La Ley (Spanish for "The Law") was a Grammy Award and two-time Latin Grammy… Read Full Bio ↴La Ley (Spanish for "The Law") was a Grammy Award and two-time Latin Grammy Award-winning Chilean pop rock band formed by Andrés Bobe and Rodrigo Aboitiz with Mauricio Claveria, Beto Cuevas and Luciano Rojas in Santiago, Chile.

They were originally formed in 1987, and was meant to be a techno/new rave band led by a female vocalist. The original vocalist of the band was Lucía "Shia" Arbulu, female singer that returned to her hometown, Spain, in 1988, shortly after the release of the first EP of the group, which was entitled La Luna. This release that was later not considered part of La Ley's discography. Some time after Beto Cuevas joined as the new vocalist, and after a failed first album, Desiertos (1989), they released Doble Opuesto (1990), which appears as the official first album of the band. Singles like "Desiertos," "Tejedores de Ilusión," and "Prisioneros de la Piel" made them popular in Chile, Argentina and Mexico, especially after the release of La Ley, their second recording (1992).

After Bobe's death in 1994, La Ley continued with a new guitarist, Pedro Frugone, and released two more albums, Invisible (1995) and Vértigo (1998). Before the release of Vertigo, Rodrigo Aboitiz left the band, and in 1999, in the middle of the tour, bassist Luciano Rojas, left the band. They went on to form a new group named Saiko with former La Ley member, Ivan Delgado.

Their music became more pop and less experimental, and the musicians dropped their dark image. Not all of their fans were on board with the new style, but the album, Uno (2000), showed their maturation as a band and as a group. The band also became a trio after the departures of Rodrigo Aboitiz and Luciano Rojas. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album.

La Ley also performed on MTV Unplugged in 2001, and released an album of the performance, which went on to win a Latin Grammy award. Libertad (2003) is La Ley's last official album, also earning them their second Latin Grammy. In 2004, they released a greatest hits compilation (featuring three new songs: Mírate, Bienvenido al Anochecer, and Histeria) titled Historias e Histeria.

In 2005 Rodrigo Aboitiz and Luciano Rojas performed with the band at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival (Spanish: Festival Internacional de la Canción de Viña del Mar) and after a tour around Latin America, the band said goodbye in Buenos Aires on September 29 of the same year, to work in their personal projects. They left open the possibility for a come back of La Ley in the future though.

Recently however, in 2014, the band has currently made a return and have embarked on a tour simply entitled 'The Re-tour'.

Libertad
La Ley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Se me ha ido de las manos
Algo trágico e inocente
Nadie cubrió mis heridas
Y lo mágico se convirtió en vano
El silencio fue mi prenda
De los sábados llenos de ausencia
Escribí mi pesadilla
Y la deshojé donde decía

Es una lástima, por si no han notado
Es una lástima, mis ojos cerrados
Sueñan encontrar

Libertad, yo quiero libertad
Libertad, tan solo libertad

Transformé mi impotencia
Y mi dignidad amedrentada
En un grito de conciencia
Que nunca más callé por experiencia
Y fue una lástima, por si no han notado
Fueron lágrimas, con ojos sellados
Que sueñan encontrar

Libertad, yo quiero libertad
Libertad, tan solo libertad

En la oscuridad no hay paz no puedo ver
Me tropiezo con hostilidad y no sé muy bien
Si hay que esperar la luz o enfrentarse

Libertad, yo quiero libertad

Libertad, tan solo libertad
Libertad, (yo quiero) libertad, libertad, (tan solo) libertad

Overall Meaning

In the song "Libertad" by La Ley, the singer seems to be reflecting on a past struggle and transformation towards freedom. The lyrics "Se me ha ido de las manos" (It has slipped through my hands) suggest that the singer has lost control of something that is both tragic and innocent. It seems that the singer has been wounded, both physically and emotionally, and nobody has provided comfort or healing. The silence that fills the singer's Saturdays is deafening, and they turn to writing about their troubled experiences as a means to process and heal.

However, from this pain and struggle emerges a desire for freedom - "Libertad, yo quiero libertad" (Freedom, I want freedom). The singer transforms their feelings of powerlessness and fear into a cry for justice and a determination to never again stay silent. It is clear that the singer has experienced a great deal of suffering, represented by the tears and closed eyes that dream of finding freedom. The lyrics "En la oscuridad no hay paz no puedo ver" (In darkness there is no peace, I cannot see) suggest that the road towards freedom will not be easy, but it is a journey that the singer is willing to take.

Overall, this song speaks to the universal human experience of struggling against oppression and the desire for liberation. The lyrics are emotional and powerful, conveying deep pain and struggle as well as resilience and hope.

Line by Line Meaning

Se me ha ido de las manos
I have lost control of myself

Algo trágico e inocente
Something tragic and innocent

Nadie cubrió mis heridas
No one covered my wounds

Y lo mágico se convirtió en vano
And the magic turned into emptiness

El silencio fue mi prenda
Silence was my garment

De los sábados llenos de ausencia
Of Saturdays full of absence

Escribí mi pesadilla
I wrote my nightmare

Y la deshojé donde decía
And I plucked it where it said

Es una lástima, por si no han notado
It's a pity, in case you haven't noticed

Es una lástima, mis ojos cerrados
It's a pity, with my eyes closed

Sueñan encontrar
Dreaming to find