Yasmin Levy is of Sephardic descent from the city of İzmir, Turkey. Her late father, Yitzhak (Isaac) Levy (1919–1977), was a composer and hazzan (cantor), as well as a pioneer researcher into the long and rich history of the Ladino music and culture of Spanish Jewry and its diaspora, being the editor of the Ladino language magazine Aki Yerushalayim.
With her distinctive and emotive style, Yasmin has brought a new interpretation to the medieval Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) song by incorporating more "modern" sounds of Andalusian flamenco and Persian music, as well as combining instruments like the darbuka, oud, violin, cello, and piano.
Her debut album was Romance & Yasmin in 2000, which earned her a nomination as "Best Newcomer" for the fRoots / BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards 2005, followed in 2005 with her second album La Judería (Spanish: The Jewish Quarter). In 2006, she was nominated again, then in the category "Culture Crossing".
On her second album, La Judería, she also covered the popular songs "Gracias a la Vida" by Violeta Parra and "Nací en Alamó" from the film Vengo, directed by Tony Gatlif, which in its original version won the 2001 César Award for Best Music Written for a Film (itself being a cover of "The Song of the Gypsies" (Greek: "Το Τραγούδι των Γύφτων"), written by Greek songwriter Dionysis Tsaknis in 1990).
Yasmin's work earned her the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation Award for promoting cross-cultural dialogue between musicians from three cultures. In her own words:
I am proud to combine the two cultures of Ladino and flamenco, while mixing in Middle Eastern influences. I am embarking on a 500 years old musical journey, taking Ladino to Andalusia and mixing it with flamenco, the style that still bears the musical memories of the old Moorish and Jewish-Spanish world with the sound of the Arab world. In a way it is a ‘musical reconciliation’ of history.
Yasmin is a goodwill ambassador for the charity Children of Peace.
Libertad
Yasmin Levy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
sin tener felicidad,
con las manos extendidas
sola en la oscuridad,
cada noche, ya por años,
murmuras una oración,
tu mirada va al cielo
rogando por tu salvación.
Oigo el silencio en tu grito,
siento tu dolor,
en el fondo de mi alma
como duele tu temor.
Déjame llevarte esta copla en mis labios
para pedirte que jamás pares de luchar por ...
x2
... tu libertad
de enamorarte y sentir,
libertad por el derecho a elegir
de que manera vivir tu vida.
Tu eres la tierra en la cual
crecen las raices,
cuando lloras lloran las flores,
el viento se detiene.
No seas el río que fluye,
sé tú las olas
que se rompen en el muelle
en la tormenta de la mar.
Eres todas las mujeres:
madre, hija y hermana
en todo el universo
de toda raza y religión.
No te quedes en silencio,
no cierres los ojos,
nunca dejes de soñar y luchar por
() x2
(repetir 1er-2do verso)
() x2
The lyrics of "Libertad" by Yasmin Levy tell the story of a woman who is alone, in the dark, with tears in her eyes and no happiness. Every night for years, she murmurs a prayer, looking to the sky, pleading for her salvation. The singer of the song can feel the woman's pain and fear, and wants to encourage her to never stop fighting for her freedom - the freedom to love and feel, and the right to choose how to live her life. The singer sees the woman as the roots of the earth, the source of life for all people, and urges her to be strong like the waves that crash against the shore in a storm. She also acknowledges that the woman is representative of all women in the world, regardless of race or religion, and encourages her not to be silent, to keep dreaming, and to keep fighting for her freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Con el llanto en tus ojos
With tears in your eyes
sin tener felicidad,
without having happiness
con las manos extendidas
with outstretched hands
sola en la oscuridad,
alone in the darkness
cada noche, ya por años,
every night, for years now
murmuras una oración,
you whisper a prayer
tu mirada va al cielo
your gaze goes up to the sky
rogando por tu salvación.
begging for your salvation
Oigo el silencio en tu grito,
I hear the silence in your cry
siento tu dolor,
I feel your pain
en el fondo de mi alma
in the depths of my soul
como duele tu temor.
how your fear hurts.
Déjame llevarte esta copla en mis labios
Let me take this song on my lips
para pedirte que jamás pares de luchar por ...
to ask you never to stop fighting for ...
x2
repeat this verse twice
... tu libertad
... your freedom
de enamorarte y sentir,
to fall in love and feel
libertad por el derecho a elegir
freedom to choose
de que manera vivir tu vida.
how to live your life.
Tu eres la tierra en la cual
You are the earth in which
crecen las raices,
roots grow
cuando lloras lloran las flores,
when you cry, the flowers cry
el viento se detiene.
the wind stops
No seas el río que fluye,
Don't be the river that flows
sé tú las olas
be the waves
que se rompen en el muelle
that break on the pier
en la tormenta de la mar.
in the storm of the sea.
Eres todas las mujeres:
You are all women:
madre, hija y hermana
mother, daughter, and sister
en todo el universo
in the whole universe
de toda raza y religión.
of every race and religion.
No te quedes en silencio,
Don't stay silent,
no cierres los ojos,
don't close your eyes,
nunca dejes de soñar y luchar por
never stop dreaming and fighting for
() x2
repeat the chorus twice
(repetir 1er-2do verso)
repeat the first and second verses
() x2
repeat the chorus twice
Contributed by Alyssa L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lucila Atocha Bravo
Muy bonita letra.
mezar mezar
I’m in love with your music
Aby Rose
i love this song so much :') <3
Mahiye Sabuncuoglu
İnsan anlamadığı bir dilin, kendi acılarını ve hayallerini anlattığını hissedebilir mi? Evet! İşte ispatı, yasminlevy-Libertad
Songül
Anlamı harika olan bir şarkı 💓
Dafirek
POLISH .... Z A J E B I S T E ;-))) !!! GOOD SONG!!!! GOOD VOICE !!!
Марина Магомедова
ВАУ 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😍
mezar mezar
2:05 the viola ❤️
Tara.h
Love you from Iran❤️
Okan Olas
Hayyam'da bekliyorum, en nihayetinde. Kadıköy, İspanyol ruhlu bir kadın için var.