El Astronauta Y La Bruja
Bersuit Vergarabat
A Cosmic Dance of Love and Illusion
The song "El Astronauta Y La Bruja" by Bersuit Vergarabat, an Argentine rock band known for their eclectic musical style and socially charged lyrics, tells the story of an astronaut and a witch traveling together in a bubble, heading south. The narrative is a metaphorical journey that explores themes of love, belief, and disillusionment. The astronaut and the witch represent two individuals with different worldviews and practices, yet they share a common path and connection. The astronaut's belief in spaceships and special effects that he has never verified contrasts with the witch's practices with brooms and her trust in a crystal ball sold to her by a swindler. These contrasting beliefs serve as a metaphor for the different ways people approach life and the illusions they hold.
The song delves into the idea of love as ephemeral and unpredictable, like 'drops of love' rolling in the air. The fever of love can rise mysteriously and disappear without reason, much like an apparition. The bursting of the bubble signifies the end of an illusion, leaving the astronaut and the witch directionless and without faith, moving away from the sun in opposite directions. This imagery suggests the inevitable disillusionment that follows when the illusions that bind two people together are shattered.
Bersuit Vergarabat uses the story of the astronaut and the witch as an allegory for the human condition, where life is never as precise as one might hope, and no one possesses the ultimate truth or solution. The characters' struggle with guilt and fear after their 'sidereal connection' breaks down reflects the universal experience of trying to find meaning and direction in a world filled with uncertainties and false beliefs. The song's haunting refrain about an eternal return to the void encapsulates the existential nature of the journey.