Santa Bárbara (also known as Nel Pozu Maria Luisa and Santa Bárbara Bendita) is a traditional song of the Asturian coal miners.
The song
The deeply emotional lyrics and the sorrowful and heroic score, usually sung a cappella by a male choir, turned the song into a symbol of Asturian coal mining and of mining in general. Sometimes used as a working class anthem, the hymn was widely used during the Asturian miners uprising of 1934 and during the Spanish Civil War.
The lyrics (usually sung in Asturian, Spanish or a mixture between both languages) describe the painful returning home of a miner, covered in the blood of his fellow miners, who tells his wife (Maruxina) of a mining accident in the famous Asturian mine known as Pozu Maria Luisa (located in Ciañu, Langreo).
Coal mining, which is present in Asturias since the 18th century having a pivotal role in the historical economic activity of the region, is known as a very dangerous activity. Historically, hundreds of miners have died in the mines of Asturias and deadly mining accidents were sadly common in the miner population.
Santa Bárbara is nowadays considered to be an important piece of Asturian traditional music and is included prominently in the Asturian folk music repertoire. The song is also often used in funerals, tributes and memorials.
Original Asturian version
- Nel pozu María Luisa
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- Nel pozu María Luisa
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- Morrieron cuatro mineros
- mirái, mirái Maruxina, mirái
- mirái como vengo yo
- Traigo la camisa roxa
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- Traigo la camisa roxa
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- De sangre d'un compañeru
- Mirái, mirái Maruxina, mirái
- mirái como vengo yo
- Traigo la cabeza rota
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- Traigo la cabeza rota
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- Que me la rompió un barrenu
- Mirái, mirái Maruxiña, mirái
- mirái como vengo yo
- Santa Bárbara bendita
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- Santa Bárbara bendita
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- patrona de los mineros
- Mirái, mirái Maruxina, mirái
- mirái como vengo yo
- Patrona de los mineros
- Mirái, mirái Maruxiña, mirái
- mirái como vengo yo
English translation
- In the María Luisa pit //
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- In the María Luisa mine
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- Four miners have died
- Look, look Maruxina, look
- look how I'm coming home
- My shirt has turned red
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- My shirt has turned red
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- Stained with the blood of a fellow miner
- Look, look Maruxina, look
- look how I'm coming home
- My head has broken
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- My head has broken
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- It was broken in a blast
- Look, look Maruxiña, look
- look how I'm coming home
- Blessed Saint Barbara,
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- Blessed Saint Barbara
- Trailarai larai, trailarai
- Patron saint of the miners
- Look, look Maruxina, look
- look how I'm coming home
- Patron saint of the miners
- Look, look Maruxina, look
- look how I'm coming home
A last couplet, sometimes omitted because of non politically correct profanity runs likewise
Cago en los capataces
Arrivistas y esquiroles
(Variant) Accionistas y esquiroles
I Crap on the foremen
(they're all) hustlers and union scabs
(variant) And the shareholders and unions scabs too
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