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This song is called "Canción de Canteros", and was recorded in Galicia (a province of north-western Spain) in the 1950s by Alan Lomax, folk- and ethno-musicologist extraordinaire. It is a remarkable example of a work-song; my guess is that the stonemasons use this song's powerful rhythm to synchronize their efforts whilst hoisting a heavy stone with the aid of a block and tackle.
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Not only are the singing stonemasons speaking gallego - a dialect of Spanish spoken in Galicia, a mix of Spanish and Portuguese - but they are also using a secret language unique to their trade. It took me some time to find someone capable of translating the song for me. In the end, the (somewhat bewildered) patrons of the "Galicia" restaurant in West London were able to shed some light on the song's lyrics: "Rich or poor, fat or thin, we will all end up [buried] underground", etc.
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Not only are the singing stonemasons speaking gallego - a dialect of Spanish spoken in Galicia, a mix of Spanish and Portuguese - but they are also using a secret language unique to their trade. It took me some time to find someone capable of translating the song for me. In the end, the (somewhat bewildered) patrons of the "Galicia" restaurant in West London were able to shed some light on the song's lyrics: "Rich or poor, fat or thin, we will all end up [buried] underground", etc.
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