Author Archives: Michelle Segura

Song – El Salvador

“El Carbonero”

Soy carbonero que vengo de las cumbres del volcán

Con mi carboncito negro

Si mi señor, es buen carbón

Compre usted de Nacazcol y de Chaperno y de Copinol

Compre usted, es buen carbón

“The Coal Man”

I am coal man that comes from the ashes of the volcano

With my little coal black

Yes my man, it is good coal

Buy you of Nacazcol and of Chaperno and of Copinol

Buy you, it is good coal

“The Coal Seller”

I sell coal, and I come from the ashes of the volcano

With my black coal

Yes sir, it is good coal

Please by sir, buy coal from Nacazcol and Cahaperno and Copinol

Buy sir, it is good coal

Boris told me that “El Carbonero” is a folk song from El Salvador that he used to sing at school when he was younger. It was always sung during Independence Days or El Día de la Raza when it would be sung and danced to. Girls would wear their traditional dresses and men would wear their traditional peasant costume with a white hat and white shirt and pants made of manta. He first learned it in kindergarten with the rest of his peers. He was unsure whether or not it was printed in their books, but it may or may not have been. Either way, this song was considered by most Salvadorians to be the Second National Anthem of El Salvador. He also added that it might have been originally written by a Mexican writer, but he was also unsure whether or not that was true.

This unique song is tellingly considered by Salvadorians as their second national anthem. As their adopted second national anthem, the song most likely had a special relevance to the people, their loves, and their sense of being Salvadorian. It is interesting to note that El Carbonero is not a typically patriotic song that glorifies the country, the government, or anything else that you might usually associate with the theme of a national anthem. On the contrary, it is a very simple song about a man who sells coal from different regions of El Salvador. He is a working man trying to earn a living. The original language of the song is also significant. Told by the man himself, he addresses prospective buyers with the formal term of respect “usted”.  This choice of language further emphasizes his humble position within society and also reveals important information regarding the social customs of the culture. In this choice of a second national anthem, the “common people” and majority of the population must have also been asserting their presence and value within Salvadorian society. Perhaps the original national anthem was not inclusive enough or this part of the population needed to feel empowered. And what better way to achieve these ends and newly establish themselves as a very real presence within the country’s culture than by adopting a song that reflected the life of a hardworking man simply trying to live? It was obviously well received because as Boris said, it was a song that was taught very early on and proudly sung during important feast days and celebrations. This may also reflect the pride of the people who identified with the song and to whom it felt relevant as it increasingly became a part of their cultural identity and consciousness.

Interestingly enough, Pancho Lora a Salvadorian credited with being one of the most influential and enduring folk singers of El Salvador is credited with writing “El Carbonero”, however the lyrics of the song that he publishes are different from the ones Boris performed for me. Broaden the search a bit and you will soon see diverse renditions of this song with variations in lyrics that nevertheless maintain the essence of the song Boris sang.

Annotation: Pancho Lara CD titled “The Pipil Indians of El Salvador” on which the song “El Carbonero” appears. This CD was released by Folkways Records in 1983.

Proverb

El que nace pa’ maceta, del corredor no pasa.

He that born for pot of hall no pass.

He that is born to be a flower pot does not go beyond the hallway.

El que es perico donde quiera es verde. El que es pendejo por dondequiera pierde.

He that is parrot where is green. He that is fool by wherever lose.

Wherever the parrot goes he is still green. Wherever a fool goes he loses.

Alex told me that his grandmother used to tell him and his siblings these two proverbs whenever someone would complain about having to do their chores because they were too difficult or they claimed not to know how to do them. Her response would always be the same, one or both of these proverbs. Alex understands these proverbs to be opposites and to also mean that if you are intelligent you will be able to do it, but if you are menso (dumb in Spanish), you will simply never get it. Sentiments his grandmother was also apparently trying to express to her grandchildren.

These proverbs are incredibly witty and upon further inspection and reflection, I cannot help but think that Alex’s grandmother must have been an incredibly intelligent and witty woman. If she responded to her grandchildren’s complaints in this way, she must have also been testing them a bit to see if they would understand what she was saying in response to them. The proverbs essentially assert that whoever you are and whatever aptitude, skill, or purpose in life you were born with, it is yours to embrace and not to change. It is not so much a warning against being someone that you are not, but instead, simply a warning that you are who you are and that is essentially constant. Like Alex said, if you are green like the parrot you always will be, and if you are a fool like the proverb says, no matter where you go, you still will be a fool. These proverbs get to the crux of who you are and seem to suggest that you accept certain things about yourself and maximize that experience. For example, if you are a flower pot, you can’t exactly expect to travel throughout the rest of the estate or fly away like a bird, because that is simply beyond you currently. So, why not just be the flower pot and stop trying to be the bee that visits your flowers and then flies away. However, the proverbs can also be seen as more limiting and disheartening than realistic and promoting self acceptance regardless of whether or not you are truly a fool

Superstition

When you sweep someone’s feet you have to spit on their feet seven times or you’ll have bad luck for seven years.

