Sólo le pido a Dios

A biographical note and a translation of lyrics are below.

Translation:

All I ask God
Is that injustice won’t make me uncaring
That death will not find me
Empty and alone, without having done enough

All I ask God
Is that I won’t be indifferent to injustice
That I won’t turn my other cheek to the enemy
After the mauling that is my fate

All I ask God
Is that I won’t be indifferent to war
That monstrous horror that crushes
Blameless poor people

All I ask God
Is that I won’t be indifferent to deceit
That if the traitor does more than the many
The many won’t easily forget him

All I ask God
Is that I won’t be indifferent to the future
That of those who are forced into diaspora
To live in a different culture

All I ask God
Is that I won’t be indifferent to war
That monstrous horror that crushes
Blameless poor people

Mercedes Sosa was an Argentine contadora (singer), popular around the world and considered the voice of Latin America. She wrote her music in the style of nueva canción, the socially committed music of Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula.

Señora Sosa was also know as an interpreter of the music of the Chilean singer, composer and folklorist, Violeta Parra (1917-1967) and of the Argentinian singer, songwriter and guitarist, Atahualpa Yupanqui (1908-1993).

If her work is new to you, Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America is a decent documentary on her life and what she and her work meant to the people of Latin America in the context of the tumultuous times in which she lived.

– Jamie Dedes (with apologies for the deficiencies in the translation and the hope that I captured the spirit of the work nonetheless)

Photograph is in the public domain.

Author: The Bardo Group Beguines

The focus of "The BeZine," a publication of The Bardo Group Beguines, is on sacred space (common ground) as it is expressed through the arts. Our work covers a range of topics: spirituality, life, death, personal experience, culture, current events, history, art, and photography and film. We share work here that is representative of universal human values however differently they might be expressed in our varied religions and cultures. We feel that our art and our Internet-facilitated social connection offer a means to see one another in our simple humanity, as brothers and sisters, and not as “other.” This is a space where we hope you’ll delight in learning how much you have in common with “other” peoples. We hope that your visits here will help you to love (respect) not fear. For more see our Info/Mission Statement Page. View All Posts