“The Rebellion”
Album: Rebellion, 1986
Style: Salsa story-story about African slaves who rebel in Colombia. Billboard lists it as one of the “15 Best Salsa Songs Ever” and various publications have listed it among the greatest songs of Colombia. Joe Arroyo wrote this song to remember the history of his hometown.
Country: Colombia
Listen: YouTube
Lyrics Translation:
[Spoken:]
Quiero contarle, mi hermano,
Un pedacito de la historia negra,
De la historia nuestra, caballero,
Y dice así…
I want to tell you, my brother,
A little piece of black history,
Of our history, gentleman,
And it goes like this…
¡Dice…!
It goes…!
[Song:]
Uh! En los años mil seiscientos,
Cuando el tirano mandó
Las calles de Cartagena,
Aquella historia vivió.
Uh! In the years [of the] sixteen hundreds (1600s),
When the tyrant ruled
The streets of Cartagena,
That history was alive then.
Cuando aquí, llegaban esos negreros,
Africanos en cadenas
Besaban mi tierra,
Esclavitud perpetúa (x3).
When here, those slave traders came,
Africans in chains
Kissed my land,
Perpetual slavery (x3).
Que lo diga Salome.
Uh, que te dé
Llego, llego.
Let Salome say it.
Uh, let him give it to you.
He’s here, he’s here.
[Musical interlude by Salome]
Un matrimonio africano,
Esclavos de un español,
Él les daba muy mal trato,
Y a su negra le pegó.
An African married couple,
Slaves of a Spaniard,
He treated them very badly,
And he hit his black woman.
Y fue allí, se rebeló el negro guapo,
Tomo venganza por su amor,
Y aún se escucha en la verja,
¡No le pegue’ a mi negra!
(No le pegue a la negra.)
And it was there, the handsome black man rebelled,
He took vengeance for his love,
And you can still hear it at the gate,
Don’t hit my black woman!
(Don’t hit that black woman!)
¡Oye, man! No le pegue a la negra. (No le pegue a la negra.)
No, no, no. No, no, no. No, no, no. (No le pegue a la negra.)
Oye, esa negra se le respeta. (No le pegue a la negra.)
Eh que aún se escucha, se escucha en la verja. (No le pegue a la negra.)
No, no, no. No, no, no le pegue a la negra. (No le pegue a la negra. x3)
Negra que me dice, chambalaquete, chambalequete.
Hey man, don’t hit that black woman! (Don’t hit that black woman.)
No, no, no. No, no, no. No, no, no. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
Hear me, show respect to that black woman. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
Eh, you can still hear, hear at the gate. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
No, no, no. No, no, no, don’t hit my black woman. (Don’t hit that black woman. x3)
Black woman who tells me, chambalaquete, chambalaquete.
Y aún se escucha en la verja: No le pegue a la negra.
Español con el alma negra, (No le pegue a la negra.)
No lo envenena, no lo envenena, no le pegue a…
No le pegue a ella. (No le pegue a la negra.)
And you can still hear at the gate: Don’t hit that black woman.
Spaniard with a dark soul, (Don’t hit that black woman.)
Don’t let him poison you, poison you, don’t hit…
Don’t hit her. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
Oye, porque el negro se te revela. (No le pegue a la negra.)
Ya me pongo con el alma a friega. (No le pegue a la negra.)
No, no, no, no, no, no le pegue. (No le pegue a la negra.)
Habla mucho y no apretando, aprieta. (No le pegue a la negra.)
No le pegue a la prieta
Porque a la negra se le respeta. (No le pegue a la negra.)
Hear me, because the black man will reveal himself to you. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
Now I get my soul all riled up. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
No, no, no, no, no, don’t hit her. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
He speaks a lot and without tightening, he squeezes. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
Don’t hit that dark woman
Because the black woman must be respected. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
[Musical interlude]
No le pegue a la negra. (x3)
Don’t hit that black woman. (x3)
Y con ustedes, Chelito de Castro.
And with you, Chelito de Castro. [*The piano solo musician’s name.]
[Musical interlude]
Vamos a ver que le pegue a jeva,
Porque el alma, que el alma, que el alma, que el alma,
Que el alma se me revienta.
Let’s see him try to hit that swell young lady,
Because my soul, my soul, my soul, my soul,
Because my soul will burst.
Eh, no, no, no, no, no, no le pegue a mi negra. (No le pegue a la negra.)
Porque el alma se me agita, mi prieta. (No le pegue a la negra.)
Hay lamento en la playa, nena. (No le pegue a la negra.)
Eh, no, no, no, no, no, don’t hit my black woman. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
Because my soul gets agitated, my dark-skinned dear. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
There are sorrows and cries at the beach, girl. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
En la playa de Cartagena. (No le pegue a la negra.)
No, no, no, no, no, no de Marbella, bella. (No le pegue a la negra…)
El alma de la que canta y que llora. (No le pegue a la negra.)
