Japi's Blog

A Flor De Piel by Yordano

Another phenomenal Venezuelan singer/songwriter is Yordano (linked to Manantial De Corazon on YouTube).  He has some of the best lyrics I've heard.

A Flor De Piel is one of my favorite songs by Yordano*.  It was interesting because he didn't originally make it famous.  Yordano started as a composer for several Venezuelan artists and "A Flor De Piel" was picked up by Luz Marina - a Venezuelan singer with a beautiful and sensual voice.

Then about a year later, I saw Yordano singing the same song on TV.  His voice was not as nice, but you could tell he was the song's composer - his interpretation didn't have much to it, but definitely had a lot of feeling.  Here are the lyrics and the translation.

*NOTE: Yordano has so many great songs, though... it's very difficult to have a favorite.  I will discuss other Yordano songs in future blog posts.  I hope you enjoy this one. 

Purchase the album with this song.

Original

English

Salgo del cuarto a descansar de una cama vacía y sin arreglar de tu perfume. Por fín en la calle de pronto me pierdo entre la gente que sale de un cine y tu apareces como una sombra en cada calle que cruzo, en cada rostro sin nombre, en cada esquina te escondes, en cada noche que cae, en cada día que rompe, siempre te llevo a flor de piel, a flor de piel, con tus labios todavía a flor de piel. Ya no soporto más el recuerdo de aquella noche de luna llena, perdido en tus brazos. Entro en un bar, me quiero aturdir alguien me habla y no puedo evitar que tu aparescas como una sombra en cada frase que oigo, cada mentira que digo, cada palabra te nombra, en cada noche que cae. en cada día que rompe, siempre te llevo a flor de piel, a flor de piel con tus labios todavía a flor de piel, en mi alma todavía en tu piel

I leave the bedroom To rest From an unkempt And empty bed Still with your perfume Finally on the street I'm suddenly lost Among the crowd Coming out of a theater And you show up Like a shadow In every street I cross In every nameless face In every corner you hide In every night that falls In every daybreak I always carry you On the surface of my skin On the surface of my skin With your lips still On the surface of my skin I can no longer stand The memory Of that night With a full moon I was lost in your arms I enter a bar I want to get lost Someone speaks to me And I can't avoid For you to appear Like a shadow In every phrase I hear Each lie I tell Each word says your name In every night that falls In every daybreak I always carry you On the surface of my skin On the surface of my skin With your lips still On the surface of my skin In my soul still On the surface of your skin

Un Querer Como El Tuyo - by Ilan Chester

Un Querer Como El Tuyo is a beautifully romantic song composed and performed by Ilan Chester.

Ilan is a phenomenal musician born in Israel and raised in Venezuela.  He is a prolific singer/songwriter.  His vocal range is amazingly wide - this particular song doesn't really show his range... but it's one of my favorites.

Purchase the CD with this song.

Original

English

Cuando se tiene un querer como el tuyo, Las horas no cuentan, el tiempo es amigo Mi vida, contigo, no concibo algo mejor. Cuando se tiene un querer como el tuyo, Las sombras se alejan y queda el rocío En ti yo confío el quehacer del corazón… Será sincero si lo propio es lo común Amor del bueno cada vez que te recuerdo soy feliz, Y estando a tu lado me encuentro feliz, Me basta y me sobra tu amor, Al norte y al sur, al este y oeste, Declaro mi amor por ti, Y estando a tu lado me encuentro feliz Cuando se tiene un querer como el tuyo, Cuando se tiene un querer como el tuyo, No hay dudas ni quejas, se llena el vacío, No hay tuyo ni mío, somos uno entre los dos… Será sincero si lo propio es lo común Amor del bueno cada vez que te recuerdo soy feliz, Y estando a tu lado me encuentro feliz, Me basta y me sobra tu amor, Al norte y al sur, al este y oeste, Declaro mi amor por ti, Y estando a tu lado me encuentro feliz Cuando se tiene un querer como el tuyo, Cuando se tiene un querer como el tuyo, Cuando se tiene un querer como el tuyo.

To have a love as yours The hours don't count, time is a friend My life, with you, I can imagine nothing better To have a love like yours Shadows dissappear and only the dew is left I entrust my heart to you Honestly.... True love, your memory makes me happy And being next to you, I am happy Your love is filling and overflowing To the north, south, east and west I declare my love for you And being next to you, I am happy To have a love as yours To have a love as yours No doubt nor complaint will fill this void There's no yours or mine, we're one Honestly.... True love, your memory makes me happy And being next to you, I am happy Your love is filling and overflowing To the north, south, east and west I declare my love for you And being next to you, I am happy To have a love as yours To have a love as yours To have a love as yours

Juan Vicente Gomez - Venezuelan President beginning in 1908

As expressed in my previous post, I aim to learn more about Venezuela's history and political climate to better understand and try to predict its future direction.

