Ay Carmela! || Ай, Кармела!

Ay Carmela! is the most popular song of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The original version dates back to 1808-1814 - the time of the struggle of the Spaniards for independence against the French intervention. The river mentioned in the song is the Ebro. In the Battle of Ebro (1938), the Republicans heroically opposed the Franco's 10 times their number, for 113 days. 100,000 people died on both sides. The Battle of the Ebro fatally undermined the strength of the Republican army and became the prologue to its surrender. This fact gives the song its unique combination of pride and bravado with the sadness of defeat and hope for new battles against fascism.

According to unconfirmed sources, an early version of "Ay Carmela" had a hand in Federico Garcia Lorca, the great Spanish poet, who was shot in the summer of 1936 by the Franco. In one of the versions of the song is mentioned the XV International Brigade, formed by Abraham Lincoln Battalion (formed by British and Americans) together with Belgian-French battalion, the Balkan battalion named after Dimitrov, and later reinforced by a battalion of Cuban volunteers.

Among leftists performers, Ay Carmela was played by Pete Seeger, by Joe Strummer of The Clash, and recently - by Bandista.

Seeger's friendship with soldiers of the Lincoln Battalion attracted great interest from the FBI. In 71, the ban on Seeger's concert at the University of Barcelona led to student riots and clashes with the Francist police. During a concert at the Barcelona stadium in the same period, the security forces banned Seeger from singing the most politicized songs, as a result, the listeners sang them themselves to his accompaniment.

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Translation (according to wiki)

Long live the Fifteenth Brigade,
Rumba la rumba la rumba la!
Long live the Fifteenth Brigade,
Rumba la rumba la rumba la!

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It will cover us with glory,

Ay Carmela, ay Carmela!

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We fight against the Moors,
Rumba la rumba la rumba la;
We fight against the Moors,
Rumba la rumba la rumba la,
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Mercenaries and fascists,

Ay Carmela, ay Carmela!

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Our only desire,
Rumba la rumba la rumba la!
Our only desire,
Rumba la rumba la rumba la!
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Is to end fascism!

Ay Carmela, ay Carmela!

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On the Jarama front,
Rumba la rumba la rumba la!
On the Jarama front,
Rumba la rumba la rumba la!
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We don't have airplanes, nor tanks, nor cannon,

Ay Carmela, ay Carmela!

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We're now leaving Spain,
Rumba la rumba la rumba la!
We're now leaving Spain,
Rumba la rumba la rumba la!

We shall fight on other fronts,

Ay Carmela, ay Carmela!

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