“La Martiniana” is a heartfelt plea from beyond the grave: the singer gently tells a loved one, Niña, not to shed tears at the tomb but to fill the air with lively sones instead. By naming well-loved Oaxacan tunes like “La Sandunga” and “El Bejuco de Oro,” the lyrics remind us that traditional music can transform sorrow into celebration. Joyful rhythms become a living bridge between the departed and the living, turning a moment of mourning into a colorful fiesta of memory.
TEMPUS QUARTET, the Japanese artist breathing new life into this classic, shows that the song’s message reaches far beyond Mexico. Whenever the living keep singing, the departed “siempre vivo, nunca muero” – always alive, never gone. In other words, music is immortal, and every note you sing keeps loved ones dancing right beside you.