naci en Alamo - Remedios Silva Pisa - English translation & Spanish lyrics; Film: Vengo

A haunting rendition of a Spanish gypsy song by Remedios Silva Pisa from Tony Gatlif's Spanish movie Vengo ("I have come" or it could be "I avenge").

The Spanish version is actually an adaptation of a Greek version called 'Balamo' composed by Dionysis Tsaknis, which is based on a Gypsy song. Some people claim that the title of the song is "naci en el amor" (I was born of love). However, the movie credits show as follows:

"Nací en Alamo" Lyrics by Tony Gatlif; Musical arrangement by Gritos de Guerra and Tony Gatlif after Dionissis Tsaknis".

Clearly, Gatlif was inspired by the song Balamo, and he used a similar sounding Spanish word Alamo. It is interesting to note that the story of the film takes place in the Andalusia region of Spain, where several places have Alamo in their name. Also, I have read that the movie Vengo was actually filmed in Portugal near a place named Alamo.

Tony Gatlif has infused the film Vengo with music, dances and images that are used as symbols representing the continued cycles of rise and fall as well as intermingling of various cultures over generations in the Andalucia region of Spain. In this song, you observe the singer uttering words of despair while also dancing with a smile which may symbolize hope over the adversity her community faces.

Here are the lyrics in Spanish followed by an approximate translation/interpretation in English:
no tengo lugar
y no tengo paisaje
aun menos tengo patria
con mis dedos hago fuego
y con mi corazon te canto
las cuerdas de mi corazon lloran
naci en alamo
naci en alamo
...
ay cuando cantan
y con tus dolores
nuestras mujeres te echizan...

English Translation/Interpretation
I have no place
I have no view
I have even less of a homeland
With my fingers, I light the fire
From my heart, I sing to you
And my heartstrings cry
I was born in Alamo
I was born in Alamo
...
Our women enchant you
When they sing
with your anguish

As another example of cultural mixing, notice how the flamenco resembles the Indian dance Kathak!

Also, isn't she wearing a bindi on her forehead?

According to the wikipedia, " There are many striking similarities between Kathak and the Flamenco dance of the Spanish gitanos, most notably in the lack of much deviation from the vertical axis, percussive footwork, and dependence on (sometimes complex) rhythmic cycles.

It is generally supposed that the Romani people emigrated from India sometime in the 11th century. One group would later enter Spain via North Africa, having first passed westward through Iran (then Persia) and the fringes of the Ottoman Empire. In these places, they encountered the very same cultural influences that were to later arrive in India through the various Mughal incursions and have such an impact on Kathak. Thus, flamenco and Kathak both received the same cultural ingredients but in two very different circumstances: the itinerant gypsies carried their Indian art forms' traditions with them and absorbed new influences as they travelled, while Kathak stayed rooted in India and received the same input as a result of those influences (Persian and aspects of Middle-Eastern dance) being imported by a new regime. The similarity of Kathak and flamenco is therefore explained by the same process (the grafting and mixing of Persian and Middle-Eastern dance elements on to an Indian base) working in two different ways."

Видео naci en Alamo - Remedios Silva Pisa - English translation & Spanish lyrics; Film: Vengo канала bemused321