Este tiempo ha de acabar

Song Meaning

The lyrics open with a stark recitation detailing a brutal political reality: an attempted assassination of prisoners through torture in "Palolandia, Australia." This jarring introduction immediately grounds the subsequent poetic imagery in a context of severe oppression and violence. The contrast between this harsh reality and the abstract concept of natural change sets a powerful, unsettling tone. The repeated phrase, "El reemplazo de lo viejo por lo nuevo," establishes a core theme of inevitable transformation. The central tension arises from the juxtaposition of violent suppression and the unstoppable force of natural change. The lyrics suggest that even in the face of deliberate cruelty, a fundamental law of transformation persists. This law is described as an "eternal and indubitable law," implying a cosmic order that transcends human actions, whether benevolent or malevolent. The imagery of a river flowing "entre viejas rocas" and "va al encuentro de otros ríos" powerfully illustrates this unstoppable, unifying progression towards a larger whole. The most striking craft element is the personification of change as a powerful, almost violent, natural force. The valley "tiembla y se desagarra" as "Nuevos montes se alzarán," and "Caen las viejas cordilleras / Y sus mitos de arena." This dramatic, seismic imagery elevates the concept of replacement beyond mere evolution into a revolutionary upheaval. It suggests that the "new" doesn't just emerge; it actively breaks through and dismantles the "old," including its foundational "myths." This lyrical approach is effective because it channels a sense of profound, almost spiritual, inevitability against a backdrop of human-inflicted suffering. The recurring refrain, "Este tiempo acabará / Otro nuevo apuntará," acts as both a lament for the present suffering and a prophecy of its eventual end. The lyrics offer a powerful, albeit stark, vision of hope rooted not in human intervention, but in the fundamental, relentless processes of the natural world, suggesting that even the most entrenched systems of oppression are subject to eventual collapse and renewal.