Music for a Sunday: Mr. Murder

“Señor Matanza” (Mr. Murder), by Mano Negra (Black Hand) provides a hard look at reality in Colombia. Here are the lyrics:

This city is property of Mr. Murder
That jewel, that mine and that finca* and that sea,
That paramilitary is property of Mr. Murder
That federal [policeman], that stoolie, that rat in the union
and the bishop general are property of Mr. Murder

Good hookers and alcohol are under control
the school and the pawnshop are property of Mr. Murder

He decides what goes, says what won’t happen,
decides who gets paid, says who gets to live
That and that land and that bar are his property,
they’re property of Mr. Murder

And they took my buddy to the mountain
And they took my buddy to the mountain

And my buddy that they took and they left, those who kill, bang-bang!
They’re property of Mr. Murder
He decides what goes, says what won’t happen,
decides who gets paid, says who gets to live
You can’t go walking without collaborating with his Holiness, Mr. Murder

And they took my buddy to the mountain
And they took my buddy to the mountain

If I shoot it, if I shoot it, the basuco**, the lie

Listen up! His word is law! (Pow, pow!)

Mr. Murder…

He decides what goes, says what won’t happen,
decides who gets paid, says who suffers
That and that land and that bar are property of Mr. Murder

And they took my buddy to the mountain
That jewel, that mine and that finca and that sea are property of Mr. Murder

And they took my buddy to the mountain
And they took my buddy to the mountain

If he doesn’t rule it he buys it, and if he doesn’t buy it he eliminates it

And they took my buddy to the mountain

Translation mine.

*finca: large ranch-style estate, with a big mansion, employing hundreds of peons, with quality of life according to the owner’s whim
**basuco: semi-refined cocaine paste, cheap nasty shit, highly addictive