormecido,
His music revives his emotions that had been hibernating within him for too long.


La voz de la poética murguera.
Finally, the poet has found his voice in the form of poética murguera, the perfect balance of poetry and music.




Contributed by Sophia O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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