Lyrics for Los Hermanos (Written by A. Yupanqui, Argentina)

Yo tengo tantos hermanos, que no los puedo contar,
en el valle, la montaña, en la pampa y en el mar.

Cada cual con sus trabajos, con sus sueños cada cual,
con la esperanza delante, con los recuerdos, detrás.

Yo tengo tantos hermanos, que no los puedo contar.

Gente de mano caliente por eso de la amistad,
con un rezo pa’ rezarlo, con un llanto pa’ llorar.

Con un horizonte abierto, que siempre está más allá,
y esa fuerza pa’ buscarlo con tesón y voluntad.

Cuando parece más cerca es cuando se aleja más.
Yo tengo tantos hermanos, que no los puedo contar.

Y así seguimos andando curtidos de soledad,
nos perdemos por el mundo, nos volvemos a encontrar.

Y así nos reconocemos por el lejano mirar,
por las coplas que mordemos, semillas de inmensidad.

Y así seguimos andando curtidos de soledad,
y en nosotros nuestros muertos pa’ que naide quede atrás.

Yo tengo tantos hermanos, que no los puedo contar,
y una novia muy hermosa que se llama libertad.

Translation: Los Hermanos = Brothers

This is a political statement for all those who strive for liberty; especially those who live in exile while wishing that all their brothers were free.

I have so many brothers I can't count them all
In the jungle, in the mountains, in the highlands and in the sea

each with their own labors and each with their own dreams
with hope for the future and memories of the past

I have so many brothers I can't count them all

People with warm hands from their friendship
With a tear to cry, and a prayer to pray

With a limitless horizon, that always seems a bit farther
And with the drive to explore it with determination and will

When it seems like it's closer, is when it's actually further
I have so many brothers I can't count them all

And so we continue walking, covered in solitude
We get lost in the world and find ourselves again

And so we recognize ourselves by the distant look
By the songs that chew seeds of immensity

And so we continue walking, covered in solitude
And inside of ourselves we carry our dead, so no one is left behind

I have so many brothers I can't count them all
And a beautiful girlfriend named liberty

While living in South America we spent much of our free time playing music with friends, learning local standards and sharing songs that we loved. We were fascinated by the variety and quality of music that came from there, inspiring us to weave the melodies into our own style. A few years after returning to the States and pursuing our musical career, the Argentine legend Mercedes Sosa passed away, prompting us to release this EP in honor of the talented musicians of the era who fought for social justice and created some of the most amazing music of the period. Some of the songs on this record we first heard while in South America years ago but they have been dormant, while others we have included in regular rotation at our performances. Each song independently represents the significance of Nueva Canción: altruism, solidarity and respect for humanity.

Nueva Canción was a musically driven social movement that emerged during the late 1950's. Originating in Chile and Argentina, the Nueva Canción movement combined traditional folk music with socially and politically charged lyrics. Nueva Canción arrived during a period of great upheaval in South America. Many people who had become disenfranchised throughout all of Latin America ardently adopted this new style of music as their own; and as the political situation in many of these countries worsened, the Nueva Canción movement came to define people's resistance to the increasingly despotic tendencies of their respective nations. At the height of unrest several coups were staged installing military dictatorships where there were previously democracies. With the outlawing of the Nueva Canción movement, many musicians and activists were arrested, murdered or forced into exile. In spite of the political oppression, the movement continued to grow and develop with new artists using Nueva Canción as a means of affecting social change.