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The Cuban comedian Ulises Toirac published a meme on his Facebook page this Friday that, with the feigned innocence of someone who "doesn't quite remember the lyrics," turned a classic of Latin American romanticism into the unofficial anthem of Cuban frustration: “Get out without measures or mercy!”
The post features a three-dimensional animated character, Pixar-style, wearing black thick-rimmed glasses, an impeccable tuxedo, and holding a vintage microphone, dramatically singing the phrase with purple musical notes floating around him. The accompanying text is a marvel of feigned innocence: "I honestly can't remember the lyrics... Was it like this...?"
The parodied song is "Ódiame," a Peruvian waltz whose most famous line reads, "Ódiame sin medida, ni clemencia." Toirac took that line, precisely changed the verb from "Ódiame" to "Váyanse," and added an "s" to "medida" to allude to the measures of the recent economic package announced by the Cuban government. In doing so, he transformed a classic of romantic heartbreak into a political commentary with musical notes. The operation is as simple as it is devastating.
Toirac himself, who is not only a comedian but also an actor, writer, and a cultured man, didn’t leave the joke half-done and clarified in the comments the origin of the piece: "It was initially a poem by Federico Barrato titled 'Ruego'. Later, the Peruvian Rafael Otero López set it to music, giving birth to 'Ódiame'. The first to sing it was Julio Jaramillo with the Trío Los Panchos." Thus, the joke came enriched with erudition and footnotes.
The reaction from his followers was immediate and unanimous. One commentator summed up the collective sentiment with a phrase that leaves no room for nuance: "I believe this is the song all Cubans are shouting." Another was even more direct, pointing out that "the most important part of the lyrics is 'they should leave.'" One supporter proposed adding a chorus: "they should leave now, please." And someone, with the solemnity befitting the moment, proclaimed that "Váyanse is the song of the year." There was even a suggestion that Toirac's version surpasses the original: "It's better than the original, that's what they need to do. Long live a Free Cuba."
The meme arrives at a time when Toirac has been facing sustained criticism of the regime for weeks. On June 18, the National Assembly approved a package of 176 economic measures —the largest structural reform since the Special Period— which includes private banking, private exchange houses, and partial dollarization. Toirac responded with a satirical contest on Facebook to name the new measures and soon labeled them as delayed and ineffective, warning that the government "is only trying to buy time".
Subsequently, the comedian became even more somber and stated that Cuba is "in a labyrinth with no solution", at least within his lifetime, and admitted that he might leave the island if he finds conditions to pursue his work. Against this backdrop, this Friday's meme is not just a joke: it is the musical synthesis of everything he has expressed in prose over the weeks.
Toirac also demanded that officials from the PCC and military be prohibited from participating in the new economic framework, to prevent the reforms from leading to a Soviet-style oligarchy. When someone called him a "mercenary" for his criticisms, he ironically responded that his belly proved that no one was paying him.
As a follower pointed out directly to the Cuban dictatorship: "Whether the lyrics were like that or not doesn't matter. Just go."
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