I found out today that Antonio Cabán Vale AKA El Topo died a few days ago. He was a Puertorrican teacher, poet, song writer, singer, and musician. Some of his songs are considered an important part of Puertorrican cultural identity. The most important of which is Verde Luz, considered by most the second national hymn.
The late 60s and the 70s were a period of rich political unrest in Latin America and the Caribbean. This decade is known as the decade of protests and revolution. At this time Puerto Rico had been a territory of the United States for about 60 some years.
For almost two decades, the arts, literature, and music saw an incredible growth in the island. El Topo was part of this cultural movement. To understand the significance of this growth in the island, one needs to provide a little bit of context. Puerto Rico was acquired by the United States after Spain lost the Spanish American War of 1898. As part of this new arrangement, we became— almost overnight— United States citizens. This was something the island, at the time, did not choose. Since then, much discussion and turmoil have occurred discussing whether or not to become state, remain as we are, or become independent.
When the United States took over many changes were abrupt and quick. I recall stories told by my grandparents about teachers having to teach English while barely knowing the new language themselves. When I attended school, lessons centering in our culture were either frowned upon or simply forbidden, especially in private schools. These changes prompted other clashes and uprisings in the island.
Literature, poetry, song writing, and music focused on both denouncing American imperialism and cultivating a strong devotion for Puerto Rico. Conversations would be carefully entertained because if they touched on politics it could become volatile. Music and art were different. Everyone, promoters for independence, statehood, or the Commonwealth alike would come together to sing the songs and admire artwork. The music of much of this time was part of the movement knows as “nueva canción”. The Smithsonian Folk Ways Recordings defines the movement as follows:
Nueva canción is both a Latin American musical form and a social movement that has been around for nearly 70 years. It emerged in the early 1960s when Latin American and Caribbean—and some extent Spanish—cantautores (singer–songwriters) decided to make music in response to existing social and political struggles. Nueva canción represented, for many in Latin America and the Caribbean, an essential cultural element to bring about change in the region. In Puerto Rico, this form of cultural expression took on a unique character in response to the independence movements of the 20th century that called for liberation from the United States.
Verde Luz was written in this cultural context and struck a chord. Verde Luz is a danza. La danza is a musical genre originated in Ponce, the south of the island. La danza is a type of ballroom dance similar to the waltz. It too, went through a period of government censure until it became an accepted form of expression.
The song Verde Luz is a simple and short song but it packs a lot of emotion in honor of the island. It was written in 1966 as El Topo’s ideal vision of the island’s freedom. It is a declaration of the island’s right to determine its future. What is really remarkable is that this song is equally celebrated and loved by both the left and the right alike. All sing together in honor of the island’s beauty. One thing is true of Puerto Rico: regardless of political leanings the love for the island runs deep. And this song, Verde Luz, is in that sense a masterpiece and a beautiful hymn about the island’s beauty.
Below are the lyrics of Verde Luz in Spanish first and then in English.
Spanish
Verde luz de monte y mar
Isla virgen del coral
Si me ausento de tus playas rumorosas
Si me alejo de tus palmas silenciosas
Quiero volver, quiero volver
A sentir la tibia arena
A dormir en tus riberas
Isla mía, flor cautiva
Para ti quiero tener
Libre tu cielo
Sola tu estrella
Isla doncella, quiero tener
Verde luz de monte y mar
English
Green light of mountain and sea
virgin coral island
If I am absent from your murmuring beaches
If I walk away from your silent palms
I want to go back, I want to go back
To feel the warm sand
To sleep on your banks
My island, captive flower
For you I want to have
Free your sky
Only your star
Maiden Island, I want to have
Green light of mountain and sea