"Salam Rashid" is a song by Joan Manuel Serrat that tells the story of Rashid, a young immigrant who leaves his homeland and travels to Europe in search of a better life. The lyrics depict the challenges and experiences Rashid faces, as well as the prejudice and discrimination he encounters along the way. The song begins by mentioning that Rashid was told that Europe was a large land, which is why he left his parents' homeland. He comes from the southern region, where the shadow of palm trees is comforting and the rivers flow cautiously. Rashid was warned about the slow steps of the dunes at night and how the desert grows as he moves further north. The rich people from the north are said to break their hourglasses in dismay, while Rashid only wants to run. The chorus asks Rashid what he is doing lost in the borderline between a fearful north and a desperate south. It implies that his honor and dignity have been stripped away, and he cannot go back once he is there. The lyrics further describe Rashid as having skin the color of dates or dark suture, always queuing on Laietana Street (a street in Barcelona, Spain). It suggests that he is not innocent, no matter who the judge is, as he embodies sin, smuggling, and prostitution. The song acknowledges that Rashid is broken and mistreated, referring to him as a damaged coin left as a tip in a urinal. He represents everything that the hypocritical Pharisee rejects. It suggests that he should take up the cross and climb his own Calvary (a reference to Jesus' crucifixion). The song continues by stating that Rashid has been walking through rented cities for a long time, feeling like he doesn't belong anywhere. He is described as being the product of underground life and conquest, just enough to prevent the table of the feast from collapsing. His dreams clash with the uncertain rage of dying alone. Rashid wants to fly, but Europe is portrayed as a cage. As Rashid loses memories slowly on the sidewalks, he still feels alive and waits like a wild animal. The world moves through people like him, more than they want, as cheap labor and survivors of prisons and beatings. They have chosen to be guided by their shoes. In the last stanza, the lyrics suggest that one day Mona Lisa will smile for Rashid, and he will use the Louvre as a refrigerator. Cathedrals will alternate between mass and the Quran and Barbary dances. Meanwhile, Europe pretends to care, wraps truncheons in flags, and reserves a garden in Maresme (a region in Catalonia) for Rashid. Overall, "Salam Rashid" is a poignant song that sheds light on the experiences of immigrants, their struggles, and the discrimination they face while trying to build a new life in a foreign land.
