We’re Not Alone
I shall not tire of the road we're walking
Welcome to regular readers and new subscribers! Thank you for joining me for today’s song, “We’re Not Alone” by Holly Near. Below, you’ll find my interpretation of the lyrics which are written in italics and a YouTube video of the song below the article. For Japanese students, vocabulary words in bold are provided in Japanese below. TOEIC (PBT) 450+, Eiken 2, CEFR B1.
(568 words)
Today’s song by Holly Near comes from the album, Sing Me to the Dream. The recording includes songs from two concerts she did with the Chilean group, Inti Illimani. At the time in the 1980s, Chile was living under the Pinochet dictatorship. On her website, Holly writes that their concerts together were:
meant to gather the progressive forces in my country and feed the solidarity movement so it might continue the work of cutting off funds to Pinochet and other dictators in Latin America. The work was to make very public the violence and torture, to bring world attention to “the disappeared.”
Many people in Chile spent years working to end the dictatorship. They had to stay strong for each other.
She starts the song by talking about how hard it is to not get tired (to tire) when struggling day after day. By staying (draw) close to friends and family, we realize we are not alone.
I shall not tire of the road we’re walking
Your smile a candle, I shall not tire
I shall not weaken in the face of danger
But draw you close to me
We’re not alone, we’re not alone
She recognizes that the earth has also been treated badly, and that children offer hope for the future. The condor is the largest bird in the Western Hemisphere. Its wings measure up to 3 meters (10 feet).
Earth, like a friend who’s wounded
Child, you’re the fragile promise of tomorrow
You, can become a condor in a moment
Can you spread your wings of courage and fly on
Holly Near again mentions parts of nature that help to maintain balance on the planet.
Trees are a story telling
Stars, like the burning sun that warms the waters
Wind is a force that cleans our sails of sorrow
Woman, guide the ship of freedom and sail on, sail on
When people work together, they are stronger than when they work individually. They form relationships in which people support each other. The forces they are up against are also strong. The people have to resist or withstand the forces that try to break those relationships and that support.
Creatures of courage make a chain that can’t be broken
Like my heart can be broken
Links must withstand the strain and pull
That tries to tear our souls apart
When something happens with a regular, steady beat, that repeated pattern is its cadence. Near is saying that people united feel the same cadence. It might be through song, through walking in a demonstration, or through acts of helping each other that we do every day.
Hands, like a map I follow
Songs are the haunting call that draws me forward
Heart, be a drum that keeps my feet from slowing
Like a cadence that is crying march on, march on
The powerful forces of Pinochet in Chile in the 1980s wanted to destroy the will of the people. Here, Near says that the people have used the force to unite together to fight back.
Force that has turned the flower of the people
Into steel that strikes a fire
Can we use the heat to solder such a chain
And fight on, fight on
We’re not alone, we’re not alone
This song is a poem set to music about finding strength when facing danger. It is about people creating a community that is tied strongly together.
Vocabulary
dictatorship 独裁政権
progressive 進歩主義
solidarity movement 連帯運動
funds 資金
struggle 闘争
be wounded 傷つかされる
fragile 脆い
sorrow 悲しみ
cadence リズム
haunting 悩まされる
the will (of the people) 民意
steel 鋼鉄
to solder something together 何かをはんだ付けする
Learn more about olly Near and her music at https://hollynear.com/music/
Other songs about Chile in the 1970s an 1980s:
Venceremos https://louisehaynes.substack.com/p/venceremos
Santiago https://louisehaynes.substack.com/p/santiago-by-david-rovics
Hay Una Mujer Desaparecida https://louisehaynes.substack.com/p/women-who-disappeared-and-were-disappeared
Victor Jara https://louisehaynes.substack.com/p/victor-jara-singer-and-fighter-for-the-people
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#英検2級 #TOEIC450 #CEFRB1
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Louise, I love your songs and explanations. It is so revealing and educational. This song is so fitting for these times. And yes even the reign of Pinochet endet at one point. Thank god.
I seem to remember some controversy over the coup that ended Allendes government? Wasn't there talk of the CIA being involved? That the US supported Pinochet?
My recollections could be false... neither history nor politics being my strong point, (as you've likely gathered over the last couple of years LOL)!
This seems like a particularly poignant song either way.