Lullaby of a Partisan
Hay que endurecerse sin perder la ternura jamás Che Guevara
Get tough without ever losing your tenderness)
Courage and resilience saw her mother through the Nazi occupation of France and the struggles of raising a child alone—singing resistance songs as lullabies. Now, with history threatening to repeat itself, her daughter searches for her own path to resilience—and less fraught expressions of love.
Background History of the Songs (in order of appearance)
"Hasta Siempre, Comandante”: This is the first song my mother sings upon her arrival at the airport. Written in 1965 by Carlos Puebla after Fidel Castro read Che Guevara’s farewell letter in Havana, it serves as a musical homage to Guevara. Its title comes from his famous phrase, “¡Hasta la victoria siempre!” (“Until victory, always!”). And yes, the CD I have is the one my mother brought me:)
"Los Hermanos”: My mother sings this while sitting by the turntable. Written and composed by Atahualpa Yupanqui and famously performed by Mercedes Sosa, the song carries the weight of exile. Sosa herself was forced into exile in 1979 by the Argentine military dictatorship, living in Paris and Madrid.
"Si los curas y frailes supieran”: A satirical, anticlerical version of the Himno de Riego, reflecting the spirit of resistance among left-wing Republicans and anarchists during the Spanish Civil War. I had never heard the song until my mom was hospitalized for the first time in her life when she was 89. When she began to recover, the nurses sat her up for a hospital meal, which prompted her singing it in a frail voice. I laughed, and in that moment, knew she would be okay. She told me she had learned it from her father.
“Soledad”: A haunting ranchera composed by Enrique Fabregat with lyrics by Mario Molina, and famously performed by Chavela Vargas. My mother loved Chavela..
“La Boheme”: Charles Aznavour’s signature song, co-written with Jacques Plante, evokes the life of a struggling artist in Montmartre—youthful poverty, artistic passion, and joy. It echoes the life my parents lived before I was born.
"El Toro y la Luna”: A Spanish pasodoble by Alejandro Cintas Sarmiento and Carlos Castellanos. It tells the story of a bull in love with the moon, watching her from the riverbank. One of my mother’s favorite songs. She would suddenly ask, “Do you know this one?” and begin singing.
"Tonada de Luna Llena”: This is the song I sing at the airport after my mother has left. Written by Simón Díaz and rooted in the music of the Venezuelan plains, it is a poetic tribute to nature, moonlight, and rural life. I love the interpretation by Susana Baca.
“Hegoak”: Written in 1968 by Joxean Artze with music by Mikel Laboa, this song became an iconic anthem of Basque cultural resistance during the Franco regime, when the Basque language was suppressed.
“Nana de la mora”: The lullaby I sing to my mother on her deathbed. Written by José Ángel Valente and composed and performed by Paco Ibáñez, a legendary singer whose family fled Spain after the Civil War. He became a voice of resistance during the late Franco years and the French protests of 1968.My mother had a crush on Paco; we saw him perform at the communist fair when I was a child .
“Cucurrucucu Paloma” Written by Tomás Méndez in 1954, this renowned Mexican huapango tells of a person dying from grief over lost love, the mourning dove echoing the lover’s soul. It gained renewed popularity when Caetano Veloso performed it in Pedro Almodóvar’s film Talk to Her.This was the signature song of my uncle when my Spanish family gathered. At the end of a meal, someone would request a song, and we each would share our songs and delight in hearing them again and again. Which leads me to the last song….
“De Santurce a Bilbao”: My grandmother’s song, which I asked my mother to record around 2010 so I could learn it. A traditional song from Bilbao, it honors the sardineras of Santurtzi and their daily walk along the Nervión River to sell fresh fish. My grandmother was born in this region of the Spanish Basque Country.
Background History of the Songs (in order of appearance)
"Hasta Siempre, Comandante”: This is the first song my mother sings upon her arrival at the airport. Written in 1965 by Carlos Puebla after Fidel Castro read Che Guevara’s farewell letter in Havana, it serves as a musical homage to Guevara. Its title comes from his famous phrase, “¡Hasta la victoria siempre!” (“Until victory, always!”). And yes, the CD I have is the one my mother brought me:)
"Los Hermanos”: My mother sings this while sitting by the turntable. Written and composed by Atahualpa Yupanqui and famously performed by Mercedes Sosa, the song carries the weight of exile. Sosa herself was forced into exile in 1979 by the Argentine military dictatorship, living in Paris and Madrid.
"Si los curas y frailes supieran”: A satirical, anticlerical version of the Himno de Riego, reflecting the spirit of resistance among left-wing Republicans and anarchists during the Spanish Civil War. I had never heard the song until my mom was hospitalized for the first time in her life when she was 89. When she began to recover, the nurses sat her up for a hospital meal, which prompted her singing it in a frail voice. I laughed, and in that moment, knew she would be okay. She told me she had learned it from her father.
“Soledad”: A haunting ranchera composed by Enrique Fabregat with lyrics by Mario Molina, and famously performed by Chavela Vargas. My mother loved Chavela..
“La Boheme”: Charles Aznavour’s signature song, co-written with Jacques Plante, evokes the life of a struggling artist in Montmartre—youthful poverty, artistic passion, and joy. It echoes the life my parents lived before I was born.
"El Toro y la Luna”: A Spanish pasodoble by Alejandro Cintas Sarmiento and Carlos Castellanos. It tells the story of a bull in love with the moon, watching her from the riverbank. One of my mother’s favorite songs. She would suddenly ask, “Do you know this one?” and begin singing.
"Tonada de Luna Llena”: This is the song I sing at the airport after my mother has left. Written by Simón Díaz and rooted in the music of the Venezuelan plains, it is a poetic tribute to nature, moonlight, and rural life. I love the interpretation by Susana Baca.
“Hegoak”: Written in 1968 by Joxean Artze with music by Mikel Laboa, this song became an iconic anthem of Basque cultural resistance during the Franco regime, when the Basque language was suppressed.
“Nana de la mora”: The lullaby I sing to my mother on her deathbed. Written by José Ángel Valente and composed and performed by Paco Ibáñez, a legendary singer whose family fled Spain after the Civil War. He became a voice of resistance during the late Franco years and the French protests of 1968.My mother had a crush on Paco; we saw him perform at the communist fair when I was a child .
“Cucurrucucu Paloma” Written by Tomás Méndez in 1954, this renowned Mexican huapango tells of a person dying from grief over lost love, the mourning dove echoing the lover’s soul. It gained renewed popularity when Caetano Veloso performed it in Pedro Almodóvar’s film Talk to Her.This was the signature song of my uncle when my Spanish family gathered. At the end of a meal, someone would request a song, and we each would share our songs and delight in hearing them again and again. Which leads me to the last song….
“De Santurce a Bilbao”: My grandmother’s song, which I asked my mother to record around 2010 so I could learn it. A traditional song from Bilbao, it honors the sardineras of Santurtzi and their daily walk along the Nervión River to sell fresh fish. My grandmother was born in this region of the Spanish Basque Country.
