Libre
"Libre" ("Free") is a song by José Luis Armenteros and Pablo Herrero, first performed and made popular by Spanish pop star Nino Bravo on his 1972 album of the same name. The song's lyrics tell of a young man who is "tired of dreaming" and yearns to fly "free like a bird that escaped its prison."[1]
Contrary to popular belief, it was not inspired by the death of Peter Fechter, who was killed while trying to cross the Berlin Wall in 1962.[2][3] According to Pablo Herrero, one of the composers, it was inspired by the yearning for freedom during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco in Spain. However, Herrero recounts that when he heard the story of Peter Fechter, he was astonished at how precisely it was mirrored in the song.[4]
A hit in Spain, it managed to climb the charts without being bothered by censorship because radio presenters circulated the Peter Fechter interpretation. In this way, the song’s criticism of Francoism was ruled out and a certain affinity was projected between its message and the anti-communist ideology of the Spanish regime.[5]
The song also became popular in much of Spanish-speaking Latin America, where it took on political overtones. Banned in Cuba, in Chile it was adopted as an anti-communist anthem and became popular among supporters of the military junta. The dictatorship that ensued later “appropriated” the song.[6] As such it was performed in 1974 during the first post-coup edition of the Viña del Mar International Song Festival by Edmundo Arrocet while Augusto Pinochet was in the public.[7] In 1976 the song was again performed at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival while Pinochet was in the public. That time it was Juan Bau who sang it.[8]
It was one of various songs reported to have been played as a backdrop during the torture of political prisoners during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. (Wikipedia)Nino Bravo
Libre
Tiene casi veinte años y ya está
cansado de soñar,
pero tras la frontera está su hogar,
su mundo y su ciudad.
Piensa que la alambrada sólo es
un trozo de metal,
algo que nunca puede detener
sus ansias de volar.
Libre, como el sol cuando amanece,
yo soy libre, como el mar.
Libre, como el ave que escapó de su prisión
y puede, al fin, volar.
Libre, como el viento que recoge mi lamento y mi pesar,
camino sin cesar detrás de la verdad
y sabré lo que es al fin, la libertad.
Con su amor por bandera se marchó
cantando una canción,
marchaba tan feliz que no escuchó
la voz que le llamó,
y tendido en el suelo se quedó
sonriendo y sin hablar;
sobre su pecho flores carmesí,
brotaban sin cesar...
Libre, como el sol cuando amanece,
yo soy libre, como el mar.
Libre, como el ave que escapó de su prisión
y puede, al fin, volar.
Libre, como el viento que recoge mi lamento y mi pesar,
camino sin cesar detrás de la verdad
y sabré lo que es al fin, la libertad.
Libre, como el sol cuando amanece,
yo soy libre, como el mar.
Libre, como el ave que escapó de su prisión
y puede, al fin, volar.
Libre, como el viento que recoge mi lamento y mi pesar,35
camino sin cesar detrás de la verdad
y sabré lo que es al fin, la libertad.
Free
He's almost 20 and he's already
tired of dreaming
But across the border his home is lying,
his world and his city.
He thinks that the fence is only
a piece of metal,
something that can never stop
his desire to fly.
Free as the sun at dawn,
I am free, like the sea.
Free as a bird who escaped from its prison
and can finally fly.
Free as the wind which picks up my sorrow and my grief,
I keep walking for the truth
and I will finally know what is freedom.
With love as flag he left,
singing a song,
going so happy that he did not hear
the voice which called,
and he ended lying on the ground
smiling and not talking,
crimson flowers on his breast,
endlessly pouring...
Free as the sun at dawn,
I am free, like the sea.
Free as a bird who escaped from its prison
and can finally fly.
Free as the wind which picks up my sorrow and my grief,
I keep walking for the truth
and I will finally know what is freedom.
Free as the sun at dawn,
I am free, like the sea.
Free as a bird who escaped from its prison
and can finally fly.
Free as the wind wich picks up my sorrow and my grief,
I keep walking for the truth
and I will finally know what is freedom.
Libero
Ha quasi vent'anni ed è già
stanco di sognare,
ma oltre il confine c'è la sua casa,
il suo mondo e la sua città.
Pensa che il recinto è solo
un pezzo di metallo,
qualcosa che non può mai fermare
la sua voglia di volare.
Libero, come il sole all'alba,
Sono libero, come il mare.
Libero, come l'uccello fuggito dalla sua prigione
e finalmente può volare.
Libero, come il vento che raccoglie il mio rimpianto e il mio dolore,
Cammino all'infinito dietro la verità
e finalmente saprò cos'è, la libertà.
Con amore come bandiera ha lasciato,
Cantando una canzone,
andando così felice che non ha sentito
la voce che chiamava,
e finì disteso a terra
sorridendo e non parlando,
fiori cremisi sul petto,
versando all'infinito...
Libero, come il sole all'alba,
Sono libero, come il mare.
Libero, come l'uccello fuggito dalla sua prigione
e finalmente può volare.
Libero, come il vento che raccoglie il mio rimpianto e il mio dolore,
Cammino all'infinito dietro la verità
e finalmente saprò cos'è, la libertà.
