Memoria de Una Vieja Canción

The song "Memoria de Una Vieja Canción" by Horacio Guarany is a poignant reflection on memory, love, and the enduring power of music. The lyrics convey a deep sense of nostalgia and longing, as the narrator is enveloped by a day without sun, symbolizing a personal gloom. The cold knocking on the windows serves as a metaphor for the chilling touch of loneliness and the past that refuses to be shut out.

The 'old song' mentioned in the lyrics is a powerful anchor to the past, representing a shared moment between the narrator and a loved one in a distant land. This song becomes a vessel for the memories of a love that once was, suggesting that music can immortalize emotions and moments in time. The autumn, with its falling leaves and gray drizzle, is personified as a visitor that brings back these memories, emphasizing the seasonal metaphor for change and the passage of time.

The recurring question of why the narrator cannot forget the song is rhetorical, highlighting the depth of the love that still lingers. The imagery of the narrator sitting in the same room, at the same table, weeping the night before, paints a vivid picture of someone haunted by the past. The song also touches on the theme of the inexorable flow of time, likened to a river that never returns, and the eternal clock of hours, suggesting that while time moves forward, memories and emotions can remain static, replaying endlessly like a lamenting song over the windowpane.