There is a video on you-tube with Rubén showing Cheo Feliciano a picture of the first time he met him and Tite in 1972 at the old Casablanca nightclub in Condado. Cheo was singing with El Sexteto Imperial and in the photo are Cheo, the late Rafael Cortijo, Tite and Rubén. In 1994, Rubén recorded an album with Willie Colón, “Tras la Tormenta”, that included “Desahucio (Eviction)” a song he co-wrote with Tite. The bomba rhythm accompanied the story about Adolfina Villanueva, a woman who had been evicted from her home in Medlanía Alta in the coastal town of Loiza in Puerto Rico. She was killed by police gunfire on the morning of February 6, 1980 when they came to evict her. “One characteristic that made Mr. Curet’s compositions stand apart from the run-of-the-mill salsa tune was their willingness to address social and political problems. As Rubén Blades, the Panamanian singer, songwriter, actor and politician, put it in a telephone interview, “Tite wrote songs that were directed not just at the feet but also at the mind.”[2] DESAHUCIO (Tite Curet/Rubén Blades) La soga sigue partiendo por lo más fino. De más está predicar que así es el destino. Parece que no tener plata es un delito. Que vale más la injusticia que el “¡Ay, bendito!” Los pobres querían un sitio en donde vivir, y comenzar, desde ahí, su recuperación. Sabían que su permanencia allí era ilegal, Pero, sin dinero, no hubo otra solución. Su desahucio todo el mundo lo comentó. Justicia que en asesina se convirtió, tronchando la vida humilde de una mujer: la Ley aplicada mal deja de ser Ley. No fueron en nombre del entendimiento. No hubo explicaciones, ni hubo sentimiento. Luciendo uniformes de orden y proceso llegó un pelotón de fusilamiento. La sangre inocente nos cubrió de duelo. Los gritos de muerte despertaron a un pueblo. Cuerpo acribillado, que lección encierras: para el pobre, el cielo: ¡pa’l rico, la atierra! Cuerpo acribillado, que lección encierras: para el pobre, el cielo: ¡pa’l rico, la atierra! ¡Adolfina vive! Coro: Adolfina se dejo matar, desde el cielo lo perdonara. Ella no te pide pena, ¡sólo tu respeto y ya! Coro: Todos tenemos derecho a vivir con dignidad. Coro: No te pide privilegios, ni te pide caridad. Coro: Esto debe quedar claro: sin justicia no habrá paz. Si ésta tierra es parra todos, no la asfixies con alambre. Coro: Para tú vivir mejor no mates a otros de hambre. Coro: Sin demagogia ni ideología dale entrada al pobre en la economía. Coro: La Patria no es una finca que se puede hipotecar. Coro: Si es verdad que Cristo viene, ¡mejor huye Camará! “Tras la Tormenta”, released in 1995, was dedicated to Héctor Lavoe and Raúl Juliá, two stars of América. That year Rubén would return to San Juan for the second Carlos Baerga Celebrity Softball Game. The day after, he would spend most of the day relaxing in his hotel room in Condado. Don Tite, to Rubén's delight, came by to visit. As we sat talking, Rubén was interrupted on a number of occasions by telephone calls. He apologized to don Tite because the conversation was about an ongoing project of theirs for a children’s opera based on a song that Tite had written. Rubén went into detail for my edification about having written a song some nine or eleven years earlier about a fisherman. He told me the story of Antadilla and how he had shared the story with don Tite, asking him to write a few songs for the project and that don Tite in turn spoke to him about a song he had written titled “La campana en el fondo del mar (The bell at the bottom of the Sea)”. He went on to tell me that upon hearing the title he thought it would make for a good children’s story and thus they embarked on writing and planning on recording “La campana en el fondo del mar”. “In spite of the fact Tite was often depicting a harsh barrio reality, he wrote with an elegance of words and imagery, with lyrics that could be very poetic and cosmopolitan,” said Mr. Blades, whose next recording will be dedicated to Mr. Curet.[3] “And he opened up the scope of the music, too, pushing it beyond the tropical salsa enclaves by writing stuff that was more pan-American.”