Ya el sol asomaba en el poniente

Les Luthiers, an Argentine comedy-musical group known for their clever and humorous compositions, present a satirical take on military pomp and circumstance in their song "Ya el sol asomaba en el poniente." The song is a parody of traditional military marches, complete with grandiose language and exaggerated patriotism. The lyrics describe a fictional military event, filled with absurd commands and a comically inept colonel, ultimately leading to a humorous and unexpected defeat.

The song opens with a mock-serious introduction, setting the stage for a grand military march supposedly composed by the fictional Colonel Nepomuceno de Alfa. The colonel's speech, filled with culinary metaphors, humorously blends the language of cooking with that of battle, creating a surreal and absurd image of soldiers preparing for combat as if they were preparing a meal. This sets the tone for the rest of the song, which continues to mix high-flown rhetoric with ridiculous and mundane details.

The chorus, sung by a mock-military choir, is filled with the typical imagery of heroic battles and patriotic fervor. However, the exaggerated language and the inclusion of trivial details, such as the mention of "espadas de acero inoxidable" (stainless steel swords), highlight the absurdity of the situation. The colonel's commands become increasingly nonsensical, culminating in a chaotic and disorganized battle scene. The final verse reveals the ultimate irony: despite all the grandiose talk and preparation, the soldiers are soundly defeated, and the song ends with the repeated lament, "Perdimos, perdimos, perdimos otra vez" (We lost, we lost, we lost again).

Les Luthiers use this song to poke fun at the often overblown and self-important nature of military ceremonies and rhetoric. By juxtaposing the serious tone of a military march with absurd and humorous elements, they create a sharp and entertaining critique of the glorification of war and the sometimes farcical nature of military operations.