Hi,

Q: I think we all agree that Alomía Robles is the composer; he wrote the music. But that doesn't necessarily mean he also wrote the lyrics. The websites you quote seem to leave that open, and the original score just has music, no words. That same Spanish Wikipedia page you mention, states that he only ever wrote lyrics for two of his songs, and that Armando, who didn't like the existing Spanish lyrics for his father's composition, wrote lyrics modelled after the Paul Simon lyrics. If the lyrics were his father's, he probably would not have done so (and Wikipedia probably wouldn't have stated it that way). So, I'm not convinced he wrote those lyrics, and I'm certainly not convinced he wrote two completely differing sets of Spanish lyrics. There probably was at least one other writer involved.

Jim, I know Paul Simon is the writer of the "If I Could"-lyrics, which in my opinion are reasonable but lack consistency. But that doesn't help us in determining where the Quechuan and the two sets of Spanish lyrics came from. I would like to hear sung that first Spanish version, but as it is, I hope the English lyrics I based on those are agreeable to you.

BFN
                                                                Mysha