His musical career started at age 17 while he was doing his military service in the recently formed FAR (Revolutionary Armed Forces) created in late 1961 after the failed invasion of Cuba by the U.S.A. led mainly by the C.I.A. and the Cuban exiles in that country, the self-titled "Gusanos", ordered by former president John F. Kennedy.
The bombings by the U.S.A. where targeted mainly towards the urban settlements in La Habana, Santiago de Cuba and San Antonio de los Baños, the latter in which Silvio was living at the time. He was working as an educator for the Alphabetization Program of the Revolution in which he taught History, Mathematics, Geography, Grammar and Politics.
Esteban Baños was the friend that taught him how to play guitar while they were in the army, it was around 1964 when Silvio wrote his first songs. In 1967 he finished his Army training and started his career as a musician mainly as a solo artist but also shortly as a part of the Grupo de Experimentación Sonora del ICAIC (GESI).
Rio
Silvio Rodríguez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Anoche supe la verdad
Creí a mi alma inservible
Pero era cansancio vulgar, nada más
Tú eres un don de la brisa
Un ser de la resurrección
Un pájaro con una risa
Río, río, río
Río de verdad
Como un animal
Que ha sido puesto en libertad
Río
Me dejo ir en mano alegre, voy previendo
Porque mañana, a lo mejor, hay un entierro
Y una mordida de pantera en lo más mío
Río
Y no es un desafío
A la vida del sueño
Es que vivo camino al cementerio
The lyrics to Silvio Rodríguez's "Río" speak to the idea that anything is possible if one believes it to be so. The singer initially doubts themselves, thinking that their soul is useless, only to realize that it was simply exhaustion clouding their judgment. The second half of the song is addressed to someone who is described as a gift from the wind, full of laughter and capable of turning night into day. The singer compares this person to a liberated animal, free to roam and experience life to the fullest.
The river serves as a symbol of truth in the song, as it is described as a powerful force that cannot be contained. The singer embraces this sense of liberation, allowing themselves to be carried down the river in a carefree manner, yet also acknowledging the uncertainty of life with the mention of potential death and danger. The singer notes that their perspective on life is not a challenge to anyone else's, but rather a reflection of their own personal journey towards the inevitable end.
Overall, "Río" is a song about the power of belief, freedom, and the transient nature of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Hoy sé que no hay nada imposible
I now know that nothing is impossible
Anoche supe la verdad
Last night, I learned the truth
Creí a mi alma inservible
I thought my soul was useless
Pero era cansancio vulgar, nada más
But it was just common fatigue
Tú eres un don de la brisa
You are a gift from the breeze
Un ser de la resurrección
A being of resurrection
Un pájaro con una risa
A bird with a laugh
Capaz de arrastrar a la noche hasta el sol
Able to drag the night to the sun
Río, río, río
River, river, river
Río de verdad
River of truth
Como un animal
Like an animal
Que ha sido puesto en libertad
That has been set free
Me dejo ir en mano alegre, voy previendo
I let myself go with a cheerful hand, I foresee
Porque mañana, a lo mejor, hay un entierro
Because tomorrow, maybe there is a funeral
Y una mordida de pantera en lo más mío
And a bite of a panther in my deepest self
Río
River
Y no es un desafío
And it's not a challenge
A la vida del sueño
To the life of a dream
Es que vivo camino al cementerio
It's that I live on the way to the cemetery
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEFFREY ALLEN BAXTER, PAT SIMMONS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vivs GM
Descubrí ésta canción apenas hoy! 23 de Abril del 2020. Día de mi cumpleaños. En plena pandemia; en plena Cuarentena en Bogotá, esperando "aplanar curvas"... Y no recuerdo otra canción que me haya inspirado tanta Esperanza, alegre y fuerte...
"Un pájaro con una risa capaz de arrastrar a la noche hasta el sol"
Gracias a Dios por los amigos que comparten música 😊.
Claudio Erviti
te leo y recuerdo que yo la descubri en el invierno de 1982 , creo que aun no habia terminado la guerra de malvinas
Currambera Higgins
Pues yo la descubro hoy 3 de abril de 2021. Me la dedicó un amigo. Y comparto tu sentir. Un saludo desde Oviedo, España.
Sergio Loredo
Rie
Kabul Rimbau
Saludos desde mexico en hora buena que la hayas encontrado
Daniela Hernández
Amo esta canción y muchas otras de Silvio desde que era muy pequeña. Pero creo que esta en particular era y es mi favorita. ❤️
astrofisica1111
La canción que me saca de la oscuridad, una y otra, y otra vez...
Angélica Hernández
esta canción es de mis favoritas, mi hermana y yo la cantábamos a los 8 y 7 años cuando íbamos en carretera con mi papá camino a encontrarnos con mi mamá
Daniel Alberto Pacheco Cerezo
a mi tambien me trae recuerdos del auto de la familia! porq sera no??
Angélica Hernández
:)