Galás is known for being a fiercely confrontational avant-garde performer and is noted for her wailing, four-octave vocal range. Galás was the daughter of Greek Orthodox parents and her singing was roundly discouraged, although her prowess as a classical pianist was nurtured; ultimately, her strict upbringing resulted in a reckless, drug-fueled youth prior to her entrance into the University of California's music and visual arts program. Galás made her performing debut in 1979 at France's Festival d'Avignon, which led to an invitation to assume the lead role in composer Vinko Globokar's politically charged opera Un Jour Comme un Autre. In subsequent solo performance art pieces like Wild Women with Steak Knives and Tragouthia Apo to Aima Exon Fonos, Galás further honed her unique, shattering vocal style, inspired by the Schrei ("shriek") opera of German expressionism (a form employing a system of four microphones and a series of echoes and delays).
She worked with many avant-garde composers including Phillip Glass, Terry Riley, John Zorn, Iannis Xenakis and Vinko Globokar. She made her performance debut at the Festival d'Avignon in France as the lead in Globokar's opera, Un Jour Comme Une Autre which deals with the death by torture of a Turkish woman. The work was sponsored by Amnesty International. She also contributed her voice to Francis Ford Coppola's film Dracula (1992) and appeared on the film's soundtrack.
Her work first garnered widespread attention with the controversial 1991 live recording of the album "Plague Mass" in the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York. With it, Galás attacked the Catholic Church for its indifference to AIDS using biblical texts. In the words of Terrorizor Magazine, "The church was made to burn with sound, not fire." Plague Mass was a live rendition of excerpts from her same-titled trilogy which began as a response/homage/indictment to the multitudinous effects of AIDS upon the silent class - of which her brother was a member. During the period of these recordings, Galás had "We are all HIV+" tattooed upon her knuckles; an artistic expression of disillusionment and disgust with the ignorance and apathy surrounding the AIDS epidemic. Her brother, who died during the trilogy's final production, reportedly appreciated her efforts.
Susan McClary (1991) writes that Galás, "heralds a new moment in the history of musical representation," after describing her thus: "Galás emerged within the post-modern performance art scene in the seventies...protesting...the treatment of victims of the junta, attitudes towards victims of AIDS...Her pieces are constructed from the ululation of traditional Mediterranean keening...whispers, shrieks, and moans."
In 1994, Galás collaborated with Led Zeppelin bass guitarist John Paul Jones. The resultant record, "The Sporting Life", while containing much of Galás's trademark vocal gymnastics, is probably the closest she has ever come to rock music.
Galás also performs as a blues artist interpreting a wide range of songs into her unique piano and vocal styles. This aspect of her work is perhaps best represented by her 1992 album, "The Singer" where she covered the likes of Willie Dixon, Roy Acuff, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins while accompaning herself on piano. For that album, she also recorded several traditional songs as well as the rarely heard Desmond Carter-penned version of Gloomy Sunday. Many of her selections both within and outside of blues repertoire have sometimes been categorized as 'homicidal love songs'. She also focuses on the death penalty. One program of songs, "Frenzy", has been dedicated to Aileen Wuornos and features the work of Phil Ochs and Hank Williams Sr.
Her latest song cycle is an interpretation of songs by Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich.
Official Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/songsofexile
08. si la muerte
Diamanda Galás Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Haga el favor
De decirle que vuelva mañana
Que todavia no he cancelado mis deudas
Ni he terminado un poema
Ni me he despedido de nadie
Ni he ordenado mi ropa para el viaje
Ni he llevado a su destino el encargo ajeno
Ni he dicho lo que debia decir a los amigos
Ni he sentido el olor de la rosa que no ha nacido
Ni he desenterrado mis raices
Ni he escrito una carta pendiente
Que si siquiera me he lavado las manos
Ni he conocido un hijo
Ni he empredido caminatas en paises desconocidos
Ni conozco los siete velos del mar
Ni la canción del marino
Si la muerte viniera
Diga por favor que estoy entendido
Y que me haga una espera
Que no he dado a mi novia ni un beso de despedida
Que no he repartido mi mano con las de mi familia
Ni he desempolvado los libros
Ni he silbado la canción preferida
Ni me he reconciliado con los enemigos
Digale que no he probado el suicidio
Ni he visto libre a mi gente
Digale si viene que vuelva mañana
Que no es que le tema pero ni siquiera
He empezado a andar el camino
The lyrics of Diamanda Galás's song "Si La Muetre" discuss the fear of death and the anxiety-inducing pressure that the idea of dying can bring. The singer of the song, speaking in the first person, directs whoever might inform death of their whereabouts to tell it to return on another day, as they haven't yet had the chance to accomplish all that they want to in life. The lyrics list a wide range of experiences and goals that the singer has yet to achieve, from settling debts, finishing poems, and saying goodbye to loved ones, to writing letters, traveling to new places, and reconciling with enemies. The singer emphasizes that they haven't even begun to walk the path of life, and as such, are not ready to face death.