[4] At the time of his death, on August 5, 2003, don Tite was still was working on the opera for children with Rubén. “I wish now, looking back, that I had asked him more questions, because he had a lot to teach,” said Mr. Blades, who suspended a tour so he could attend Mr. Curet’s funeral in San Juan. “That man loved music and culture and words and ideas, and talking about all of those things. He was just exceptional in every way.”[5] PROHIBIDO OLVIDAR (Rubén Blades) Prohibieron ir a la escuela e ir a la universidad. Prohibieron las garantías y el fin constitucional. Prohibieron todas las ciencias, excepto la militar. Prohibiendo el derecho a queja, prohibieron el preguntar. Hoy te sugiero mi hermano, Pa’ que no vuelva a pasar, ¡Prohibido olvidar! Coro: ¡Prohibido olvidar! Prohibido esperar respuestas, prohibida la voluntad. Prohibidas las discusiones. Prohibida la realidad. Prohibida la libre prensa y prohibido el opinar. Prohibieron la inteligencia con un decreto especial. Si tú no usas la cabeza, otro por ti la va a usar. ¡Prohibido olvidar! Coro: ¡Prohibido olvidar! Prohibido el derecho a huelga y el aumento salarial. Prohibieron ir a la calle y el Estado criticar. Prohibieron reírse del chiste de su triste gobernar. Prohibieron el desarrollo del futuro nacional. Yo creo que la única forma de darle a esto un final es: ¡Prohibido olvidar! Coro: ¡Prohibido olvidar! Prohibido los comentarios sin “visto bueno” oficial, prohibieron el rebelarse contra la mediocridad. Prohibieron las elecciones y la esperanza popular. Y prohibieron la conciencia, al prohibirnos el pensar. Si tú crees en tu bandera Y crees en la libertad: ¡Prohibido olvidar! Coro: ¡Prohibido olvidar! ¡Dilo Oscar….Hernández! Pobre del país donde lo malo controla donde el civil se enamora de la corrupción. Pobre del país alienado por la droga porque una mente que afloja pierde la razón. Pobre del país, que con la violencia crea que puede matar la idea de su liberación. Pobre del país que ve la justicia hecha añicos por la voluntad del rico o por orden militar. Cada nación depende del corazón de su gente y a un país que no se vende nadie lo podrá comprar. Coro: ¡No te olvides! ¡No te olvides! IT IS PROHIBITED TO FORGET (Prohibido Olvidar/Rubén Blades) They prohibited going to school And going to the university. They prohibited constitutional guaranties and goals. They prohibited all sciences except the military. They prohibited the right to complain, they prohibited asking questions. I suggest to you, my brother, so that it doesn’t happen again. It is prohibited to forget. Chorus: It is prohibited to forget! They prohibited waiting for answers. They prohibited having a choice. Discussions were prohibited. Reality was prohibited. The free press was prohibited, giving opinions was prohibited. They prohibited intelligence with a special decree. If you don’t use your head Somebody else will use it for you. It is prohibited to forget. Chorus: It is prohibited to forget! The right to strike was prohibited, so were salary increases. They prohibited taking to the streets and criticizing the government. They prohibited laughing from jokes about their sad government. They prohibited development of the national future. I believe the only way to end this is: To prohibit to forget. Chorus: It is prohibited to forget! All comments without official approval were prohibited. They prohibited rebelling against mediocrity. They prohibited elections, and the people’s hope. They prohibited the conscience, they prohibited thinking. If you believe in your flag, and believe in freedom. Chorus: It is prohibited to forget! Poor is the country controlled by evil, where the civil population falls in love with corruption. Poor is the country, which has been alienated by drugs, because a debilitated mind loses reason. Poor is the country which believes that violence can kill the idea of freedom. Poor is the country which sees justice broken to pieces, by the wishes of the wealthy or by military orders. Each nation depends on the heart of its people and a country which doesn’t sell out can’t be bought by anybody. Chorus: Don’t forget