Pitan-Pitan Lyrics in English by Carlos Vives
Pitán, pitán is an onomatopoeic phrase that imitates the sound of drums, specifically the tamboreros (drummers) playing in a festive setting. It's not a standard dictionary word but rather a cultural expression tied to the rhythm and energy of Colombian music.
In the song, it evokes the lively atmosphere of a soccer game and a town celebration, where the drums are central to the excitement. It's a unique and memorable phrase that captures the essence of the song's vibrant spirit and regional flavor.
Carlos Vives wrote this one for his hometown football club, Unión Magdalena, and it opens nowhere near a stadium. A man gets up before light "Muy cerca de tus muelles" (right by your docks), drinks his coffee weak so it stretches further, kisses his old lady goodbye and crosses himself at the altar. Then he pushes off to fish, "Se va vistiendo de inmensidad" (going off dressed in vastness), which is a lot of words for one man alone in a canoe at dawn. Sunday comes and the same man is in church giving thanks, and then in the same breath "Y le pide por su equipo" (and he prays for his team), "Que a la tarde jugará" (that will play this afternoon). That slide from the altar to the fixture list is the joke and the point at once.
The rest of it is the terraces. "Pitán, pitán, pitán" is the drums talking, and Vives lets the word carry half the song, hanging real lines off it: "Tocan los tamboreros" (the drummers are playing), "Que alegre está mi pueblo" (how happy my town is). Unión Magdalena is the ciclón bananero, the banana cyclone, and the supporters come down from La Guajira and Ciénaga to the cheap shaded seats. Somebody up front is blocking the view, so the crowd sings at him: "Gorrero, gorrero" (freeloader, freeloader), "Quítate el sombrero" (take off your hat). A fish seller works the rows with red snapper and mullet and signs off with "Que me lo compre tu hermana" (then let your sister buy it). Then it goes quiet. "Anoche tuve un sueño" (last night I had a dream), everyone small again, "Y estaban los abuelos" (and our grandparents were there). For a football chant it ends up being about missing people.