The song's lyrics highlight the many things we leave undone in life, often due to distractibility or procrastination, and the fact that death, as an inevitability, can bring them into sharp relief. Galás's powerful voice lends a sense of urgency and desperation to the lyrics, creating an emotional impact that underscores the depth of her themes. The song reminds listeners of the importance of living fully in the present, taking care of what is important, and not leaving things undone.
Line by Line Meaning
Si la muerte viene y pregunta por mi
If death comes and asks for me
Haga el favor
Please do me a favor
De decirle que vuelva mañana
And tell it to come back tomorrow
Que todavia no he cancelado mis deudas
Because I haven't paid off my debts yet
Ni he terminado un poema
Nor have I finished a poem
Ni me he despedido de nadie
Nor have I said goodbye to anyone
Ni he ordenado mi ropa para el viaje
Haven't packed my clothes for the journey
Ni he llevado a su destino el encargo ajeno
I haven't delivered someone else's parcel
Ni he echado llave en mis gavetas
I haven't locked my drawers yet
Ni he dicho lo que debia decir a los amigos
I haven't said what I should have to my friends
Ni he sentido el olor de la rosa que no ha nacido
I haven't smelled the scent of an unborn rose
Ni he desenterrado mis raices
I haven't dug up my roots
Ni he escrito una carta pendiente
I haven't written a pending letter
Que si siquiera me he lavado las manos
I haven't even washed my hands
Ni he conocido un hijo
I haven't even met a child
Ni he empredido caminatas en paises desconocidos
I haven't embarked on walks in unknown countries
Ni conozco los siete velos del mar
I don't even know the seven veils of the sea
Ni la canción del marino
Nor the sailor's song
Si la muerte viniera
If death were to come
Diga por favor que estoy entendido
Please tell it I understand
Y que me haga una espera
And that it should wait for me
Que no he dado a mi novia ni un beso de despedida
I haven't even given my girlfriend a goodbye kiss
Que no he repartido mi mano con las de mi familia
I haven't even shaken my family's hands
Ni he desempolvado los libros
Haven't even dusted off my books
Ni he silbado la canción preferida
Haven't even whistled my favorite song
Ni me he reconciliado con los enemigos
I haven't reconciled with my enemies
Digale que no he probado el suicidio
Tell it that I haven't tried suicide
Ni he visto libre a mi gente
I haven't seen my people free
Digale si viene que vuelva mañana
Tell it to come back tomorrow if it comes
Que no es que le tema pero ni siquiera
It's not that I fear it but I haven't even
He empezado a andar el camino
Started walking the path
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@josemartinmontoyapolio9499
Poema "Si la muerte" del narrador, poeta y ensayista salvadoreño Miguel Huezo Mixco
@elathannajera8496
¡Poderosa #DiamandaGalás! Sublime, sumamente profunda su expresión.
Su adaptación es simplemente incomparable.
Larga vida a la anti-diva del abismo.
@seppuku-kaishaku1516
Los cojones.
@hepaa9271
2020 anyone?
@israelc.s7803
Así es LA BRUJA MAYOR si realmente se quiere escuchar cultura y voz perfecta no hay más que oírla , saber de ella ,ser un fiel seguidor de su arte hecho musica
@sex6cult9revolution
Saw her in Portland, OR on this tour. She's probably the greatest living performer. And I have NEVER seen such a well-behaved audience. She commands so much respect. No one moved an inch or made a sound while she was performing.
@chuckdorado9737
Por siempre mi favorita de Diamanda G.!
@seeer1978
Какая боль и какая нежность, пропитанная страданием, в её голосе! Знаменательная, замечательная певица! Она впечатляет!
@AnnabelLeeClementine
Es única e irrepetible como lo es su extraordinaria voz.
@ssuemoran
Me sigue enchinando el cuero esta cancion a travez de los años!!
Mujeron con tan fuerte espiritu