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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

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

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.

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