Story Behind The Song

In my diverse neighborhood of Mt Washington in Los Angeles, CA, the hispanic markets all stock up on big round cakes called "Rosca de Reyes" or "Kings Cakes". The tradition harkens back to the nativity when Joseph and Mary had to hide the baby Jesus from King Herod and his men, who wanted to kill all newborn males so that the Messiah would not rise up. A plastic baby representing Jesus is baked into a round fruitcake and on Epiphany, twelve days after Christmas, a party is thrown and the person who gets the baby in their piece of cake is considered to have good luck and has to throw a party on February 2, which is "dia de la candelaria", making tamales for everyone. I overheard some guys saying how much they didn't want to get the baby in the cake, and this song was born.

Song Description

The story section above explains the tradition of the "Kings Cake", or "Rosca de Reyes". I wrote the song as a celebration of the diverse neighborhood of Mt Washington in Los Angeles in which I live. Two different guitar playing friends sent me solos for the track and I liked them both so much I made room for each one. I tried to pay tribute to Manu Chao and Carols Santana in the song, and to the wonderful Hispanic traditions and quisine around me. Note: Abuella means grandma.

Lyrics

The Baby in the Cake (J. Schaefer)
In our Mt. Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles, the local stores and bakeries all stock up on large, round cakes called Rosca de Reyes, or Kings Cake leading up to Epiphany. The tradition of baking a plastic baby Jesus into the cake is a remembrance of how Joseph and Mary had to hide Jesus from King Herod's forces who set out to kill all the male infants born in the region upon learning of the birth of the Messiah. I overheard some of my friends saying they were always afraid to get the baby because it meant they had to make tamales for a big party on February 2 and they weren't too keen on the prospect.
My friends are comin' over for Epiphany
to celebrate the Three Kings with my family
we're havin' champurrado and a big round cake
but if you eat some, there's a kind of risk you take
'cause if you get a plastic baby Jesus in your piece
You host a big fiesta and you make the tamales

Chorus
Who's wanna get
Who's gonna get the baby in the cake?
Who's gonna get?
The one abuella and my mama baked
I'm not so good at makin' tamales
I'm really best at eatin' 'em as you can see
Well, it's supposed to bring you good luck if you win that "prize"
But if I do, I guess I'm gonna have to improvise

Rosca de Reyes
Rosca de Reyes

February second is la fiesta
they call it dia de la candelaria
It's forty dsays since Christmas and it marks the day
They brought the baby Jesus to the temple, they say
It doesn't give me too much time to plan a feast
But if I get some help, well, maybe we'll have fun, at least

Don't wanna get
Don't wanna get the baby in the cake?
Don't wanna get
The one abuella and my mama baked
I'm not so good at makin' tamales
I'm really best at eatin' 'em as you can see
Well, it's supposed to bring you good luck if you win that "prize"
But if I do, I guess I'm gonna have to improvise

Bridge
You make the masa
well, that's the dough
prepare the fillings
so many kinds
tie 'em in corn husks
It takes all day
Then steam 'em
while you hang out with your friends

Chorus
Who's wanna get the baby in the cake?
Who's gonna get?
Don't wanna get the baby in the cake?
Don't wanna get
Rosca de Reyes
Rosca de Reyes

©2016 Johnny Schaefer-Auditory Verve Music, ASCAP