"Si me quieres escribir" (English: "If You Want to Write to Me"), also known as "Ya sabes mi paradero" ("You Know Where I Am Posted") and "El frente de Gandesa" (The
Gandesa
Gandesa () is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Terra Alta, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.
History
In the place known as ''Coll del Moro'' there is an ancient Iberian archaeological site belonging to the Ilercavones tribe that l ...
Front), is one of the most famous songs of the
Spanish Republican troops during the
Spanish Civil War.
Background
The melody is based on a former song of the Spanish military units in the
Rif Wars
The Rif War () was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain (joined by France in 1924) and the Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco.
Led by Abd el-Krim, the Riffians at first inflicted several def ...
in Northern
Morocco in the 1920s. The lyrics may change according to the location of the combat and the units involved. The
Gandesa front and the blowing up of pontoons and bridges are related to the passage of the river in the
Battle of the Ebro, also mentioned in
''¡Ay Carmela!''. The Spanish Republican
combat engineers were capable of repeatedly repairing the bridges and pontoons in order to allow the loyalist troops to cross the river —at least a few hours every day— despite the steady bombings of the Nazi
Condor Legion and the Italian ''
Aviazione Legionaria'', as well as the intentional flooding by releasing water from dams upstream.
The ''moros'' (Moors) mentioned in some verses are the ''
Regulares'', the feared
Moroccan shock troop units of the
Nationalist faction
The Nationalist faction ( es, Bando nacional) or Rebel faction ( es, Bando sublevado) was a major faction in the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939. It was composed of a variety of right-leaning political groups that supported the Spanish Coup ...
that kept pounding Republican positions for months at the Gandesa frontline.
[Si me quieres escribir - Ya sabes mi paradero - El Frente de Gandesa - Los emboscados](_blank)
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Lyrics
*The main stanza begins mostly with ''Si me quieres escribir''; it is usually repeated at the end. Also every pair of verses is repeated twice.Si Me Quieres Escribir - YouTube
/ref> There are many different stanzas and these may be subject to local variations and be sung in different combinations.
Variants
One popular Civil War variant of this song where the lyrics make reference to the Siege of Madrid
The siege of Madrid was a two-and-a-half-year siege of the Republican-controlled Spanish capital city of Madrid by the Nationalist armies, under General Francisco Franco, during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). The city, besieged from Octo ...
is known as ''"Los Emboscados"''.
See also
* Songs of the Spanish Civil War
*'' Canciones de la Guerra Civil Española''
*The Ballad of the Fallen
''The Ballad of the Fallen'' is a jazz album by bassist Charlie Haden, with arrangements by Carla Bley, that was recorded in 1982 and released in 1983. The album was voted jazz album of the year in ''Down Beat'' magazine's 1984 critic's poll. ...
*To All We Stretch the Open Arm
''To All We Stretch the Open Arm'' is a collection of political songs by a variety of songwriters, performed by Mirah and the Black Cat Orchestra. It met with a positive review in Allmusic and mixed review from Pitchfork.
Production
The album wa ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Si Me Quieres Escribir - QuetzalSi me quieres escribir - Tercera Brigada MixtaLetra si me quieres escribir - SkalariakSi me quieres escribir live - Marina Rosell
Songs of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish-language songs
Anti-fascist music
Second Spanish Republic
Spanish anthems
1930s songs