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)
La Trunca Norte
Mercedes Sosa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Niño y madre, arrorro,
Cielo y greda, comunion,
Esperanza milagrera.
Trunca norte, montaraz,
Plegaria de libertad,
Pulso y golpe, parche del amor,
Tu rio de sentimiento
En su viaje de cancion,
Lleva la magia del sol
Y la fuerza de mi pueblo.
Brasa, luz, estivalera,
Hacha y hombre, quemazon,
Hombre y pena, socavon,
Caja y sangre vidalera.
Luna, flor carnavalera,
Alivio del rudo peon,
De su sueño velador,
De su lucha compañera.
Trunca norte, montaraz
Plegaria de libertad,
Pulso y golpe, parche del amor,
Enamorada del viento,
Tu rio de sentimiento
En su viaje de cancion
Lleva la magia del sol
Y la fuerza de mi pueblo.
The lyrics of Mercedes Sosa's song "La Trunca Norte" reflect the powerful connection between the people and the land in the Northern region of Argentina. The title "Trunca Norte" literally means "truncated North," which may refer to the region's historical struggles for independence and autonomy. The first stanza describes the region as a singer ("cancionera") that brings together the sky and the earth ("cielo y greda") and gives hope ("esperanza milagrera"). The second stanza presents the North as a wild and free place ("montaraz"), where the pulse and beat of life ("pulso y golpe") are expressed through the drum ("parche del amor"). The third stanza draws from the imagery of fire and light ("brasa, luz") to depict the North as a land of labor ("hacha y hombre") and struggle ("hombre y pena"), but also of hope and renewal ("caja y sangre vidalera"). The final stanza repeats the refrain of the song, emphasizing the North's longing for freedom ("plegaria de libertad"), love ("parche del amor"), and its close relationship with the people ("enamorada del viento").
Line by Line Meaning
Trunca norte, cancionera
Referring to the rugged, northern region, where songs are born and bred.
Niño y madre, arrorro
A lullaby for a child and his mother.
Cielo y greda, comunion,
A connection between the heavens and the earth, a spiritual bond.
Esperanza milagrera.
A miraculous hope.
Trunca norte, montaraz,
The untamed, rugged and wild north.
Plegaria de libertad,
A prayer for freedom.
Pulso y golpe, parche del amor,
The rhythm and beat of love, that brings people together.
Enamorada del viento,
In love with the wind.
Tu rio de sentimiento
Her river of emotions that flows within her through her songs.
En su viaje de cancion,
As her song journey along a path of messages.
Lleva la magia del sol
Carries the magic of the sun and it's warmth.
Y la fuerza de mi pueblo.
Along with the powerful force of her community and society.
Brasa, luz, estivalera,
A summer fire, light and warmth.
Hacha y hombre, quemazon,
Man and his tools with the power of fire.
Hombre y pena, socavon,
The pain of men who work in the mines, the grievances they bear.
Caja y sangre vidalera.
The box and the miner's blood that makes Chile rich in precious minerals.
Luna, flor carnavalera,
The moon that sets the mood for the carnival of life, it's beauty and grace.
Alivio del rudo peon,
A comforting moment for the working class man with a heavy load.
De su sueño velador,
The dream of sleeping soundly, undisturbed by the harsh reality of life.
De su lucha compañera.
The struggle with society as their companion.
Contributed by Elizabeth J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Irene R. Antúnez
Mercedes, voz de mi infancia que mi padre ponía en las horas de coche... tus canciones me acompañan desde adentro, ya no las puedo borrar ni quiero... gracias por acompañarme al crecer, gracias por seguir acompañándome cada día
Yasmin Celeste Ain Ludueña Ontiveros
Trunca norte, mensajera,
Hombre y tierra, devoción,
Copla y canto, floración
De la vieja chacarera.
Trunca norte, cancionera,
Niño y madre, arrorró,
Cielo y greda, comunión,
Esperanza milagrera.
Trunca norte, montaraz,
Plegaria de libertad,
Pulso y golpe, parche del amor,
Enamorada del viento,
Tu río de sentimiento
En su viaje de canción,
Lleva la magia del sol
Y la fuerza de mi pueblo.
Brasa, luz, estivalera,
Hacha y hombre, quemazón,
Hombre y pena, socavón,
Caja y sangre vidalera.
Luna, flor carnavalera,
Alivio del rudo peón,
De su sueño velador,
De su lucha compañera.
Xavier Einstein
Brazil still cries the silence of La voz de América .
Narianella Cordova
Mercedes Sosa mi Merceditas Sosa como te llore cuando te fuiste te llore a mares Merceditas como cuando se murio mi mamita pero ya nos volveremos a ver en la resureccion que Jehova Dios a prometido entonces escuchare con mi madre un concierto tuyo y ese sera el mejor concierto de mi vida hasta pronto Merceditas
Alfredo Montane
RAÚL MERCADO Y OSCAR ALEM, DOS CAPOS DE LA MÚSICA POPULAR ARGENTINA.
Analu Germano
Creo q Domingo Cura hace parte tambien desta sonoridad magnifica