Top 25 Spanish/Central and South America Human Rights Songs

Spanish/Central and South America

Areas of Central and South America have had a long history of colonization and dictatorship. Such oppression results in the loss of open protests and the exploitation of vulnerable groups. As a result, some human rights songs are dedicated to the memory of these events and the human suffering they left behind.

Link to Spotify playlist- https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7rKOpKnliToAIKS6O5XJyE?si=S4ng73zuQoyYy_tQYA1IsA

1. “El Grito de la Tierra” [The Cry of the Earth] Tierra Santa
   1. Theme: Indigenous people’s land rights
   2. The Cry of the Earth is a depiction of the damage done to Indigenous people’s land during colonization and how that damage is passed down through time.
   3. Lyrics:

Allí Donde un sueño existió Donde la vida floreció Solo se escucha el dolor El llanto amargo de un dios Y el grito de la tierra

There Where a dream existed Where life flourished Only pain is heard The bitter cry of a god And the cry of the earth

1. El Grito De La Tierra
2. “Solo le pido a Dios” [I Only Ask God] León Gieco
   1. Theme: Call to Action and Justice
   2. I Only Ask God is a call to the listener that the maliciousness of the world can’t make you numb, You have to keep trying to make it better.
   3. Lyrics:

Solo le pido a Dios Que lo injusto no me sea indiferente Que no me abofeteen la otra mejilla Después de que una garra me arañó esta suerte

I only ask God That injustice is not indifferent to me That they do not slap me on the other cheek After a claw scratched me this fate

2. León Gieco – Solo Le Pido A Dios
3. “Niños De La Calle” [Street Children] Mercurio
   1. Theme: Calling attention to neglect and exploitation of street children
   2. Street Children is about homeless youth who fight just to survive, they are extremely vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
   3. Lyrics:

Niños de la calle que Saben que el pan no cae de los arboles Peleando por sobrevivir Niños de la calle que Nunca encuentran los caminos fáciles En un mundo demasiado gris

Street children who know that bread doesn’t fall from trees fighting to survive Street children who never find easy paths in a world that is too grey

3. Mercurio – Niños De La Calle (Vídeo Oficial) Ft. Varios Artistas

4. “Desapariciones” [Disappeared] Maná
   1. Theme: Disappearances during military dictatorships
   2. The mass disappearances caused confusion and pain to the loved ones left behind, Disappeared is a memorization to those that are still missing and the families that have not had closure.
   3. Lyrics:

Busca en el agua y en los matorrales (¿Y por qué es que se desaparecen?) Porqué no todos somos iguales (¿Y cuándo vuelve el desaparecido?) Cada vez que lo trae el pensamiento (¿Cómo se le habla al desaparecido?) Con la emoción apretando por dentro

He searches in the water and in the bushes (And why do they disappear?) Because we are not all the same (And when does the missing person return?) Every time his thoughts bring him back (How do you speak to the missing person?) With emotion squeezing inside

4. Desapariciones (Unplugged)
5. “500 Años” [500 years] Los Cogelones
   1. Theme: Colonization and Oppression of Indigenous People of Central and South America
   2. 500 years is a tribute to the Indigenous people of the Americas, the oppression and abuse that was suffered over centuries of colonization. It memorializes heritage while hoping for a better future.
   3. Lyrics:

Desde hace tiempo Me has vendido un sueño Me has contado una historia falsa Y me atormenta el pensar Que esto nunca va a cambiar Hay cosas en la vida Difícil de explicar La magia en el momento perfecto Eres el recuerdo que jamás quiero olvidar

For a long time now You’ve sold me a dream You’ve told me a false story And it torments me to think That this will never change There are things in life Difficult to explain Magic at the perfect moment You are the memory I never want to forget

5. 500 AÑOS (video oficial) – Los CogeloNes
6. “Ni Una Menos”[Not One Woman Less] Rebeca Lane
   1. Theme: Protests Violence Against Women
   2. Not One Woman Less is a Latin American feminist movement aimed at ending violence against women and girls. Rebeca Lane has become a dominant voice in this movement and Ni Una Menos an anthem.
   3. Lyrics:

Quisiera tener cosas dulces que escribir Pero tengo que decidir y me decido por la rabia 5 mujeres hoy han sido asesinadas Y a la hora por lo menos 20 mujeres violadas Eso que solo es un día en Guatemala Multiplícalo y sabrás porqué estamos enojadas

I would like to have sweet things to write But I have to decide and I decide on anger 5 women have been murdered today And at least 20 women have been raped every hour That’s just one day in Guatemala Multiply it and you’ll know why we’re angry

6. Ni una menos – Rebeca Lane (Video Oficial)
7. “Canción con todos” [Song with Everyone] Mercedes Sosa
   1. Theme: Calls for resilience and strength
   2. Sosa was outspoken in a time that was very dangerous to be outspoken, Song with Everyone was a call for unity against authoritarianism and to stand strong against what might seem like overwhelming odds.
   3. Lyrics:

Todas las voces todas, todas las manos todas Toda la sangre puede ser canción en el viento Canta conmigo, canta, hermano americano Libera tu esperanza con un grito en la voz

All voices all, all hands all All blood can be a song in the wind Sing with me, sing, American brother Release your hope with a cry in the voice

7. Canción Con Todos
8. “Techos de Cartón” [Cardboard Roof] Alí Primera
   1. Theme: Calls attention to poverty and living conditions in Venezuela
   2. Alí Primera sometimes known as the people’s singer provides an emotional ballad about shanty towns and extreme poverty.
   3. Lyrics:

Que triste, se oye la lluvia En los techos de cartón Que triste vive mi gente En las casas de cartón Viene bajando el obrero Casi arrastrando los pasos Por el peso del sufrir Mira que es mucho el sufrir Mira que pesa el sufrir Arriba, deja la mujer preñada Abajo está la ciudad Y se pierde en su maraña Es su vida sin mañana

How sad, you can hear the rain On the cardboard roofs How sad my people live In the cardboard houses The worker comes down Almost dragging his steps Because of the weight of suffering Look how much suffering is Look how heavy the suffering Above, the pregnant woman leaves Below is the city And it gets lost in its tangle It’s its life without tomorrow

8. Ali Primera – Techos de Carton
9. “ Los Niños De La Guerra” [Children of War] Sergio Dalma
   1. Theme: Child Soldiers
   2. Child Soldiers is human rights violation seen all over the world. Children of War is about the loss of innocence that children experience when they are expected to fight as soon as they can pick up a weapon.
   3. Lyrics:

Que piensas si te digo, si te cuento que no saben el por qué, son ángeles que luchan, que se entrenan al momento de nacer. Sus juegos son batallas, sus deseos van en busca de la paz, no cruzan las fronteras, se atrincheran, desertores de la edad.

What do you think if I tell you, if I tell you that they don’t know why, they are angels who fight, who are trained from the moment they are born. Their games are battles, their desires are in search of peace, they don’t cross borders, they entrench themselves, deserters of age.

9. Los Niños De La Guerra
10. “Clandestino” [Clandestine] Manu Chao
    1. Theme: Migrant rights
    2. Migrants sometimes cross into other countries illegally looking for a better life than the one they left behind. This act of self-preservation makes them criminals in the eyes of the authorities. Without status, they have fewer rights and the rights they do have are often ignored. Chao tells the story of The Clandestine, trying to stay ahead of the law.  
    3. Lyrics:

Pa una ciudad del norte yo me fui a trabajar Mi vida la dejé entre Ceuta y Gibraltar Soy una raya en el mar, fantasma en la ciudad Mi vida va prohibida, dice la autoridad Solo voy con mi pena, sola va mi condena Correr es mi destino por no llevar papel Perdido en el corazón de la grande Babylon Me dicen “el clandestino”, yo soy el quiebra ley

