Arlo Guthrie is Woody Guthrie's son; Arlo was very popular in 1960's hippie… Read Full Bio ↴Arlo Guthrie is Woody Guthrie's son; Arlo was very popular in 1960's hippie communities for his lyrics, always looking for fun, chronicling the values of the day, sample verbiage "You can get everything you want in Alice's Restaurant" And Alice's Restaurant was also a movie as well as an album, Arlo Guthrie made the music for the film, devised it and featured in it. Woody Guthrie, obviously performing a generation earlier, was a folk-singer, singing solo songs to speak out for his fellow downtrodden Americans, as well as working children's songs, just using acoustic guitar, while Arlo had occasional, collaborating backgound musicians, such was the communal zeitgeist, adding to his sound and his much-acclaimed 1960's public stance.

Solo Le Pido A Dios
Arlo Guthrie & Pete Seeger Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Solo le pido a dios
Que el dolor no me sea indiferente
Que la reseca muerte no me encuentre
Vació y solo sin haber echo lo suficiente

Solo le pido a dios
Que lo injusto no me sea indiferente
Que no me abofeteen la otra mejía

Después que una garra me arane esta frente

Solo le pido a dios
Que la guerra no me sea indiferente
Es un monstruo grande y pisa fuerte
Toda la pobre inocencia de la gente
Es un monstruo grande y pisa fuerte
Toda la pobre inocencia de la gente

Solo le pido a dios
Que el engaño no me sea indiferente
Si un traidor puede mas que unos cuantos
Que esos cuantos no lo olviden fácilmente

Solo le pido a dios
Que el futuro no me sea indiferente

Desahuciado esta el que tiene que marchar
A vivir una cultura diferente

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Solo Le Pido A Dios by Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger are a plea to God for certain conditions that the singer would like to avoid. The opening line "Solo le pido a dios" which translates to "I only ask of God" is repeated throughout the song after each wish that is expressed. The singer asks that pain not be something to which he is indifferent, hoping that he will be able to feel empathy even in difficult situations. He also requests that he will not face death without having accomplished enough in life.

The song then shifts to the topic of injustice, with the singer requesting that he not be indifferent to unfairness and that he not allow himself to be slapped on the other cheek after being struck once. The next verse deals with the topic of war, with the singer apprehending the destructive effects of war and its impact on the innocents. He wishes that he will not become indifferent to it all, but instead is able to help those affected by war. The next verse discusses being deceived, with the singer hoping that he will recognize treachery and not forget it easily. Finally, the singer asks for strength to face the future and not be indifferent to the cultural differences that might come his way.

Overall, the song is a call to action, asking us to be open to understanding and empathizing with the struggles of others. It is a reflection on the importance of maintaining humanity in the face of adversity and on the need to recognize the interconnectedness of all people, regardless of their race, gender or culture.

Line by Line Meaning

Solo le pido a dios
I only ask God

Que el dolor no me sea indiferente
That I may not be indifferent to pain

Que la reseca muerte no me encuentre
That dry death may not find me

Vació y solo sin haber echo lo suficiente
Empty and alone without having done enough

Que lo injusto no me sea indiferente
That I may not be indifferent to injustice

Que no me abofeteen la otra mejía
That they may not slap me on the other cheek

Después que una garra me arane esta frente
After a claw has scratched my forehead

Que la guerra no me sea indiferente
That I may not be indifferent to war

Es un monstruo grande y pisa fuerte
It is a big monster that steps heavily

Toda la pobre inocencia de la gente
All the poor innocence of the people

Que el engaño no me sea indiferente
That I may not be indifferent to deceit