Bruce said he used to hear this from his mother whenever either she or he was sweeping with a broom and it happened to cross someone’s feet. This superstition, or slave superstition as he called it, has special meaning to him and his family’s personal history. He said his mother’s mother (his grandma) started this tradition and began passing it down first. His grandmother and his grandfather were sharecroppers in Texas and this superstition was part of their shared experiences and slave folklore.

This superstition feels incredibly personal and unique because of the historical and familial tradition Bruce was able to share with me after sharing this special piece of his family’s folklore. He did not comment much on the specific meaning of the actual superstition or its directives because he seemed to view them as merely a part of his ancestors’ thinking in the past. The superstition’s beliefs, however, may reveal a greater sense of his ancestors’ environment, daily activities/ tasks, and their cultural beliefs. For example, as domestic workers sweeping may have been both a task and also a symbolic ritual of cleansing energy and bad spirits from the space and in this case, perhaps even away from individuals. This was most likely an important gesture towards the person whose feet may have accidentally gotten swept across. It also seems like an act of self preservation though. This superstition advises quick action on the sweeper’s part to prevent seven years of bad luck by spitting on their feet seven times and undoing any curses. Seven may or may not have symbolic meaning in this case, but the advice for self preservation does. Given that this superstition most likely has its origins amongst slaves, the superstition could possibly be a symbolic/ ritualistic means of eliminating negative energy and misfortune that empowered slaves in these situations who may have had little other power otherwise to prevent tragedy or “bad luck”.

Proverb

Dime con quién andas y te digo quien eres.

Tell me with who you are and I you tell who are you.

Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are.

Margoth said that this proverb held a lot of truth. She gave the example of having a girl friend who is rude, gossips, a lot, and has bad habits in general. She suggested that if you are friends with a woman like this for example, then surely you must also be more like her thank you think. She also told me that she says this the most to her son who can be disobedient and gets in trouble at times because of his friends and the things they do when they are together.

Margoth’s example really gets to the essence of the proverb; the company that you choose to keep says a lot about you. Your friends and lovers reflect back on you and may reveal things about your character etc. that others may not see so easily. For example, you may not think of yourself as being particularly inclined towards gossiping, but if all of your close girl friends are gossips, then what does this in fact say about you? You may not spend your days gossiping freely all day long, but your girl friends habits of doing so may reveal that you still enjoy hearing it and engaging in it in that way. This proverb also speaks to the influence your friends can have on you and how that might affect you or alter your personality in some ways. Perhaps your friends enjoy shoplifting because of the thrill they get when they get away with it; their actions and all of the time you spend with them may one day make you more vulnerable to behaving similarly. You could end up succumbing to their habits, thinking etc. because of your close relationship with your friends. However, I do not think that this proverb is completely negative. It works both ways. If your friends perhaps enjoy cultural events or philanthropy, then this might reflect your own appreciation for similar activities. Like attracts like and you may have more positive things in common that a close look at who your friends are and what they do can say about you. Moreover, I think that this proverb also encourages you to examine the company that you chose to keep, your closest relationships, and prompts you to choose wisely with all of this in mind.

Annotation: Arora, Shirley L.. “Reviewed work(s): A Dictionary of Mexican American Proverbs by Mark Glazer.” The Journal of American Folklore Vol. 103, No. 40701-03 1990 115-117. <http://www.jstor.org/pss/541124>.

Contemporary Legend

Pop Rocks and Coke

If you put a packet of Pop Rocks in your mouth and then immediately consume a Coke, your stomach will explode from the carbonation!

Jose laughed after telling me this urban legend, which is apparently one of his favorite ones to share with others. He used to believe it was true and tested it out for himself many times before when was younger, always awaiting his explosive demise and never quite experiencing it. He did firmly assert that this is not true, though. Because he said he saw it on Mythbusters, a popular television show, and they took care of disproving the whole thinking behind it.

Jose’s experience with this Pop Rock and Coke phenomenon when he was younger reflects a more general fascination and intense curiosity that often surround similar urban legends because there is always that anticipation and desire to know, “what if it’s true?” Urban legends such as this one also serve to hype certain products which can be an incredibly effective street marketing and sales tool. Moreover, the fact that Jose finally received confirmation that this combination was perfectly harmless from a television series, shows how pervasive urban legends can be and how quickly they can become a part of mainstream popular culture.

Annotation: The song “Pop rocks and coke” by the artist Green Day. This song is found on their studio album “International Superhits!” on Label Reprise released in 2001.