The Urban Despair in Charly García's 'Suicida'

Charly García's song 'Suicida' paints a bleak picture of urban life and the existential despair that can accompany it. The repetition of the phrase 'Es un suicida' (Is a suicide) suggests a metaphorical suicide, where the inhabitants of the city are living in a state of spiritual or emotional death, rather than a literal one. The 'herida' (wound) mentioned in the song could symbolize the pain and suffering that city dwellers carry with them, which contributes to their metaphorical demise.

The desire to see the sea at dawn represents a longing for escape and a yearning for something more meaningful than the oppressive city walls. The sea is often associated with freedom and infinite possibilities, contrasting with the confinement of urban life. The mention of 'mil vidas' (a thousand lives) for every cat in the city could be an allusion to the multiple roles and masks people wear to survive in the urban jungle, losing their true selves in the process.

The song also touches on the theme of inevitability, with the lines 'Todo el mundo sabe bien / Que no hay salida' (Everyone knows well / That there is no way out), suggesting a sense of fatalism among the city's inhabitants. The transformation into 'estatuas de sal' (statues of salt) could be a reference to the biblical story of Lot's wife, who looked back at the city of Sodom and turned into a pillar of salt, symbolizing the inability to leave the past behind. The closing lines of the song express a resignation to this fate, as the speaker no longer asks where the road goes or waits for the dawn, accepting the reality of their situation.

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  1. Nos Siguen Pegando Abajo (Pecado Mortal)
  2. Los Dinosaurios
  3. La Medicina N° 9 (feat. David Lebón)
  4. Ojos de Video Tape
  5. Adela en el carrousel
  6. Demoliendo Hoteles
  7. Rezo Por Vos
  8. Bancate ese defecto
  9. Gato de metal
  10. No Voy En Tren
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