After Cipriano Castro left for Europe to be treated for syphilis, General Juan Vicente Gomez (the vice president) was left in charge.  Gomez had been instrumental in bringing (and maintaining) Cipriano Castro to power.  When Gomez began to see the mess that the previous administration had left... he decided to let Castro know that there was no need to return.

Castro presided over Venezuela for close to 30 years (on and off) during a critical period in the country's history - oil was discovered in Lake Maracaibo in 1918 which prompted unprecedented economic growth.  Gomez was definitely a great leader during this period, but was also enriching himself and his family by stealing from the country's coffers.

General Juan Vicente Gomez treated Venezuela as his personal "hacienda" (plantation) and this has created two opposite views of his regime.   Some historians consider him Venezuela's greatest president.... and others write him off as a tyrant and one more in a long line of corrupt presidents.  However, he was a great leader during Venezuela's historic growth in the early part of the 1900's.

In my previous post, I made some parallels between Venezuela's current president Chavez and Cipriano Castro.  In the wikipedia entry about Juan Vicente Gomez, the parallel is made between Gomez and Chavez.  Personally, I would prefer to make the parallel with Cipriano Castro since his time in power was much shorter and was replaced by someone considered a strong leader who lead the country to wealth and economic growth.

I expect that either Chavez or Venezuela's next president will have a very strict hand but will be able to help spur new economic growth.  The one factor that will affect this is the level of technological growth they are able to promote.  If Venezuela is able to catch up technologically to some of its neighbors, it may have opportunities for future growth... otherwise it will continue to fall apart.

Cipriano Castro - Venezuelan President 1899 - 1908

To better understand what is currently happening in Venezuela, it's important to go back in time and see cultural and political factors that have affected its people.  Through these writings, I am also learning more about my birth country's history... I hope you find it useful as well. 

Wikipedia and my father's Web site will be the primary sources of information for the following blogposts.

Cipriano Castro was Venezuela's 37th President from 1899 to 1908.

The following is a letter written by Cipriano Castro to Venezuelans in 1908 (I have translated it to English):

Dear Venezuelans:

Special circumstances force me to leave for Europe today, for just a few days. 

The country is on a path of prosperity and growth, due to its responsible debt re-payment, its balanced revenues and the solid peace enjoyed by our nation, all of which will fall on your hands to maintain and help this success endure.

As stated in our constitution, our Vice President General Juan Vicente Gomez will be in charge of the Presidency.  I ask that you support and lend him your cooperation in his important mission, as if it was me, in this you will fulfill your duty.

Caracas, November 23, 1908.

Cipriano Castro

Thanks to Joaquin Avellan Cachazo for making this letter available on his Web site.

The little I know about Venezuelan history includes the horrors of General Juan Vicente Gomez's 3 Presidencies (1908-1914, 1922-1929 and 1931-1935).  However, as I read further in both my father's article and Wikipedia, I learn that Cipriano Castro was actually much worse than Gomez.  Castro took power with military force and went on to lead one of the country's most corrupt periods in its history.

My father's article parallels Castro's reign with that of current Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.   Both men took power before the turn of their respective centuries, both had military backing and hid behind a slogan of helping the poor.  Neither President was a true leader as Castro was managed by the Germans and British... just as Chavez is being managed by Fidel Castro and other totalitarian regimes around the world.

Cipriano Castro's excesses lead him to contract syphilis in 1908 which is the reason he left to Paris for treatment.  When Chavez first took power, we hoped his regime would last just a few years, now it looks like it will last more than Cipriano Castro's 9 years.

Shortly after his departure, Gomez took power and began a progressive time in Venezuela that was contrasted by his heavy hand in dealing with anyone who opposed him. 

I will cover Gomez in my next post... but understanding a little bit about Venezuela at the turn of the 20th century and seeing its similarities with today's situation, have made me both sad of its past and its impending doom as the past is likely repeating itself.

Will Venezuela one day learn from its past and find a way to improve its future?

NOTE: First photo is in the public domain of the United States.  The political cartoon is Wikimedia Commons. It is a Caricature of Cipriano Castro, by W.A. Rogers, published in the New York Herald, January, 1903.

Commons is a freely licensed media file repository. You can help.