A song, a gratitude and a travel story
- Dr Patrícia Eaton
- Nov 25, 2021
- 4 min read
If you have the patience, please mindfully watch this old video:
This is one of the most iconic Latin singers in the world and one of the most iconic songs.
Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States, and aside from the controversial nature of the origins of Thanksgiving and the fact that I grew up in Brazil without any Thanksgiving tradition (aside from watching Charlie Brown throwing a Thanksgiving party every year on tv) I figured there isn't a bad time to express gratitude.
So I decided to share this song, which I consider the ultimate gratitude song. This song was written and sang by a Chilean singer called Violeta Parra and made even more famous in the voice of Argentinian singer Mercedes Sosa. I wish every person I know in this planet could listen and understand every word of this song since the translation in English doesn’t do it justice. Latin languages just possess a poetry that is unexplainable. And talking about gratitude… do you know how often I feel grateful that my brain got wired with a Latin language from an early age? Daily. Even though it causes me some trouble writing blog entries such as this and forces me to go through at least two proofreaders before I post (basically, if you still find mistakes, it is on them!).
In 2015, I traveled around South America. My solo trip started in Santiago, Chile where I met four others to explore the city for that day: 2 locals and 2 solo travelers. It was July and the height of the winter in South America and our local friends took us to walk around Bairro Bellavista, a bohemian area of Santiago. They took us to a karaoke bar and I remember the place was very open and I was still so cold even inside. As we talked, listened to others sing and got to know each other, I figured I wanted to sing Gracias a La Vida. What a better way to start my 40-day journey through Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador?
I convinced Janaína, one of the other travelers, to come to the mic with me, honestly because I was a tad nervous to do it alone. What a good sport she was, joining me up there. I told her we should sing “Gracias a La Vida by Mercedes Sosa”. She then repeated that to the karaoke MC. Oh boy. What a big faux pas (insert face palm here). At that point, I didn’t realize that the song had been originally written and recorded by the beloved Chilean singer Violeta Parra, and here we were, committing this great blasphemy in Chilean soil. The MC quickly grabbed the microphone and began lecturing us as we stood in front of the whole bar. He explained that the song was originally written and sang by Violeta Parra “que era CHILENA!”. I precisely remember his enunciation and finger pointed in the air. I felt bad for my new friend who I had accidentally thrown under the bus. While he lectured, the whole bar stared, murmured and nodded their heads.
He still gave us back the microphone and played the song. At that point, the air was clear and the first notes started playing. I was now more nervous to sing than I would ordinarily be. And the song started. That masterpiece of a song. I already knew every word but reading on the karaoke screen, I noticed even more depth in that song that I remembered.
It took just a few seconds to have the ENTIRE karaoke bar, with those Chilean young faces singing along with us. I know this sounds weird, but I still remember some of their faces. That awkward moment quickly went on to turn into an unforgettable moment in my life. I was there, singing the ultimate gratitude song with dozens of strangers, in a cold night in ‘Santiago de Chile’, beginning my journey through the Andes. I couldn’t help but feel extremely lucky and grateful.
So, I guess before I wrap this up, I should tell you a little bit about the words in this song that I love enough to engrave into one of the pillows that sits in my living room. This song translates loosely as Thanks to Life and she expresses gratitude for everything: for her eyes for allowing her to see the sky, the stars, her loved one. For letters that when strung together make words, poetry, love songs. For love. For her tired feet that have marched beaches, fields, cities, plains, mountains. For a human brain, a human heart, and the human experience.
Again, this can barely be translated. But it is exactly how I feel about life. Just total utter gratitude for the human experience that is made out of the small things that make up living.
If you have the chance today, or whenever, listen to this song. Even if you don’t understand word by word, you can listen to the Spanish guitar and the singer’s powerful voice. Plus now you know the gist of it, which is love for life and living. Then look up these two women, whose opportune names are popping on your screen today, and who sang songs that highlighted the lives and struggles of the Indigenous people of Latin America.
