En Algún Lugar Del Puerto
Victor Jara Lyrics
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En la arena dejo mis huellas, voy
Y el mar me las va borrando, voy
El viento sube a los cerros
Con el viento mis recuerdos
Corriendo al cerro El Aromo
Pelota de trapo al cielo
Corriendo vuelvo a la casa
Mi padre, dónde estará
El viento sube a los cerros
Con el viento mis recuerdos
Corriendo al cerro El Aromo
Pelota de trapo al cielo
Corriendo vuelvo a la casa
Mi madre cose en silencio
Mi padre, dónde estará
El viejo era pescador
Sencillo como sus remos
Para existir mar afuera
Trabajaba mar adentro
El mar le ofrecía todo
Entregándosele quieto
Y el mar le quitó la vida
Con su remolino negro
Un grito agudo del viento
Atraviesa por los cerros
Dónde se fueron mis hijos
Cuántos desaparecieron
Voy soñando, voy caminando, voy
En la arena dejo mis huellas, voy
Y el mar me las va borrando, voy
The lyrics to Victor Jara's song "En Algún Lugar del Puerto" (Somewhere in the Port) speak of a journey, both physical and metaphorical. The singer describes moving forward, leaving his footprints in the sand as he goes. However, he notes that the waves of the sea are slowly erasing these marks, suggesting a sense of impermanence and the passage of time.
As the wind blows up into the mountains, the singer's memories travel with it. He remembers playing with a makeshift ball made of rags, running up to a hill called El Aromo, and returning home to find his mother sewing and his father absent.
The second verse repeats much of the first, emphasizing the nostalgia and the passage of time. However, it also introduces a new character: the singer's father, who was a fisherman. Though the father lived a simple life, he was skilled at his work and the sea provided for their family. Tragically, the father lost his life to the black whirlpool of the ocean, and the singer is left wondering how many other loved ones have similarly disappeared.
The final verse repeats the beginning of the song, emphasizing the circular nature of life and the inevitability of change. The singer continues on his journey, dreaming and walking, while the sea continues to wash away his tracks.
Overall, the song captures a sense of longing for a simpler time, a time when the singer's father was still alive and the children played with whatever materials they had. It also expresses a sense of loss and uncertainty, as the sea and the wind carry away memories and loved ones seemingly at random.
Line by Line Meaning
Voy soñando, voy caminando, voy
I am journeying, both physically and mentally.
En la arena dejo mis huellas, voy
As I walk along the sand, I leave behind traces of my existence.
Y el mar me las va borrando, voy
But the sea washes away any tangible evidence of my presence.
El viento sube a los cerros
The wind travels up towards the hills.
Con el viento mis recuerdos
Accompanying this wind are my memories.
Corriendo al cerro El Aromo
As I hurry to reach El Aromo hill.
Pelota de trapo al cielo
I toss a rag ball into the air playfully.
Corriendo vuelvo a la casa
I run back home as fast as I can.
Mi madre siempre cosiendo
My mother is always sewing.
Mi padre, dónde estará
My father's whereabouts are unknown to me.
El viejo era pescador
My old man was a fisherman.
Sencillo como sus remos
Simple, like his paddles.
Para existir mar afuera
To earn a living offshore.
Trabajaba mar adentro
He worked in the deep.
El mar le ofrecía todo
The ocean provided him with everything he needed.
Entregándosele quieto
Remaining calm and accepting the gifts bestowed upon him by the sea.
Y el mar le quitó la vida
And yet, the ocean took his life away in the end.
Con su remolino negro
With its dark whirlpool.
Un grito agudo del viento
A sharp cry from the wind.
Atraviesa por los cerros
Echoes across the hillsides.
Dónde se fueron mis hijos
Where have my children gone?
Cuántos desaparecieron
How many have vanished without a trace?
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LUIS ENRIQUE GALDAMES SANDOVAL, VICTOR JARA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind