Sosa was born in Tucumán, a northwestern province of Argentina, of mestizo descent from French and Amerindian (Quechuan) ancestry. In 1950, at age fifteen, she won a singing competition organized by a local radio station and was given a contract to perform for two months.
Sosa and her first husband Manuel Oscar Matus were key players in the mid-60s nueva canción movement (which was called nuevo cancionero in Argentina). Her first record was Canciones con Fundamento (Songs with Fundament), a collection of Argentine folk songs.
In 1967, Sosa toured with great success the United States and Europe. In subsequent years, she performed and recorded extensively, broadening her repertoire to include material from throughout Latin America.
In the early 1970s, Sosa released two concept albums in collaboration with composer Ariel Ramírez and lyricist Félix Luna: Cantata Sudamericana (South American Cantata) and Mujeres Argentinas (Argentine Women). She also recorded a tribute to Chilean poet Violeta Parra.
After the military dictatorship of Jorge Videla came to power, the atmosphere in Argentina grew increasingly oppressive. At a concert in La Plata (Buenos Aires) in 1979, Sosa was searched and arrested on stage, and the attending crowd was arrested. Banned in her own country, she moved to Paris and then to Madrid.
Sosa returned to Argentina in 1982, several months before the military regime collapsed as a result of the Falklands War, and gave a series of concerts at the Opera theater in Buenos Aires, where she invited many of her younger colleagues to share the stage. A double album of recordings from these performances became an instant best seller.
In the following years, Sosa continued to tour both in Argentina and abroad, performing in such venues as the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the Mogador in París.
Sosa's repertoire continued to broaden, and she made recordings in various styles. She collaborated frequently with Argentine musicians such as León Gieco, Charly García, Antonio Tarragó Ros, Rodolfo Mederos and Fito Páez, and other Latin American artists such as Milton Nascimento and Silvio Rodríguez.
Sosa participated in a 2001 production of the Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramírez.
Mercedes Sosa's website(in Spanish)
Canción Para Un Niño En La Calle
Mercedes Sosa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hay un niño en la calle...
¡Hay un niño en la calle!
Es honra de los hombres proteger lo que crece,
Cuidar que no haya infancia dispersa por las calles,
Evitar que naufrague su corazón de barco,
Su increíble aventura de pan y chocolate
De otro modo es inútil, de otro modo es absurdo
Ensayar en la Tierra la alegría y el canto,
Porque de nada vale si hay un niño en la calle
No debe andar el mundo con el amor descalzo
Enarbolando un diario como un ala en la mano
Trepándose a los trenes, canjeándonos la risa,
Golpeándonos el pecho con un ala cansada.
No debe andar la vida, recién nacida, a precio,
La niñez arriesgada a una estrecha ganancia
Porque entonces las manos son inútiles fardos
Y el corazón, apenas, una mala palabra
Pobre del que ha olvidado que hay un niño en la calle,
Que hay millones de niños que viven en la calle
Y multitud de niños que crecen en la calle.
Yo los veo apretando su corazón pequeño
Mirándonos a todas con fábula en los ojos
Un relámpago trunco les cruza la mirada,
Porque nadie protege esa vida que crece
Y el amor se ha perdido, como un niño en la calle
The lyrics to Mercedes Sosa's "Canción Para Un Niño En La Calle" speak about the importance of protecting and caring for the children who are forced to grow up on the streets. The opening line, "A esta hora exactamente/Hay un niño en la calle," sets the tone for the rest of the song, emphasizing the immediacy and urgency of the issue at hand. Sosa goes on to describe how it is the responsibility of society to prevent childhood from being scattered across the streets and to ensure that their hearts do not become shipwrecked by the harsh realities they face. She also explores the idea that in order to truly experience joy and song in life, it is essential to first protect and uplift the children who are most vulnerable.
The song also touches on the idea that life should not be a risky business for children or something that is priced out of the reach of the young. Sosa emphasizes the importance of providing a safe and nurturing upbringing for children, allowing them to feel secure and loved rather than taking chances with their future. The closing lines of the song lament the fact that too many children are growing up without protection or love, leaving them feeling lost and alone in the world.
Overall, "Canción Para Un Niño En La Calle" is a poignant call to action to protect the children who are growing up in difficult circumstances. Sosa's powerful voice and emotive lyrics evoke a deep sense of compassion and urgency, inspiring listeners to take action and make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.
Line by Line Meaning
A esta hora exactamente,
Right now, at this exact moment,
Hay un niño en la calle...
There is a child on the street...
¡Hay un niño en la calle!
There is a child on the street!
It's an honor for people to protect what grows,
It is a responsibility of humanity to protect the growth of young children,
To care that there is no scattered childhood on the streets,
Ensuring there are no unsupported, homeless children on the streets,
Preventing their hearts from becoming like shipwrecks,
Stopping them from feeling lost and disconnected like a ship that has sunk,
Their incredible adventure of bread and chocolate,
Their imaginative and delightful journey of surviving and finding joy on meager resources,
Putting a star in place of hunger,
Replacing hunger and poverty with hope and possibility,
Otherwise, it's useless, otherwise it's absurd,
Without such support, their existence and struggle would be sustainable and unnecessary,
Trying on Earth for joy and singing,
Spreading joy and hope on earth,
Because it's pointless if there is a child on the street
All efforts will be in vain if there is even one child on the street
The world shouldn't walk with bare love,
Love should not be neglected in the world,
Waving a newspaper like a wing in hand,
Wielding news like a useless tool,
Climbing into trains, exchanging our laugh,
Riding on trains, taking away our joy and laughter,
Beating our chest with a tired wing.
