TEXT: La Sandunga song lyrics:
Sandunga
Sandunga mamá por Dios
Sandunga no seas ingrata
Mamá de mi corazón
Ay Sandunga, Sandunga mamá por dios
Sandunga no seas ingrata
Mamá de mi corazón
Antenoche fui a tu casa
Tres golpes le di al candado
Tu no sirves para amores
Tienes el sueño pesado
Mi Sandunga, Sandunga mamá por dios
Sandunga no seas ingrata
Mamá de mi corazón
Me ofreciste acompañarme
Desde la iglesia a mi choza
Pero como no llegabas tuve que venirme sola
Ay Sandunga, Sandunga mamá por dios
Sandunga no seas ingrata
Mamá de mi corazón
A orillas del Papaloapan
Me estaba bañando ayer
Pasaste por las orillas y no me quisiste ver
Ay Sandunga, Sandunga mamá por dios
Sandunga no seas ingrata
Mamá de mi corazón
INFORMANT DESCRIPTION: Male, 83, Mexican
CONTEXT: My grandfather played this song for me. I had recognized it from my entire childhood so I asked him to explain it to me. It is a very traditional Mexican folk song specifically from Oaxaca. He explained to me that although the song is very old, from the mid 1800s, it is a symbol of freedom. It appears to be about a woman but is really about the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in Oaxaca. He said in Oaxaca people sing it all of the time, while working and doing chores, to each other at night, even to lovers. The actual word is zapotec, the native tongue, and means “profound music.” The song is a song from a man to a woman originally but has been molded and shaped to fit many context when speaking about something lost or something freed.
TRANSLATION: Oh! Sandunga, Sandunga by God woman!
Don’t be so ungrateful Sandunga, woman of my heart.
Oh! Sandunga, Sandunga by God woman!
Don’t be so ungrateful Sandunga, woman of my heart.
Last night I went to your house,
I knocked three times by the door knocker,
You’re no good when it comes to love,
You’re deep in sleep.
Oh! Sandunga, Sandunga by God woman!
Don’t be so ungrateful Sandunga, woman of my heart.
You offered to accompany me
From church to my house,
But you never came,
And I had to come back alone.
Oh! Sandunga, Sandunga by God, woman!
Don’t be so ungrateful Sandunga, woman of my heart.
At the edge of the Papaloapan
I was bathing yesterday,
You passed by the edge (of the river),
And you didn’t want to see me.
THOUGHTS: This song is very beautiful by the artist Lila Downs but seems to be just as compelling by any singer due to its heartfelt and emotional qualities. It seems this variation truly encompasses its folklore and makes it very interesting to listen to every time and by different singers.
Link to other variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV4Ot_fYRb4