I tried to find some info about this song and all I could find is a loose translation [with my own addition to clean up the language]: Any more info would be appreciated.
Song: Manuela. By: Patxi Andión. Album/Record: 19 Grandes Exitos. Year: 1971-1973.
'They say that the beginnings of this popular tune can be traced back to the colonial wars in North Africa. It's been sung and re-sung with different lyrics and titles [I'm guessing based on the particular case and context] "Viva la XV Brigada", "The army of the Ebro" etc... And sometimes this involved changing to the protagonist to either [most often] Manuela or Carmela. This version here sung by 'Patxi Andión' revolves around Manuela.
Patxi Andión's version of the song highlights something unique [yet not] in the 'popular Republic': it's just one more song, one more story... in every village, in every city, in every village there was yet another woman, yet another story. For Emilio Prados for example it was 'Encarnacion Jimenez' a laundress who formed the court-martial [not sure about correctness of aforementioned translation, 'court martial' or how it was meant] and shot for the attending wounded militiamen. But for Patxi Andión in this version of the song it's 'Manuela'. It seems be described as a song of/for war'.
I hope I have interpreted the significance of the song correctly any additional insight , info or translation would be appreciated.
Informative Links:
http://www.punk77.co.uk/anarcho_punk/spanish_civil_war.htm
http://militarescw.blogspot.com/2009/10/women-and-spanish-civil-war.html
http://flag.blackened.net/liberty/spunk/Spunk336.html
Film:
In my exp. three amazing films to look up would be "Libertarias" (google video has the complete film online free), the next would be "Land and Freedom" (Tierra y Libertad), and finally "The Devil's Backbone" (El Espinazo Del Diablo). Alternatively you can just google 'Spanish civil war films [movies]'.
Lyrics [Spanish and English below] (Google Translate for the english version):
Una historia más de guerra
que se cuenta en las montañas,
que se pierde allá en el tiempo,
¡Ay Manuel, ay Manuela!
pero vive en mi recuerdo
¡Ay Manuela!
Venía de Cataluña
y era hija de peones.
El coraje y la pasión
¡ay Manuela! ¡ay Manuela!
quemaban su corazón
¡ay Manuela! ¡Ay Manuela!
De todas partes venían
y su nombre ya sabían.
Ayudó a muchos hombres
¡ay Manuela! ¡ay Manuela!
que aún recuerdan ese nombre.
¡Ay Manuela! ¡Ay Manuela!
Una noche en las montañas,
dicen que tras su cabaña
desapareció una estrella.
¡ay Manuela! ¡ay Manuela!
nunca más se supo de ella.
¡Ay Manuela! ¡Ay Manuela!
Sólo queda en mi memoria
una canción y una historia:
es la canción de Manuela,
¡ay Manuela! ¡ay Manuela!
una historia más de guerra
¡Ay Manuela! ¡Ay Manuela!
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