Exhausting ourselves with meaningless effort.
Life should not be a newborn with a price tag,
Life shouldn't be measured by the wealth it generates.
Childhood should not be risked for a narrow gain,
Children's growth and development shouldn't be compromised for a limited gain,
Because then our hands would be useless bundles,
Without any action to prevent child poverty, we are like ineffective, limp hands.
And the heart, scarcely, a bad word.
In such a scenario, our heart would only be able to offer unkind remarks.
Pity the one who has forgotten that there is a child on the street,
One should sympathize with anyone who is ignorant of the struggles of homeless children,
That millions of children live on the street,
Many children in various parts of the world live a life of poverty of living on the street,
And many children grow up on the street.
Some children's upbringing and growth happen entirely on the street.
I see them, clutching their tiny hearts,
I witness such children, holding their hearts tight as if seeking reassurance,
Looking at all of us with fairy tales in their eyes,
Such children look at every one of us with an urge to comprehend our world as they view it through the lens of fairy tales,
A truncated lightning bolt crosses their gaze,
But when someone talks to them, they lose their creativity and determination,
Because nobody protects the lives that grow,
Without proper support, their growth and milestones are only passed by unnoticed,
And love is lost, like a child on the street.
Sometimes the most vulnerable are the most affected, they get forgotten and abandoned by society.
Contributed by David H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tuzkumulangeldaniel8846
A esta hora exactamente
Hay un niño en la calle
Hay un niño en la calle
Es honra de los hombres proteger lo que crece
Cuidar que no haya infancia dispersa por las calles
Evitar que naufrague su corazón de barco
Su increíble aventura de pan y chocolate
Poniéndole una estrella en el sitio del hambre
De otro modo es inútil, de otro modo es absurdo
Ensayar en la tierra la alegría y el canto
Porque de nada vale, si hay un niño en la calle
Todo lo tóxico de mi país
A mí me entra por la nariz
Lavo autos, limpio zapatos
Huelo pega y también huelo paco
Robo billeteras, pero soy buena gente
Soy una sonrisa sin dientes
Lluvia sin techo, uña con tierra
Soy lo que sobró de la guerra
Un estómago vacío
Soy un golpe en la rodilla que se cura con el frío
El mejor guía turístico del arrabal
Por tres pesos te paseo por la capital
No necesito visa pa' volar por el redondel
Porque yo juego con aviones de papel
Arroz con piedra, fango con vino
Y lo que me falta me lo imagino
No debe andar el mundo con el amor descalzo
Enarbolando un diario como un ala en la mano
Trepándose a los trenes, canjeándonos las risas
Golpeándonos el pecho con un ala cansada
No debe andar la vida recién nacida aprecio
La niñez arriesgada a una estrecha ganancia
Porque entonces las manos son inútiles fardos
Y el corazón apenas una mala palabra
Cuando cae la noche duermo despierto
Un ojo cerrado y el otro abierto
Por si los tigres me escupen un balazo
Mi vida es como un circo, pero sin payaso
Voy caminando por la zanja
Haciendo malabares con cinco naranjas
Pidiendo plata a todos los que pueda
En una bicicleta de una sola rueda
Soy oxígeno para este continente
Soy lo que descuidó el presidente
No te asustes si tengo mal aliento
O si me vez sin camisa con las tetillas al viento
Yo soy un elemento más del paisaje
Los recibos de la calle son mi camuflaje
Como algo que existe, que parece de mentira
Algo sin vida pero que respira
Pobre del que ha olvidado que hay un niño en la calle
Que hay millones de niños que viven en la calle
Y multitud de niños que crecen en la calle
Yo los veo apretando su corazón pequeño
Mirándonos a todos con fábula en los ojos
Un relámpago trunco les cruza la mirada
Porque nadie protege a esa vida que crece
Y el amor se ha perdido como un niño en la calle
Oye, a esta hora exactamente hay un niño en la calle
¡Hay un niño en la calle!
@allanalpizare3406
Manito arriba si en 2024 escuchas este rolón!!
@evelinparrajimenez8606
Solo por q tengo q hacer un análisis 😃
@juangovamx
Es un rolón, mi hermano.
@user-bq7zi7om4c
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0IoMFkZVtfyRF4h_PFjiH6HI2Wm6uQT9&si=8pIq8F5eqof3YNjT
@CesarBarrientos-mn1po
Confieso que escucho por primera vez esta hermosa cancion , Hermosa
@mashaviloria4954
Una cosa es ser Famoso y otro es ser artista, por eso es que los artistas de verdad colaboran entre si. y no tiene tanto views, porque no todos saben apreciar está obra de arte. Grande René Y Mercedes Sosa. 🚀🚀🚀
@nikosbsas
Como se extraña a la negra! Aguante R
@martitagorda5512
Tal cual, ambos dos polos opuestos pero se fusionaron de una manera artísticamente perfecta. Dos artistas con todas las letras.
@andyvalerio4594
Uffff
@enzobuglionicalderon4016
Y en Chile René con Inti Illimani, en México con café Tacuba, argentina la gran Mercedes. Esos artistas no aceptan a cualquiera del género urbano, sino a los que le cantan a la gente de verdad