I went to work in a northern city. I left my life between Ceuta and Gibraltar. I am a line in the sea, a ghost in the city. My life is forbidden, says the authority. I go alone with my pain, my sentence goes alone Running is my destiny for not carrying papers Lost in the heart of the great Babylon They call me “the clandestine”, I am the lawbreaker

10. Manu Chao – Clandestino (Official Audio)
11. “Los Dinosaurios” [The Dinosaurs] Charly García
    1. Theme: Disappearances during Argentina’s military dictatorship
    2. While remembering all the friends that have “disappeared”, García is hoping that the dinosaurs (the military) will be the ones to disappear next.
    3. Lyrics:

Los que están en el aire pueden desaparecer en el aire Los que están en la calle pueden desaparecer en la calle, bah Los amigos del barrio pueden desaparecer Pero los dinosaurios van a desaparecer

Those in the air can disappear into the air Those in the street can disappear into the street, bah Neighborhood friends can disappear But the dinosaurs are going to disappear

11. Charly García – Los dinosaurios
12. “La Puerta Violeta” [The Violet Door] Rozalén
    1. Theme: Domestic Violence and gender-based violence
    2. Full of metaphors about monsters and bondage, The Violet Door calls for the abused to break free, society to support the victims, and to reject violence.
    3. Lyrics:

Una niña triste en el espejo me mira prudente y no quiere hablar Hay un monstruo gris en la cocina Que lo rompe todo Que no para de gritar

A sad girl in the mirror looks at me cautiously and doesn’t want to talk There’s a grey monster in the kitchen That breaks everything That doesn’t stop screaming

12. Rozalén – La Puerta Violeta
13. “El baile de los que sobran” [The Dance of Those who are Left Over] Los Prisioneros
    1. Theme: Economic inequality
    2. Los Prisioneros is calling attention to the stark differences between the haves and the have-nots. Those without means are often excluded from higher education and high-paying jobs.
    3. Lyrics:

Oías los consejos, los ojos en el profesor Había tanto sol sobre las cabezas Y no fue tan verdad, porque esos juegos, al final Terminaron para otros con laureles y futuros Y dejaron a mis amigos pateando piedras

You heard the advice, the eyes on the teacher There was so much sun above the heads And it wasn’t so true, because those games, in the end Ended for others with laurels and futures And left my friends kicking stones

13. El Baile de Los Que Sobran – Los Prisioneros
14. “Latinoamérica” [Latin America] Calle 13
    1. Theme: Colonization and enduerance
    2. It is a song about colonization and dictatorships, the trauma they leave behind, and the will to rise back up and fight for justice and peace.
    3. Lyrics:

Soy, soy lo que dejaron Soy toda la sobra de lo que se robaron Un pueblo escondido en la cima Mi piel es de cuero, por eso aguanta cualquier clima

I am, I am what they left behind I am all the leftovers of what they stole A town hidden at the top My skin is made of leather, that’s why it can withstand any climate

14. Calle 13 – Latinoamérica
15. “Antipatriarca” [Antipatriarch] Ana Tijoux
    1. Theme: Womens liberation
    2. Antipatraiach is a women’s liberation song that calls for women to resist historical oppression. It is an anthem about autonomy, independence, and self-determination.
    3. Lyrics:

No sumisa ni obediente Mujer fuerte insurgente Independiente y valiente Romper las cadenas de lo indiferente No pasiva ni oprimida Mujer linda que das vida Emancipada en autonomía Antipatriarca y alegría

Neither submissive nor obedient Strong insurgent woman Independent and brave Breaking the chains of indifference Neither passive nor oppressed Beautiful woman who gives life Emancipated in autonomy Antipatriarch and joy

15. Ana Tijoux – Antipatriarca (Official Music Video)