SONG ANALYSIS

La lora proletaria (70’s)

By: Jorge Velosa

a. Who is Jorge Velosa? (Biography)

Jorge Luis Velosa Ruiz is a Colombian singer-songwriter best known for co-founding

the musical genre known as carranga, for which he is known as "El Carranguero Mayor." In

1949, he was born in Ráquira, Boyacá (Colombia). He planned to be a veterinarian at

Colombia's National University, but he decided against it in order to focus only on music,

literature, radio, and television. He is devoted to the written and spoken word; he performs,

presents, sings, composes, and plays the harmonica and guacharaca. Jorge has worked in a

variety of musical groups during the course of his twenty-year career. (Bigollo, 2007).

b. Voice

“La lora proletaria” is a song written in the 70’s by Jorge Velosa. He is singing in 3rd

person because the author is speaking of somebody else. (“La lora” represents the citizens).

Similarly, he is talking about the problems that people had at the time, such as guerrilla

struggles and drug trafficking. On the other hand, this song is telling a story of death, sadness,

toxicity, hypocrisy and anger.

c. Literary devices

Simil

 Y asina como el maicito

 Y por esos los fusilan como hicieron con la lora

Alliteration

 Si se juntan pa peliala

 Hay que echarle agua y abono

 Hay que echarles palo y plomo.

 Larai lai larai larai lai la

Hyperbole

 Y es que hasta los animales

tan cansaos de tanta jodas
y por esos los fusilan

 Y ya pa tiro e morirse
y ni un aliento tener

Onomatopoeia

 Larai lai larai larai lai la

Symbol

 La lora is a symbol that refers to citizens.

Repetition

 Con el proletario al frente

con el campesino al lao
con la guerrilla avanzando
y con el pueblo organizao.
Personification

 Y es que hasta los animales

tan cansaos de tanta jodas
y por esos los fusilan
como hicieron con la lora.
(Ríos, 2018).

d. Historical context and its relation with the song

This song goes back to the years of 1977 when the civic strike was carried out (the

great discontent for the "expensive mandate"). Because the population's poverty had reached

dangerous levels, the López administration declared an economic emergency to address the

budget imbalance and implement a tax and fiscal reform to combat inflation, which

culminated in the elimination of public transportation subsidies, and that caused a strike in

which the army went against the people, just like the song expressed. (Señal Memoria, 2021).

WEBGRAPHY

Billogo. (2007). Jorge Velosa. Last.fm. https://www.last.fm/es/music/Jorge+Velosa/+wiki

Ríos, E. (2018). Letra Lora proletaria. Música.com.

https://www.musica.com/letras.asp?letra=2388319

Señal Memoria. (2021). Paro cívico de 1977: el gran descontento por el “mandato caro”.

https://www.senalmemoria.co/articulos/paro-civico-de-1977-el-gran-descontento-

por-el-mandato-caro