Vocalist/guitarist David Hidalgo and drummer Louie Pérez met at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, and bonded over their mutual affinity for obscure musical acts such as Fairport Convention, Randy Newman and Ry Cooder. Pérez recalls, "We’re looking at each other, 'You like this stuff? I thought I was the only weird one.' So I went over to his house one day for about a year, which we spent listening to records, playing guitars, and starting to write songs." The two borrowed reel-to-reel recorders from a friend and created multi-track recordings of music spanning from parody songs to free-form jazz. They later enlisted fellow students Cesar Rosas and Conrad Lozano to complete the group's line-up in 1973.
Formed in the late 1970's, band members Dave Hidalgo, Cesar Rojas, Steve Berlin, Louie Pérez and Conrad Lozano became the bellwether for Mexican-American music in the U.S. when they recorded the music for "La Bamba" in 1987, which added popular acclaim to the critical praise they had received for their 1984 album "How Will the Wolf Survive?".
They have since become one of the mainstays of the Latin music scene as well as rock music in general, staying together through over 20 albums, and for almost three decades, through changing music climate and personal tragedies, they've continued cranking out albums and touring to dedicated fans.
Set Me Free
Los Lobos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There ain't nothing I can take to kill this pain
Set me free
Why don't you, Rosa Lee?
She is a dream, but she's so hard to please
She moves around like an Egyptian queen
Set me free
I'm so afraid of losing you
But there's only so much that a man can do
For Rosa Lee
Why don't you set me free?
When I hit the road the time goes slow
Thinking about the places I used to go
With Rosa Lee
Why won't you set me free?
They're trying to close the Tu y Yo
The Latin playboy and the sky room shows
Rosa Lee
Why don't they let them be?
I can't get used to losing you
But there's only so much that a man can do
For Rosa Lee
Why don't you set me free?
People say that you were made for me
I knocked my head [?]
But they'll never know the hurt it takes to be
Rosa Lee
When love's in vain, love can be so strange
But I never thought I'd wear a ball and chain
Set me free
Why don't you, Rosa Lee?
Set me free
Why don't you, Rosa Lee?
Why don't you set me free
Why don't you Rosa Lee, yeah
Why don't you set free, why don't you set free
You got to set me free
You got to, you got to, you got to set free, baby, ah, yeah, ooh
Los Lobos's song Set Me Free is a classic song about unrequited love, which is evident throughout the entire song. The opening line, "When love's in vain, love can be so strange," immediately tells us that the singer's love is not being reciprocated. The singer is in pain, and he cannot find a remedy for it. He begs Rosa Lee to "set him free" from his agony. He knows how difficult she is to please but asks her to consider his feelings for her and set him free from his love for her. The line "There ain't nothing I can take to kill this pain" carries a lot of emotional weight as we see the desperation of the singer.
The chorus is repeated twice in the song, becoming a kind of mantra for the singer. The verses talk about how the singer's life is affected by his love for Rosa Lee. He thinks about her all the time when he is on the road and remembers the places he used to go with her, where he remembers happier times. He's also worried that he might lose her, which is undoubtedly an indication of his deeper feelings for her. The line, "They're trying to close the Tu y Yo," suggests that he and Rosa Lee could have shared memories in one of the restaurants or clubs du jour.
In conclusion, Set Me Free is a song about heartbreak, unrequited love, and a desperate plea for release. The song's passion, intensity, and sincerity are what make it so powerful and moving.
Line by Line Meaning
When love's in vain, love can be so strange
Love can be unfamiliar and inexplicable when it no longer meets its intended purpose.
There ain't nothing I can take to kill this pain
I cannot find a solution to my emotional suffering.
Set me free
Release me from this emotional burden.
Why don't you, Rosa Lee?
Asking Rosa Lee to be the one to release me from the emotional burden.
She is a dream, but she's so hard to please
Rosa Lee is someone I long for, but it's challenging to gain her affections.
She moves around like an Egyptian queen
Rosa Lee carries herself with a majestic air.
I'm so afraid of losing you
I fear losing Rosa Lee's love and attention.
But there's only so much that a man can do
I can only do so much to maintain Rosa Lee's love and cannot force someone to like me.
For Rosa Lee
All of my actions are for the sake of pleasing Rosa Lee.
When I hit the road the time goes slow
Time drags on when I am away from Rosa Lee.
Thinking about the places I used to go
Recalling memories of places that Rosa Lee and I once visited together.
Why won't you set me free?
Asking Rosa Lee again to release me from the emotional burden.
They're trying to close the Tu y Yo
The establishment is at risk of shutting down.
The Latin playboy and the sky room shows
These are references to the performers who take the stage at the Tu y Yo, which is likely a cabaret or nightclub.
Why don't they let them be?
Asking why there are forces that are closing down the Tu y Yo.
People say that you were made for me
Others believe that Rosa Lee and I are meant to be together.
I knocked my head
The lyrics likely represent the artist's inability to understand how Rosa Lee can be so hard to please.
But they'll never know the hurt it takes to be
Others cannot comprehend the emotional pain that the singer is experiencing.
Rosa Lee
Referring to Rosa Lee again.
But I never thought I'd wear a ball and chain
The emotional pain of loving Rosa Lee is like being dragged down by a heavy chain.
You got to set me free
Repeating the message of asking Rosa Lee to release the artist from emotional turmoil.
You got to, you got to, you got to set free, baby, ah, yeah, ooh
The artist is begging for release from Rosa Lee in the chorus and through these repeating lines.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: T-Bone Burnett, Cesar Rosas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
William Hild
An excellent song. When I was in radio years ago, I used to play this song quite often on the air. The album it is on, "By The Light Of The Moon", is filled with great songs. Also check out "Shakin Shakin Shakes", and "One Time One Night" on the same album.
liverbird 1961
Great song, great band, off a great piece of vinyl....saw these back in 1989 or 1990 at the International in Manchester....was dancing on the bar to this song......fantastic.
Richard Taylor
seen em live in the uk years ago brilliant
Antonio Dias
One more great song from just another band from L.A.
movetherunner
This song rocks!
Izco 08
Genial