Coplas of El Yopo (Coplas de El Yopo)

Music piece by:
Unknown. Traditional Venezuelan song. Popularised in Chile by Isabel and Ángel Parra
Testimony by:
Carlos Muñoz
Experience in:
Campamento de Prisioneros, Tres Álamos, 1975 - 1976

A comrade whose last name was Saavedra (if I recall correctly) sung this song passionately. This song earned him the nickname of ‘El Yopo’ (also ‘Chopo’)Area in eastern Venezuela. It is also a tree native to the Caribbean and South America, with hallucinogenic seeds and leaves., as is usual in popular culture.

The song was well-known in Chile, as sung by Ángel and Isabel Parra, who called it 'Décimas del folklore venezolano' or 'Coplas Venezolanas'. It was one of the most popular songs in prison and was performed at many of our musical events. It was also sung at Ritoque and Puchuncaví.


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Published on: 09 July 2015

In the sea, the seashell says:
I keep a wealth
a beautiful dress
with a natural gloss.

I am worthier than the coral,
the diamond and the ruby
I won’t swap with you
because I am valued anywhere
and in foreign lands
all appreciate me.

They say there was, there wasn’t anything
I’m off to El Yopo at dawn,
at dawn I’m off to El Yopo
because the guayabo* turns me mad.

You, you, you ordered it
And if you order it, you pay
And if you don’t, you pay as well.

The ark clam complains
and so does the snail
For us there’s no pain
so says the mussel
and the potato to the queen
tells her past history.

Such a wretched life
God to cast us out in the world
into these deep seas
where we are worth nothing.

They say there was, there wasn’t anything
I’m off to El Yopo at dawn,
at dawn I’m off to El Yopo
because the blues turns me mad.

You, you, you ordered it placed
And if you place it, you pay
And if you don’t, you pay as well.

My three dear brothers
Were swept by the tide
says a child in sorrow
what a painful case.

We march together
to swim without fear
the river came with its fury
and swiftly took them away
when they disappeared
my pain could not be described.

They say there was, there wasn’t
I’m off to El Yopo at dawn,
at dawn I’m off to El Yopo
because the blues turns me mad.

You, you, you ordered it placed
And if you place it, you pay
And if you don’t, you pay as well.


Related testimonies:

  • Ode to Joy (Himno a la alegría)  Amelia Negrón, Campamento de Prisioneros, Tres Álamos, 31 December 1975

    Preparations for that Wednesday night became more intense. It would be a different night. We women prisoners had secretly organised ourselves, but more importantly, we had also coordinated with the male prisoners.

  • Ode to Joy (Himno a la alegría)  Renato Alvarado Vidal, Campamento de Prisioneros Cuatro Álamos, 1975

    Once upon a time, there was a good little wolf. … No. That’s another story.

  • The Crux of the Matter (La madre del cordero)  Servando Becerra Poblete, Campamento de Prisioneros Chacabuco, 9 November 1973 - 10 November 1974

    I recited this poem in the National Stadium. I continued to do so in the Chacabuco prison camp, earning the nickname of “Venancio” from my fellow prisoners.

  • The Crux of the Matter (La madre del cordero)  Servando Becerra Poblete, Campamento de Prisioneros, Estadio Nacional, 9 November 1973 - 10 November 1974

    I recited this poem in the National Stadium. I continued to do so in the Chacabuco prison camp, earning the nickname of “Venancio” from my fellow prisoners.

  • Casida of the Dark Pigeons (Casida de las palomas oscuras)  Luis Alfredo Muñoz González, Campamento de Prisioneros Cuatro Álamos, February - March 1975

    According to scientists, memory and music processing are situated in a deep, ancestral part of the brain, where it is zealously guarded.

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