Pico y Pala

COUNTRY: Cuba
LANGUAGE: Spanish

“Pico y pala” is a Cuban train song that introduces us in class to the concept of “Clave,” which is the underlying rhythmic structure (soul?) of Afro-Cubun music.

Lyrics of All Around This World version:

Pico y pala, pico y pala, pico y pala, compñero
pico y pala, pico y pala, pico y pala, soy central.
Pum, Pum! Chan,chan!
Are you going down the track?
Yes, I’m going to the station, yes I’m going and I’ll be back
Pum pum! Chan chan!
Are you going down the track?
Yes, I’m going to the station, yes I’m going and I’ll be back
Guao, guao, guao.