El Cuento

Carlos Ramón Fernandez's 'El Cuento' is a poignant narrative ballad that tells a story of family, love, and hidden truths. The song begins with a warm domestic scene, with the smell of homemade bread and a family preparing to share a meal. The father, returning from the fields, greets his wife and seeks to embrace his son, only to be met with an unexpected rejection. The child, who has always been a source of joy, turns away from his father's kiss, prompting the father to seek the reason for his son's sorrow.

The heart of the song unfolds as the child reveals that at school he was told that the man he knows as his father is not his biological parent. This revelation shatters the peace of the household, leaving the father to find the words to explain the truth. The father then tells a 'true tale' about the child's conception and birth, involving his mother's love for a poor but honorable man, the father's best friend, who turned to crime in desperation to provide for his unborn child and was ultimately killed by the police. The dying man's last wish was for the narrator to marry the child's mother and raise the child as his own, without revealing the truth of his parentage.

The song concludes with the child understanding the sacrifice and love that has surrounded him. He embraces the man he has always known as his father, declaring joyfully that he has had two fathers. 'El Cuento' is a testament to the complexities of family bonds and the profound love that can exist beyond biological ties. It also touches on themes of social injustice and the lengths to which people will go to provide for their loved ones.