Porque entonces el negro se venga. (No le pegue a la negra.)
On the beach of Cartagena. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
No, no, no, no, no, not from Marbella, beautiful. (Don’t hit that black woman…)
The soul of she who sings and who cries. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
Because otherwise the black man will get his revenge. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
El Chombo lo sabe,
Y tu también,
¡No le pegue a la negra!
El Chombo knows it,
And you too,
Don’t hit that black woman!
Translation Notes:
A few words were left untranslated because they are either regional slang (I’m unfamiliar) or possibly non-Spanish words. If you can add to the translation, please comment.
This salsa song is meant to remind people of the struggles of black slaves in Colombia so that their history is not forgotten. It highlights the pain suffered, as well as the will to live and fight and protect loved ones.
Also, I love that Joe Arroyo sung this song with La Verdad, a band whose name translates to “The Truth”. Chef’s kiss!
About the history behind the song:
Per the article by Sonica.mx:
El cantante nacido en 1955 en Cartagena, Colombia, creo una alegre y bailable canción donde en la letra hace una descripción del oscuro pasado de América. Joe siempre fue un artista orgullos de su raza y de sus costumbres, por lo que conocía perfectamente cómo fue la trata atlántica durante la conquista española donde en su ciudad natal se realizó el comercio de esclavos.
En este lugar desembarcaban a los africanos, quienes eran traídos para ofrecerlos como guerreros o realizaran trabajos forzados. Cartagena fue uno de los puertos donde se enviaban a España: las riquezas usurpadas en América. De acuerdo con historiadores consultados por la agencia ‘Sputnik’, el comercio transatlántico de esclavos trajo a más de 12 millones de esclavos de África.
Más tarde, la práctica de los países europeos se vio reflejada en las colonias europeas y estados independientes de América, pero terminó a mediados del siglo XIX con la prohibición de esclavos a Brasil. A partir de esta historia negra, Joe Arroyo decide crear “La rebelión” para convertirla en un himno de protesta ante la indiferencia de las atrocidades cometidas contra un pueblo.
Emily Paulín, “El terrible significado detrás de la canción ‘La rebelión’ de Joe Arroyo”, 12 de mayo, 2022, Sonica.mx
My translation:
The singer, born in 1955 in Cartagena, Colombia, created a joyful and danceable song where in the lyrics he describes the dark past of the Americas. Joe was always an artist proud of his race and his culture, from which he knew perfectly well how the transatlantic trade was carried out during the time of the Spanish conquest, that in his place of birth there was slave trading.
In this place landed the Africans who were brought to be offered as soldiers or to be put to forced labor. Cartagena was one of the towns which sent to Spain: the riches of the Americas. In accordance with historians consulted by the agency “Sputnik”, the transatlantic slave trade brought more than 12 million slaves from Africa.
Later, the practice of European countries was seen reflected in the European colonies and independent states of the Americas, but it ended in the middle of the 19th century (XIX = 19), with the prohibition of slaves in Brazil. From that black history, Joe Arroyo decided to create “La rebelión” to convert it into a protest anthem against the indifference to the atrocities committed against a town.
Translation by Cairaguas, of Emily Paulín’s Sonica.mx article “The terrible meaning behind the song ‘The rebellion’ by Joe Arroyo”, 12th of May, 2022
Africanos en cadenas
Besaban mi tierra
Africans in chains
Kissed my land
These lines refers to the landing of the slave ships in Brazil. The newly arrived African slaves traveled a long distance and a long time by sea and were likely be glad to see land, though they were not yet free and were still suffering in other ways.
Y fue allí, se rebeló el negro guapo,
Tomo venganza por su amor,
Y aún se escucha en la verja,
¡No le pegue’ a mi negra!
And it was there, the handsome black man rebelled,
He took vengeance for his love,
And you can still hear it at the gate,
Don’t hit my black woman!
The black man could not stand seeing his wife mistreated by the Spaniard slaver and yelled out, “Don’t hit my black woman!” This yell was the sounding call of rebellion and it was so impactful that it can still be heard (metaphorically) to this day at that same location by the Spaniard’s gate.
Oye, esa negra se le respeta. (No le pegue a la negra.)
Alternative translations:
Hear me, show respect to that black woman. (Don’t hit my black woman.)
Hear me, that black woman must be respected. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
Hey, that black woman must be shown respect. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
Negra que me dice, chambalaquete, chambalequete.
Black woman who tells me, chambalaquete, chambalaquete.
I am not sure what chambalaquete means and I haven’t been able to find the meaning online. I did find another translation of this song from musixmatch.com, but they left chambalaquete untranslated as well. Since everything else was translated except this line and this song already waited in my drafts folder for over a year, I decided to release my translation as is and leave this line untranslated also.
If you know the meaning, please comment below!
