¡Ay Carmela! (song)
"¡Ay Carmela!" is one of the most famous songs of the Spanish Republican troops during the Spanish Civil War.[1]
| "¡Ay Carmela!" | |
|---|---|
 Military flag of the Spanish Republic | |
| Song | |
| Language | Spanish |
| English title | "Ay Carmela!" |
| Genre | Topical song |
| Songwriter(s) | Unknown |
| Part of a series on |
| Anti-fascism |
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It had originally been a nineteenth century folk song, El Paso del Ebro, commemorating the routing of Napoleonic troops across the river Ebro in 1807, during the War of Independence.[2]
During the Spanish Civil War, in common with many older folk songs, the melody was reused with new lyrics by the Republican side, in various versions (El Ejército del Ebro, El paso del Ebro, ¡Ay, Carmela!, ¡Ay, Manuela!, Rumba la Rumba, and Viva la XV Brigada). A less well-known version was also coined by Nationalists (El Rîo del Nervión).[3]
Variants
The most popular lyrics to this Republican song have two variants known as El Paso del Ebro and Viva la XV Brigada. The first one is related to the Battle of the Ebro and the second mentions the Battle of Jarama, two of the main confrontations of the Civil War.
The sentence Luchamos contra los moros (We fight against the Moors) refers to the Regulares, the feared Moroccan units fighting as the shock troops of the Nationalists.
Lyrics
El Ejército del EbroEl Ejército del Ebro,
Y a las tropas invasoras,
El furor de los traidores,
Pero nada pueden bombas,
Contraataques muy rabiosos,
Pero igual que combatimos,
|
TranslationThe army of the Ebro,
And the invading forces,
The fury of the traitors,
But their bombs can do nothing,
[Their] counterattacks are fierce,
Even as we fight,
|
Viva la Quince Brigada
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Viva la Quince Brigada,
Luchamos contra los moros,
Solo es nuestro deseo,
En los frentes de Jarama,
Ya salimos de España,
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TranslationLong live the Fifteenth Brigade,
We fight against the Moors,
Our only desire,
On the Jarama front,
We're now leaving Spain,
|
See also
- Si me quieres escribir, another Republican song mentioning the crossing of the Ebro River
- Songs of the Spanish Civil War
References
- ¡Ay Carmela! Una canción con historia
- Canciones Republicanas
- Bertrand de Muñoz, Maryse (2009). Si me quieres escribir. Canciones políticas y de combate de la Guerra de España (in Spanish). Calambur. ISBN 9788483591123.