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)
Palabras para Julia
Mercedes Sosa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Porque la vida ya te empuja
Como un aullido interminable
Interminable . . .
Te sentiras acorralada
Te sentiras perdida o sola
Tal vez querras no haber nacido
No haber nacido . . .
De lo que un dia yo escribi
Pensando en ti, pensando en ti
Como ahora pienso . . .
La vida es bella, ya veras
Como a pesar de los pesares
Tendras amigos, tendras amor
Tendras amigos . . .
Un hombre solo, una mujer
Asi tomados de uno en uno
Son como polvo no son nada
No son nada . . .
Entonces siempre acuerdate
De lo que un dia yo escribi
Pensando en ti, pensando en ti
Como ahora pienso . . .
Otros esperan que resistas
Que les ayude tu alegria
Que les ayude tu cancion
Entre sus canciones . . .
Nunca te entregues ni te apartes
Junto al camino nunca digas:
No puedo mas y aqui me quedo.
Entonces siempre acuerdate
De lo que un dia yo escribi
Pensando en ti, pensando en ti
Como ahora pienso . . .
La vida es bella, ya veras
Como a pesar de los pesares
Tendras amigos, tendras amor
Tendras amigos . . .
No se decirte nada mas
Pero tu debes comprender
Que yo aun estoy en el camino.
Pero tu siempre acuerdate
De lo que un dia yo escribi
Pensando en ti, pensando en ti
Como ahora pienso . . .
The lyrics to Mercedes Sosa's song "Palabras Para Julia" speak to the struggles and challenges of life, urging the listener to keep pushing forward even when faced with difficult circumstances. The opening lines set the tone, suggesting that once life has set in motion, it cannot be halted or reversed. It is presented as an endless howl, a force that cannot be silenced or ignored. This imagery is particularly striking as it evokes a sense of doom and despair, suggesting that life is a relentless force that offers little respite.
The verses then speak directly to the listener, encouraging them to remember that life is beautiful despite its difficulties. Sosa urges the listener to remain strong and not feel alone, as they will always have friends and love in their life. While a person may feel insignificant or helpless, the song suggests that they are a vital part of the world, and their actions can have an impact on others.
The final verse speaks to the importance of perseverance, even in the face of exhaustion or despair. Sosa seems to suggest that the joy and hope that one brings to the world can help others cope with their own struggles. The song ends with a message of hope, underscoring the idea that the challenges of life are worth weathering for the beauty and joy that it can bring.
Line by Line Meaning
Tu no puedes volver atras
You cannot go back because life is already pushing you forward.
Porque la vida ya te empuja
Life is already pushing you forward.
Como un aullido interminable
Like an endless howl.
Te sentiras acorralada
You will feel cornered.
Te sentiras perdida o sola
You will feel lost or lonely.
Tal vez querras no haber nacido
Maybe you will wish you had never been born.
Pero tu siempre acuerdate
But always remember.
De lo que un dia yo escribi
What I once wrote.
Pensando en ti, pensando en ti
Thinking of you, thinking of you.
La vida es bella, ya veras
Life is beautiful, you will see.
Como a pesar de los pesares
Despite the hardships.
Tendras amigos, tendras amor
You will have friends and love.
Un hombre solo, una mujer
A single man, a single woman.
Asi tomados de uno en uno
Together one by one.
Son como polvo no son nada
They are like dust, they are nothing.
Entonces siempre acuerdate
So always remember.
De lo que un dia yo escribi
What I once wrote.
Pensando en ti, pensando en ti
Thinking of you, thinking of you.
Otros esperan que resistas
Others expect you to resist.
Que les ayude tu alegria
That your joy will help them.
Que les ayude tu cancion
That your song will help them.
Entre sus canciones . . .
Among their songs.
Nunca te entregues ni te apartes
Never give up or distance yourself.
Junto al camino nunca digas:
Along the way never say:
No puedo mas y aqui me quedo.
I can't do it anymore, and I'll stay here.
No se decirte nada mas
I don't know what else to say to you.
Pero tu debes comprender
But you must understand.
Que yo aun estoy en el camino.
That I am still on the road.
Pero tu siempre acuerdate
But always remember.
De lo que un dia yo escribi
What I once wrote.
Pensando en ti, pensando en ti
Thinking of you, thinking of you.
Contributed by Liliana L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.