BOB DILAN
The lonesome death of Hattie Carroll (The Times They Are a-Changin', 1963)
Letra de la canción y traducción:
William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll
With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger
At a Baltimore hotel society gath'rin'.
And the cops were called in and his weapon took from him
As they rode him in custody down to the station
And booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murder.
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,
Take the rag away from your face.
Now ain't the time for your tears.
With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger
At a Baltimore hotel society gath'rin'.
And the cops were called in and his weapon took from him
As they rode him in custody down to the station
And booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murder.
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,
Take the rag away from your face.
Now ain't the time for your tears.
William Zanzinger, who at twenty-four years
Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres
With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him
And high office relations in the politics of Maryland,
Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders
And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was snarling,
In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking.
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,
Take the rag away from your face.
Now ain't the time for your tears.
Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres
With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him
And high office relations in the politics of Maryland,
Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders
And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was snarling,
In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking.
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,
Take the rag away from your face.
Now ain't the time for your tears.
Hattie Carroll was a maid of the kitchen.
She was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children
Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage
And never sat once at the head of the table
And didn't even talk to the people at the table
Who just cleaned up all the food from the table
And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level,
Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane
That sailed through the air and came down through the room,
Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle.
And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger
She was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children
Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage
And never sat once at the head of the table
And didn't even talk to the people at the table
Who just cleaned up all the food from the table
And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level,
Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane
That sailed through the air and came down through the room,
Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle.
And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,
Take the rag away from your face.
Now ain't the time for your tears.
In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel
To show that all's equal and that the courts are on the level
And that the strings in the books ain't pulled and persuaded
And that even the nobles get properly handled
Once that the cops have chased after and caught 'em
And that the ladder of law has no top and no bottom,
Stared at the person who killed for no reason
Who just happened to be feelin' that way without warnin'.
And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished,
And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance,
William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence.
Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,
Bury the rag deep in your face
For now's the time for your tears.
NINA SIMONE
Four Women (Wild Is the Wind, 1966)
En plena tensión racial, Nina Simone elige cuatro mujeres para describir las secuelas de la esclavitud, la violación y el abuso de menores. El relato es desgarrador y explícito. Nina canta como si fuera esas cuatro mujeres afroamericanas. La base jazzera del piano impone una lenta agonía que explota al final. Una de las mejores canciones que documentan los agitados años 60.
Letra de la canción y traducción:
My skin is black
My arms are long
My hair is woolly
My back is strong
Strong enough to take the pain
inflicted again and again
What do they call me
My name is AUNT SARAH
My name is Aunt Sarah
My arms are long
My hair is woolly
My back is strong
Strong enough to take the pain
inflicted again and again
What do they call me
My name is AUNT SARAH
My name is Aunt Sarah
My skin is yellow
My hair is long
Between two worlds
I do belong
My father was rich and white
He forced my mother late one night
What do they call me
My name is SAFFRONIA
My name is Saffronia
My hair is long
Between two worlds
I do belong
My father was rich and white
He forced my mother late one night
What do they call me
My name is SAFFRONIA
My name is Saffronia
My skin is tan
My hair is fine
My hips invite you
my mouth like wine
Whose little girl am I?
Anyone who has money to buy
What do they call me
My name is SWEET THING
My name is Sweet Thing
My hair is fine
My hips invite you
my mouth like wine
Whose little girl am I?
Anyone who has money to buy
What do they call me
My name is SWEET THING
My name is Sweet Thing
Letra :
El hombre tiene miedo de ver la verdad,
de ver que él era algo que no podía definir..
de ver que al fin su sexo pudo ser o no ser
que no era absoluto, que podía ser la flor...
El hombre tiene miedo de su sexo también
y niega a la mujer que lleva dentro de él
¿Qué flor le daré a aquel que vive sin amor?
la flor de mil y un sexos, la flor de un creador...
Cuando él era muy pequeño, él sabia vivir,
todo era pureza, mamá y papá
si después creció, sufrió y lloró
¿dónde estará la flor, dónde está el que se fue?
Un día la farsanta, nuestra gran sociedad...
Le dijo mil mentiras, lo metió en un corral,
le dijo que su sexo él tenía que ocultar,
la flor se marchitó, no pudo ver el sol...
JOHN LENNON
Woman is the nigger of the world (Sometime in New York City, 1972)
Después de conocer a Yoko Ono, Lennon abrazó la militancia por la paz y por los derechos de las mujeres. Incluso llegó a agregarse el apellido de su segunda esposa: pasó a llamarse John Winston Ono Lennon. En Woman is the nigger of the world hace una síntesis sobre la opresión que vive cotidianamente la mujer y, de paso toca, el tema racial, ya que como bien dice el título, “la mujer es el negro del mundo”. “La insultamos todos los días en la TV”, “si no es nuestra esclava, decimos con no nos ama”, son algunas de las frases más picantes de la canción, que suenan actuales 40 años después.
Letra de la canción y traducción:
| Woman is the nigger of the world yes she is...think about it woman is the nigger of the world think about it...do something about it We make her paint her face and dance if she won't be a slave, we say that she don't love us if she's real, we say she's trying to be a man while putting her down, we pretend that she's above us Woman is the nigger of the world...yes she is if you don't believe me, take a look at the one you're with woman is the slave of the slaves ah, yeah...better scream about it We make her bear and raise our children and then we leave her flat for being a fat old mother hen we tell her home is the only place she should be then we complain that she's too unworldly to be our friend Woman is the nigger of the world...yes she is if you don't believe me, take a look at the one you're with woman is the slave to the slaves yeah...alright...hit it! We insult her every day on tv and wonder why she has no guts or confidence when she's young we kill her will to be free while telling her not to be so smart we put her down for being so dumb Woman is the nigger of the world yes she is...if you don't believe me, take a look at the one you're with woman is the slave to the slaves yes she is...if you believe me, you better scream about it We make her paint her face and dance we make her paint her face and dance we make her paint her face and dance we make her paint her face and dance we make her paint her face and dance we make her paint her face and dance |
Tina Turner
What's Love Got to Do With It (Private Dancer, 1984)
La elección de este tema es simbólica: la letra en sí no habla de la igualdad de género, pero representa la vuelta al estrellato de Tina Turner luego de dejar atrás una etapa muy dramática en su vida. El mismo título llevó la película de 1993 que muestra detalladamente la violencia física y psicológica que Ike Turner ejerció sobre la cantante en los tiempos de Ike & Tina Tuner.
Letra de la canción y traducción:
You must understand though the touch of your hand
Makes my pulse react
That it's only the thrill of boy meeting girl
Opposites attract
It's physical
Only logical
You must try to ignore that it means more than that ooo
Makes my pulse react
That it's only the thrill of boy meeting girl
Opposites attract
It's physical
Only logical
You must try to ignore that it means more than that ooo
What's love got to do, got to do with it
What's love but a second hand emotion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken
What's love but a second hand emotion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken
It may seem to you that I'm acting confused
When you're close to me
If I tend to look dazed I've read it someplace
I've got cause to be
There's a name for it
There's a phrase that fits
But whatever the reason you do it for me ooo
When you're close to me
If I tend to look dazed I've read it someplace
I've got cause to be
There's a name for it
There's a phrase that fits
But whatever the reason you do it for me ooo
What's love got to do, got to do with it
What's love but a second hand emotion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken
What's love but a second hand emotion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken
