Canción: La tarara, de Federico García Lorca
This month’s song is a bit curious: Federico García Lorca composed it based on several Spanish songs for children. It talks about a crazed woman who prances about the countryside dancing. The word tarara in fact means to be crazy. The Spanish poet’s famous song goes like this:
La Tarara, sí; | La Tarara, yes; |
Originally this song was a “canción de corro”, a song sung by children as they danced in circles holding hands, like Ring Around the Rosey. The lyrics could also vary according to region. Some specialists have suggested that it may have originally been a Sephardic Jewish copla, although the first known versions date back to the 19th century. García Lorca’s version can still be heard in some grade schools.