These lyrics and the following note come from the album's liner notes found here:
http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/paredon/PAR01005.pdf

The notes do not give credit to a songwriter.

I don't think this should be regarded as definitive.--JD


QUE BONITA BANDERA
As sung by Pepe y Flora on "Tengo Puerto Rico en Mi Corazon" (1971)

(CORO) Que bonita bandera, que bonita bandera,
que bonita bandera
es la bandera Puertorriqueña.
Que bonita bandera, que bonita bandera,
que bonita bandera
Es la bandera Puertorriqueña.

1. Bonita, bonita, que bonita es ella
Señores, bonita es la bandera Puertorriqueña. (CORO)

2. Azul blanca y colorada y en medio tiene una estrella
que bonita compay es la bandera Puertorriqueña. (CORO)

3. Y todo Puertorriqueño tiene que defenderla
Porque, señores, es nuestra bandera Puertorriqueña. (CORO)

4. Que viva aquel gran patriota que siempre luchó por ella
defendiendo siempre nuestra bandera Puertorriqueña. (CORO)

5. Que vino a Estados Unidos y estudió en grandes escuelas
y despues fue a Puerto Rico a defender su bandera. (CORO)

6. Que vino Betances y Albizu Campos en la nueva era
Albizu simbolo vivo de la bandera Puertorriqueña. (CORO)

7. No importa Estados Unidos dejarla flotar no quiera
que bonita compay es la bandera Puertorriqueña. (CORO)


Que Bonita Bandera is a good opening song for this album. This plena (the word refers to both its rhythm and the fact that, in between short choruses, the singer makes up verses) is a very popular song among New York Puerto Ricans.

About a year and a half ago, the students at Bronx Community College were picketing their school (they had taken the building). Since someone had brought a flag with them, we began singing this song. Everyone on the street, including the cops, laughed at us ... imagine singing that kind of a song to a flag! But their smiles disappeared when we replaced the American flag on the school's flag pole with the Puerto Rican flag.

That's the point of course. When a country could not fly its flag until 1956, that flag becomes part and parcel of its patriotic struggle for independence.

[Notes by Alfredo Lopez]

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