“Tula’s Bedroom” Lyrics
Album: Buena Vista Social Club, 1997
Style: Iconic Cuban traditional music song about a fire started by a candle in Tula’s bedroom. She fell asleep and forgot to blow it out, now all the firefighters want to help her with that flame.
Country: Cuba
Listen: YouTube
Translation:
En el barrio La Cachimba, se ha formado la corredera,
En el barrio La Cachimba, se ha formado la corredera.
Allá fueron los bomberos con sus campanas, sus sirenas,
Allí fueron los bomberos con sus campanas, sus sirenas.
In the Cachimba neighborhood, a running line has formed,
In the Cachimba neighborhood, a running line has formed.
There went the firefighters with their bells, their sirens,
There went the firefighters with their bells, their sirens.
Ay, mama, ¿qué pasó?
Ay, mamá, ¿qué pasó?
Oh mama, what happened?
Oh mama, what happened?
En el barrio La Cachimba, se ha formado la corredera,
En el barrio La Cachimba, se ha formado la corredera.
Allá fueron los bomberos con sus campanas, sus sirenas,
Allí fueron los bomberos con sus campanas, sus sirenas.
In the Cachimba neighborhood, a running line has formed,
In the Cachimba neighborhood, a running line has formed.
There went the firefighters with their bells, their sirens,
There went the firefighters with their bells, their sirens.
Ay, mama, ¿qué pasó?
Ay, mamá, ¿qué pasó?
Oh mama, what happened?
Oh mama, what happened?
El cuarto de Tula (¿Qué fue?)
Le cogió candela.
Se quedó dormida y no
Apagó la vela.
(x3)
In Tula’s bedroom (What was it?)
The flame got her.
She fell asleep and didn’t
Blow out the candle.
(x3)
Que llamen a Ibrahim Ferrer,
Que busquen a los bomberos,
Que yo creo que Tula lo que quiere, señor,
Es que le apaguen el fuego.
Let them call Ibrahim Ferrer,
Let them search for the firefighters,
Because I think what Tula wants, sir,
Is for them to blow out her fire.
El cuarto de Tula
Le cogió candela.
Se quedó dormida y no
Apagó la vela.
In Tula’s bedroom
The flame got her.
She fell asleep and didn’t
Blow out the candle.
Ay, por ahí viene Eliades
En tremenda corredera,
Viene a observar el cuarto de Tula
Que ha cogido candela.
Oh, there comes Eliades
In a tremendous dash,
He comes to check out Tula’s bedroom
That’s caught fire.
El cuarto de Tula
Le cogió candela.
Se quedó dormida y no
Apagó la vela.
In Tula’s bedroom
The flame got her.
She fell asleep and didn’t
Blow out the candle.
Carlos y Marcos están
Mirando este fuego,
Si ahora no se apaga,
Se apaga luego, candela.
Carlos and Marcos are
Watching this fire,
If it doesn’t go out now,
It will go out later, flame.
El cuarto de Tula
Le cogió candela.
Se quedó dormida y no
Apagó la vela.
In Tula’s bedroom
The flame got her.
She fell asleep and didn’t
Blow out the candle.
Puntillita, ve y busca a Marco’
Pa’ que busque al Sierra Maestra,
Que vengan para acá rápido
Que la Tula, mira, cogió candela.
Puntillita, go and find Marco’,
So he can find Sierra Maestra,
Let them come here quickly
Because Tula, look, she caught fire.
El cuarto de Tula
Le cogió candela.
Se quedó dormida y no
Apagó la vela.
In Tula’s bedroom
The flame got her.
She fell asleep and didn’t
Blow out the candle.
Hey, Marcos, coge pronto el cubito
Y no te quedes allá fuera.
Llénalo de agua y ven a apagar
El cuarto de Tula, que ha cogido candela.
Hey Marcos, quickly pick up the bucket
And don’t stay out there.
Fill it with water and come put out
Tula’s bedroom, that’s caught fire.
El cuarto de Tula
Le cogió candela.
Se quedó dormida y no
Apagó la vela.
In Tula’s bedroom
The flame got her.
She fell asleep and didn’t
Blow out the candle.
Tula está encendida,
Llama a los bomberos,
Tú eres candela,
Afina los cueros.
Tula is on fire,
Call the firefighters,
You are the flame,
Tune the [drum] leathers.
El cuarto de Tula
Le cogió candela.
Se quedó dormida y no
Apagó la vela.
In Tula’s bedroom
The flame got her.
She fell asleep and didn’t
Blow out the candle.
Candela, muchacho.
Flame, young man!
[Musical interlude with Barbarito Torres’ solo]
Se volvió loco, Barbarito,
Hay que ingresarlo.
