La Barca – Solo For Guitar Fingerstyle

Are you ready to play Latin Music? In this post I will present an amazing arrangement for Fingerstyle Guitar. The music is La Barca, a very well known Bolero. “La Barca” is a popular song that was composed by Roberto Cantoral, a Mexican singer-songwriter, in 1947. The song has since been covered by numerous artists and has become a classic in Latin American music.

The Arrangement for Guitar Solo

The guitar solo in fingerstyle is available at Sheet Music Direct or Sheet Music Plus Store. The arrangement is in E major with guitar chords, guitar fingering and tablature. You will find a PDF file that contais 3 pages for the complete arrangement with 2 staves (Guitar with chords and tablature), another 2 pages with the guitar arrangement only and more 2 pages with tablature alone. Sheet Music with complete arrangement and parts. So, it’s 7 pages in total.

The lyrics of this song are simple, but profound. They describe the pain of separation and the longing to be reunited with one’s beloved. It tells the story of a couple being separated while one of them is tasking a boat and the other will be waiting until, someday, when the may be reunited again.

The melody is slow and melancholic, perfectly capturing the mood of the lyrics and conveying a sense of sadness and hope. Over the years, La Barca has been covered by many artists, both in Mexico and beyond. Some of the most notable versions include those by Luis Miguel and Los Panchos. Each artist has brought their own unique interpretation to the song, making it their own while still honoring its original beauty.

Lyrics (Original in Spanish)

Dicen que la distancia es el olvido
Pero yo no concibo esa razón
Porque yo seguiré siendo el cautivo
De los caprichos de tu corazón

Supiste esclarecer mis pensamientos
Me diste la verdad que yo soñé
Ahuyentaste de mí los sufrimientos
En la primera noche que te amé

Hoy mi playa se viste de amargura, oh
Porque tu barca tiene que partir
A cruzar a otros mares de locura
Cuida que no naufrague tu vivir

Cuando la luz del sol se esté apagando
Y te sientas cansada de vagar
Piensa que yo por ti estaré esperando
Hasta que tú decidas regresar

Supiste esclarecer mis pensamientos
Me diste la verdad que yo soñé
Ahuyentaste de mí los sufrimientos
En la primera noche que te amé

Hoy mi playa se viste de amargura
Porque tu barca tiene que partir
A cruzar otros mares de locura
Cuida que no naufrague tu vivir

Cuando la luz del sol se esté apagando
Y te sientas cansada de vagar
Piensa que yo por ti estaré esperando
Hasta que tú decidas regresar
Hasta que tú decidas regresar

Lyrics Translation (English)

They say that distance is forgotten
Dicen que la distancia es el olvido

But I don’t understand that reason
Pero yo no concibo esa razón

Cause I’ll still be the captive
Porque yo seguiré siendo el cautivo

From the whims of your heart
De los caprichos de tu corazón

You knew how to clarify my thoughts
Supiste esclarecer mis pensamientos

You gave me the truth that I dreamed
Me diste la verdad que yo soñé

You drove away from me the sufferings
Ahuyentaste de mí los sufrimientos

On the first night that I loved you
En la primera noche que te amé

Today my beach is dressed in bitterness, oh
Hoy mi playa se viste de amargura, oh

because your boat has to leave
Porque tu barca tiene que partir

To cross other seas of madness
A cruzar a otros mares de locura

Take care that your life does not shipwreck
Cuida que no naufrague tu vivir

When the sunlight is fading
Cuando la luz del sol se esté apagando

And you feel tired of wandering
Y te sientas cansada de vagar

Think that I will be waiting for you
Piensa que yo por ti estaré esperando

Until you decide to return
Hasta que tú decidas regresar

You knew how to clarify my thoughts
Supiste esclarecer mis pensamientos

You gave me the truth that I dreamed
Me diste la verdad que yo soñé

You drove away from me the sufferings
Ahuyentaste de mí los sufrimientos

On the first night that I loved you
En la primera noche que te amé

Today my beach is dressed in bitterness
Hoy mi playa se viste de amargura

because your boat has to leave
Porque tu barca tiene que partir

To cross other seas of madness
A cruzar otros mares de locura

Take care that your life does not shipwreck
Cuida que no naufrague tu vivir

When the sunlight is fading
Cuando la luz del sol se esté apagando

And you feel tired of wandering
Y te sientas cansada de vagar

Think that I will be waiting for you
Piensa que yo por ti estaré esperando

Until you decide to return
Hasta que tú decidas regresar

Until you decide to return
Hasta que tú decidas regresar

Video

The following video shows the fingerstyle arrangement by Fernando Neves. You can watch it to decide to buy the sheet music or you also can play together or even study pausing the video or changing the video speed at the You Tube gear. Enjoy it! And do not forget to subscribe to our You Tube channel and also share this post and the video!

Also check our post with the guitar fingerstyle arrangement for the song História de un Amor (Love history) by clicking here