2025 Competition Entry:

Diego Marquez by Robin Bates

Genre

Folk

Artist

Website

Co-writer(s)

no

Performer(s)

Vocals: Ian Dunlop;
piano and synth: Robin Bates;
accordion: Robin Bates.

Description

Celebrates the courage of saying No to drugs.

Bio

Robin Bates lives on the Lizard, Cornwall, UK.

Lyrics

From the south-facing slopes of Dosquebradas
To the Rio Magdalena’s green breadth
Lay the richest fine lands of Colombia
And they belonged to Diego Marquez

His sunflowers so vibrant and yellow
His lillies so blue you could cry
And every groom that was wed in Colombia
Gave a Marquez red rose to his bride

CHORUS
Gather your roses and lillies
And sing till you run out of breath
Shake the dust from your clean espadrillos
When you follow the coffin of Diego Marquez

When the birds all stopped singing – he heard them
He could tell there was more than one car
Four Mercedes pulled into the farmyard
And out of one stepped Pablo Escobar

‘It’s the last time I ask you Diego
Grow my coca, my friend, grow my weed
Speak to the FARMERS of La Cunchala
All rich now ‘cos they all agreed.

Plata o plomo Diego
Take my silver or you’ll take my lead
Say yes – you’ll live long in Dosquebradas
Say no to me now and you’re dead’

Diego – what do you say?

‘The roses grow backwards in La Cunchala
They swallow their roots and they die
The children draw pictures of bullets
With the sun dripping blood from the sky

My grandfather planted these valleys
And the roots they grow deep and grow true
Slither back to your vile Hacienda
If you ever thought I’d yield to you’


They tied him to the wheel of his tractor
But what Escobar did not realise
As the bullets ripped into Diego
The more that they shot him,
the more he didn’t die

Your NO echoes yet in Dosquebradas
Diego your NO still remains
You said NO for the children of
Colombia
You said NO to the King of Cocaine

Line a parallel crease in your trousers
Flick the jonnycake crumbs from
your lapel
Brush UP all your new
white sombreros
Keep in step with his funeral bell

END CHORUS

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