Solo le Pido a Dios

[Xipe Totec]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zncwEGxjhEE

[Judi Lynn]

1. I was thinking while watching the video that it seemed he was like a Bob Dylan. Looked up his Wiki,

and, bada bing, it said he has been thought of as the "Argentine Bob Dylan."

So he was also one of the powerful folk singers who produced music during the military dictatorship.

The Wikipedia said one of his friends was "Mercedes Sosa," a name I'd heard before. I thought she was Chilean, but did know she was also, like León Gieco, a politically active artist. Found out she, too, is from Argentina, and a friend of the Chilean Violetta Parra, who was a close friend of the tortured and murdered by Pinochet, singer/musician Victor Jara. All these people were part of the "New Music" in South America. It's an amazing group of intense, principled people who spoke out about the evil terrorism of their fascist governments.

Found this song on You Tube with both León Gieco and Mercedes Sosa singing "Solo le Pido a Dios:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlVB9erD-Vw

It has the lyrics in English for those of us who don't speak Spanish very well:

Solo le Pido a Dios

I only beg God
Not to make me indifferent to pain
May Death never find me
Empty and alone without having done enough.
I only beg God
Not to make me indifferent to injustice
That I may not have to turn the other cheek
When a claw has already scratched my fate
I only beg God
Not to make me indifferent to war
It's a giant monster which treads upon
All the poor innocence of the people
I only beg God
Not to make me indifferent to deceit
If one traitor is stronger than the rest of us
May the rest of us not take it lightly
I only beg God
Not to make me indifferent to the future
Helpless are the ones who are forced to leave
And live in a foreign land

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlVB9erD-Vw

Thank you for expanding our horizon, Xipe Totec. Speaking for myself, I've been deeply unaware of the important life going on in the Western Hemisphere for decades before starting to awaken. I appreciate learning anything now of what I should already know!

[Xipe Totec]

2. Your research is impeccable, as always

Thank you for posting this background, which I carelessly neglected to do.

:hi:

[Judi Lynn]

4. Careless? I don't THINK so! You shared such an important song which seems to be beloved

almost everywhere by now, which I had never heard. I almost feel it's like I've been living in a cave!

I am so glad to hear the song, discover the singer, discover the path he took also includes the other giant voices in South America who dared to speak out against the US-supported murderers.

Thank you for sharing what you have learned with those of us who just might NEVER find out about it on our own, if left to our own devices! You have only greatly expanded, and improved things for us.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Just found a great website on León Gieco. I'll read it later. It looks interesting.

http://www.leongieco.com/English_version/english.htm

Looks as if there's a ton of information about this guy on the internetS, too.

Thanks, again, for introducing him and his work.