that! MIENTRAS DUERME LA CIUDAD (Rubén Blades) De noche la clase alta conspira, “Jaibol” en mano, tramando. La clase media descansa, estropeada, la televisión mirando. La clase baja sigue abajo el día del cambio esperando. El sueño llega y nos cubre a todos con su manto, y unos se tapan con la mentira y otros se arropan con la verdad. y todo el mundo le apuesta a la vida mientras duerme la ciudad. Unos sueñan con ganancias otros lloran lo perdido. Algunos no dan importancia a lo vivido. Incluso, la maldad descansa con un suspiro. Todos se acuestan pensando: “Mañana, viene lo mío!” Y unos se arropan con la mentira y otros se cubren con la verdad y todo el mundo le apuesta a la vida mientras duerme la ciudad. Y unos se acuestan con la mentira y otros se arropan con la verdad y todo el mundo le apuesta a la vida mientras duerme la ciudad. WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS (Mientras Duerme La Ciudad/Rubén Blades) At night The upper class conspires “high ball” in hand planning schemes. The middle class rests, maimed watching the television. The lower class goes on, way below waiting for the day in which changes will come. Night arrives, covering us all with its shawl. Some cover up with lies others wrap themselves in truths and the entire world bets on life while the city sleeps. Some dream of profits, while Others cry over what is lost. Some don’t give importance to life. Even evil rests with a sigh. All go to bed thinking, “Tomorrow, I’ll get my share” some wrap themselves with lies, others cover themselves with truth, the entire world bets on life while the city sleeps. TENGAN FE (Rubén Blades) Tengan fe, que esto no se acaba aquí. Pongan fe, la razón para vivir. El que pierde la confianza ve su vida presa por la indiferencia. En cambio el que no se rinde por lo menos ve salvada su conciencia. Por eso digo tengan fe, que esto no se acaba aquí. Pongan fe, que hay razón para vivir. El que no busca no encuentra y el que no escucha no aprende. El que no trata fracasa con el alma y con la mente cuando hay fe, hay con que, hacer lo que hay que hacer con la fe la duda se termina. Tengan fe, que esto no se acaba aquí. Coro: Tengan fe y el problema se resuelve. -Siempre hay una solución, cuando la fe no se pierde. Coro: -Recuerden tras la tormenta hay un sol que siempre vuelve. Coro: -Cuando, cuando, cuando no usas la cabeza y otro abusa de tu mente. Coro: ¡Tengan fe que esto no se acaba aquí! (3 veces) -Es un corazón muy grande, el de América Latina. Coro: -Si es fuerte la voluntad, cámara, se encontrara la salida. Coro: Con la fe que sea valiente el problema se termina. HAVE FAITH (Tengan Fe/Rubén Blades) Have faith, this will not end here. Have faith, the reason to live. Those who lose confidence will heave their lives tied to indifference. But those who don’t give up at least, see their conscience saved. So I say, have faith this doesn’t end here. Have faith, the reason to live. The one who doesn’t seek doesn’t find. The one who doesn’t hear, doesn’t learn. The one who doesn’t try fails in his soul and mind. When one has faith, one has the means, to do what needs to be done. With faith, there are no doubts. Have faith, this doesn’t end here. Chorus: Have faith, and the problem will be solved. There is always a solution when faith is not lost. Chorus: Remember, after the storm there is always a sunny day. Chorus: When, when, when one doesn’t use their head others abuse your mind. Chorus: Have faith, this doesn’t end here. (3 times) The Latin American heart is a large one. If your will is strong, friend you’ll find the way. With faith, which builds the courageous soul, all problems end. [1] Larry Rohter “A Master of Tropical Music, Recalled With Reverence” [2] Larry Rohter “A Master of Tropical Music, Recalled With Reverence” [3] “Cantares del Subdesarrollo”, released in 2009, was dedicated to Puerto Rico, Ismael Rivera, Tite Curet Alonso and Ray Barretto. [4] Larry Rohter “A Master of Tropical Music, Recalled With Reverence” [5] Larry Rohter “A Master of Tropical Music, Recalled With Reverence” |
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