He went nuts, Barbarido did,
We need to bring him in.
El cuarto de Tula
Le cogió candela.
Se quedó dormida y no
Apagó la vela.
(x4)
In Tula’s bedroom
The flame got her.
She fell asleep and didn’t
Blow out the candle.
(x4)
Translation Notes:
En el barrio La Cachimba, se ha formado la corredera.
Allá fueron los bomberos con sus campanas, sus sirenas.
In the Cachimba neighborhood, a running line has formed.
There went the firefighters with their bells, their sirens.
La Cachimba is a neighborhood in Habana, Cuba.
The word corredera comes from root word verb correr (to run), with suffix -dera which signifies “a lot” or a repetition of an action. Here, corredera is a noun to describe the visual of “a lot of running around”. I translated it as “a running line” in the first stanza of the lyrics since it describes a corredera that formed (like formar una linea, to form a line). I visualize several people running around back and forth to put out the fire.
El cuarto de Tula (¿Qué fue?)
Le cogió candela.
Se quedó dormida y no
Apagó la vela.
(x3)
In Tula’s bedroom (What was it?)
The flame got her.
She fell asleep and didn’t
Blow out the candle.
In Spanish generally, candela means “flame” or “candle.” In Cuba, it is also slang to describe something or someone with energy, spirit, passion, and strong charisma. Here, it has a double meaning, describing literal fire and sexual desire. Tula’s room is “on fire”, or Tula herself is aflame with desire. The firefighters are the men responding to this emergency.
Que llamen a Ibrahim Ferrer,
Que busquen a los bomberos,
Que yo creo que Tula lo que quiere, señor,
Es que le apaguen el fuego.
Let them call Ibrahim Ferrer,
Let them search for the firefighters,
Because I think what Tula wants, sir,
Is for them to blow out this fire (alternative: her fire).
Ibrahim Ferrer (1927-2005) is a Cuban singer who recorded with the Buena Vista Social Club as part of the Afro-Cuban All Stars, a Cuban band and orchestra composed of famous musicians interested in spreading love for Cuban music across the world.
This song names several Cuban musicians. I suspect that Ibrahim Ferrer was first named because his last name means ironworker or blacksmith. Even if you don’t know anything about him, his last name adds to the imagery of strong men coming to Tula’s rescue.
Se quedó dormida y no
Apagó la vela.
She fell asleep and didn’t
Blow out the candle.
Tula left her candle going and didn’t blow it out, so the fire spread and set her room on fire.
Ay, por ahí viene Eliades
En tremenda corredera
Oh, there comes Eliades
In a tremendous dash
Eliades Ochoa Bustamante (1946-) started as a Cuban guitarist at age 6, and grew to take part in Cuerteto Patria, another traditional Cuban music band.
Here, en tremenda corredera describes how Eliades is coming over, “in a tremendous dash”.
Carlos y Marcos están
Mirando este fuego
Carlos and Marcos are
Watching this fire
Carlos likely refers to Carlos González, a percussionist with the band Sierra Madre and credited in the Buena Vista Social Club 1997 album. I think this song is too old for this to refer to Carlos Calunga, a later singer with the Buena Vista Social Club.
Marcos almost certainly refers to Juan de Marcos González (1954-) who was part of the Afro-Cuban All Stars. De Marcos González founded the band Sierra Maestra in 1978 to keep traditional Cuban music alive and active, then the Buena Vista Social Club in 1996 for concerts and recordings.
Puntillita, ve y busca Marco‘
Pa’ que busque al Sierra Maestra
Puntillita, go and find Marco’,
So he can find Sierra Maestra
These are also references to Cuban musicians. Manuel “Puntillita” Licea (1921-2000) was a Cuban singer with the Afro-Cuban All Stars. Juan de Marcos González (1954-) was described above.
Hey, Marcos, coge pronto el cubito
Y no te quedes allá fuera.
Llénalo de agua y ven a apagar
El cuarto de Tula, que ha cogido candela.
Hey Marcos, quickly pick up the bucket
And don’t stay out there.
Fill it with water and come put out
Tula’s bedroom, that’s caught fire.
Un cubo is a bucket, and un cubito is a small bucket of the size used by children. Marcos is putting out this fire slowly.
Tú eres candela,
Afina los cueros.
You are the flame,
Tune the [drum] leathers.
afinar, verb = to tune, to polish, to perfect, to refine
el cuero, noun = leather. Here in a musical context, it refers to the leather covering of Cuban drums.
Se volvió loco, Barbarito,
Hay que ingresarlo.
He went nuts, Barbarido did,
We need to bring him in.
These words are spoken by Eliades Ochoa after Barbarito Torres plays an impressive solo on his laúd or laoud, a 12-string instrument in the lute family.
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