Cara al Sol (Spanish for "Face to the Sun") is the anthem of the Falangistas, the main current of Spanish Fascism. The lyrics were written by the right-wing law student and Falangist founder José Antonio Primo de Rivera, and the music composed by Juan de Tellería , to fulfill the Falangists' need for a rousing song to rival A las Barricadas , the popular anthem of the Spanish Anarchists. The result, following a period of committee review, was titled the Himno de Falange Española. It was first performed in Madrid in 1936. Its popularity was boosted by Rivera's death and subsequent apotheosis by the Spanish Fascist government (compare with the circumstances of the Nazi anthem Horst Wessel Lied and its eponymous Brownshirt martyr). For much of the 20th century, the song served as the unofficial anthem of Spain. Even decades after the collapse of Franco's regime, Cara al Sol is still commonly sung by members of the Spanish far-right.
Spanish lyrics
- Cara al sol con la camisa nueva
- que tú bordaste en rojo ayer,
- me hallará la muerte si me lleva
- y no te vuelvo a ver.
- Formaré junto a mis compañeros
- que hacen guardia sobre los luceros,
- impasible el ademán,
- y están presentes en nuestro afán.
- Si te dicen que caí,
- me fui al puesto que tengo allí.
- Volverán banderas victoriosas
- al paso alegre de la paz
- y traerán prendidas cinco rosas:
- las flechas de mi haz.
- Volverá a reír la primavera,
- que por cielo, tierra y mar se espera.
- Arriba escuadras a vencer
- que en España empieza a amanecer.
- ¡Arriba, escuadras, a vencer,
- que en España empieza a amanecer!
- ¡España una!
- ¡España grande!
- ¡España libre!
- ¡Arriba España!
English translation
Facing the sun in my new shirt
that you embroidered in red yesterday,
I will wear it to my death
if I do not return to you.
I take my place alongside my comrades
who stand on guard in the heavens,
with a hard countenance,
they are alive in my fervor.
If they say to you that I fell,
know that I did what I had to.
They will return with the flags of victory
marching merrily towards peace
and bringing five red roses:
the arrows of my quiver.
Laughter will return in the springtime,
by the sky, earth, and sea, we await its return.
Onwards squarely to victory,
that a new day may dawn for Spain!
Spain united
Spain glorious
Spain liberated
Onwards Spain!
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