A plea for help with lyrics...

[thomas newton]

I've been listening to this song for a while now and have had a go at picking out some of the lyrics so that I can delight my brothers in the rumba study group but I just can't get enough out of it to do it justice.

If anyone can offer any help with this song, perhaps they know it, can point me to a recording, know the title or pick out the lyrics better then I can, I would be truly grateful. I emailed Felix Sanabria sometime ago asking for info about this song but have had no reply.

I get a lot from this forum and feel somewhat rude even asking but it would mean a great deal to me to sing this wonderful song.

You may have see this before in the videos thread - if you haven't you should see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECZcdrmgdO0 Los Afortunados at Black and White in Color, NY in 1989

Fingers crossed that someone can help me out with more info.

Thanks

[guarachon63]

Hi Thomas!

I'll be happy to do what I can to help. But I am curious why it would even cross your mind that it is rude to ask for the lyrics to this song? I see nothign worng with it at all, quite the contrary. For some reason there seems to be a heightened sense of paranoia about sharing info, at least in this forum. IMO it's unhealthy and I hope it clears up soon!

Anyway, this is similar to a song I learned from El Goyo, which although I like this version very much I like Goyo's even better. He says it is by the great "Tio Tom."

I am at work so I can't crank it up too high, but here is the best I can do, maybe some others can offer corrections. Like Goyo's version, this one seems to be in a kind of creole-ized Spanish, that is, not always 100% grammatically correct.

Also, note that some of the abakuá stuff I got straight from Goyo (for example "India Obane taroroko Tanze
Ekue ntiniabon") and some of it I am just taking a guess at (like the coros). IMO it's totally fine to do that unless you are making a record or something. It's a great song, have fun singing it!

Barry

Bele bele bele be
Bele bele be
Bele bele
Bele bele

Yambele, Yambele, Yambele

Ay, mucho que me diverti
a una fiesta que yo fui

Ay, mucho que me diverti
a una fiesta que yo fui

A los Pocitos, de Marianao
A los Pocitos, de Marianao

Y lo(s) obonekue(s) cantaban así
Y lo(s) obonekue(s) cantaban así

India Obane taroroko Tanze
Ekue ntiniabon

Suenan los cueros por favor
Suenan los cueros por favor
Suenan los cueros
Suenan los cueros

Ay, mucho que me diverti
a una fiesta que yo fui
A los Pocitos de Marianao

Y lo(s) obonekue(s) cantaban así
Y lo(s) obonekue(s) cantaban así

India Obane taroroko Tanze
Ekue ntiniabon

Suenan los cueros por favor
Suenan los cueros por favor
Suenan los cueros
Suenan los cueros

A e Abasí awo jé Iyamba
Abasí awo jé Iyamba
Abasí awo jé Iyamba

Coro: A e Abasí awo jé Iyamba

Iya kon go dó
Iyá awo jé kon gon dó

Coro: Iya kon go dó

[thomas newton]

Barry,
thank you so much. What can I say?
I've just listened again against your written version and I'm just delighted.
It was on your Sentimiento Manana blog that I first hear this song so it is a double gift you have given me.

Thanks again for your post, I certainly won't hesitate to ask for help again.

[guarachon63]

My pleasure Thomas.

There are just a couple of thing about the lyrics I would reconsider, which I will edit, I think one line could be better written.

Instead of:

Y el obonekue(s) cantaban así

it should probably be

Y lo(s) obonekue(s) cantaban así

And also, El Goyo actually wrote: "India Obane" rather than "India bane."

Also, the excellent http://sentimientomanana.blogspot.com/ blog is not mine but rather fellow congaplace member Ralph.

I have the http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/

and also the http://cancionerorumbero.blogspot.com/

saludos!
barry