Español con el alma negra, (No le pegue a la negra.)
No lo envenena, no lo envenena, no le pegue a…
No le pegue a ella. (No le pegue a la negra.)
Spaniard with a dark soul, (Don’t hit that black woman.)
Don’t let him poison you, poison you, don’t hit…
Don’t hit her. (Don’t hit that black woman.)
I am a little unsure about the transcription at this middle line. All the lyrics websites say “no lo envenena” (“he doesn’t poison you/it” or “don’t let him poison you”) but it is spoken quickly and I am not sure if the Spanish lyrics are really saying that. This translation might change if the transcription changes.
el alma negra = the black soul, but here it refers to the non-racial meaning of “black”, instead it uses the “evil” meaning, and it felt weird to translate that as “black soul” since all other parts of the song are referring to black persons when they use the word “black”. I translated it as “dark soul” instead, which is only a little bit better. The point of that line is to show the hypocrisy of the Spaniard slaver, who considers dark skin to be lesser than, but who himself has evil in his soul. Dark skin is not evil; slavery is evil.
Oye, porque el negro se te revela.
Ya me pongo con el alma a friega. [*what I hear]
Ya me pongo el alma prieta. [*how lyrics websites transcribe this line]
Hear me, because the black man will reveal himself to you.
Now I get my soul all riled up. [*what I hear]
Now I make my soul dark/tough. [*my translation of the lyrics website’s version]
This bolded phrase is also spoken quickly, but I think I hear something different from the lyrics websites. Either version makes sense, though.
Here “alma prieta” can have the dual meaning of “dark-skin soul” and “tough/leathery soul”, contrasting with the previous line about the Spaniard having the “alma negra” (dark-evil soul). The adjective negra/negro means “black” and black has multiple connotations. However, prieta/prieto has no evil connotation, and means merely dark-skinned or tanned. Due to its similar sound to the adjective apretado/a (tight) — and as an extension of tanned — prieto can have the slang meaning of “leathery” or “tightly fitting” (like leather pants). An “alma prieta” to me means a soul that was hardened like a shield, with the dual meanings of prieta suggesting both dark skin and the will to fight against slavery. It makes sense to me poetically.
I don’t really hear “alma prieta” when I listen to the Spanish song, however. I THINK I hear “con el alma a friega” (with my soul all riled up), which seems to match a variation in a later stanza, “el alma se me agita” (my soul gets agitated).
This song is popular so it is possible that both versions are correct in this stanza. They both make sense to me anyway.
Habla mucho y no apretando, aprieta.
No le pegue a la prieta
Porque a la negra se le respeta.
He speaks a lot and without tightening, he squeezes.
Don’t hit that dark woman
Because the black woman must be respected.
I am not sure if the Spanish lyrics are really saying “Habla mucho y no apretando, aprieta.” However, that is what all the lyrics websites claim and I don’t have a good alternative. Native speakers, do you hear something different?
I am sure that the middle line says “No le pegue a la prieta“, though. That is a variation of the call-and-repeat line, “No le pegue a la negra,” altered to rhyme with the first bold line.
In Spanish, negro/negra means black (of African descent) and prieto/prieta means dark-skinned (could be of African descent as well, or of Native American descent). Here, it refers to the black woman that this song defends.
Vamos a ver que le pegue a jeva
Let’s see him try to hit that swell young lady
jeva (f. noun, slang) = 1. girlfriend; 2. young woman or barely adolescent girl; 3. guy who feels attraction for other guys; 4. effeminate guy
Here meanings #1 and #2 are the relevant ones. I didn’t translate it as “girlfriend” because the beginning of the song talked about the couple being married already.
Hay lamento en la playa, nena.
En la playa de Cartagena.
No, no, no, no, no, no de Marbella, bella.
There are sorrows and cries at the beach, girl.
On the beach of Cartagena.
No, no, no, no, no, not from Marbella, beautiful.
Marbella is a neighborhood in the town of Cartagena, in Colombia.
“Hay lamento..” means “There are wails…, There is lament…” but lament has too much of a “quiet regret” connotation in English and I need more of a “cry and wail” meaning. However, “wail(s)” sounds like “whale(s)” which adds unnecessary confusion when the location is a beach.
Don’t hit that black woman,
En la maleta que cante y que llora. [*Nonsense line from the lyrics websites]
El alma de la que canta y que llora. [*What I actually hear]
Porque entonces el negro se venga.
Don’t hit that black woman,
Inside the suitcase let them sing and cry [*Nonsense line’s translation]
The soul of she who sings and who cries. [*Correct line’s translation]
Because otherwise the black man will get his revenge.
The bold line from the lyrics websites doesn’t make sense. Luckily, the Spanish singing is very clear here and there was no ambiguity once I re-listened and corrected the transcription.
“La Rebelion” by Joe Arroyo ft. La Verdad, song lyrics translation
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