Aún Los Escuchamos Cantar

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a stark picture of present suffering contrasted with a lost past, where "hundreds face each other / for having another color." This suggests a conflict rooted in prejudice, leaving behind "ashes of a love" amidst "so many, so many, so many fires." The dominant emotional tone is one of sorrow and resignation, underscored by the persistent refrain, "And still we hear them sing." The central tension lies in the disjunction between yesterday and today. "Yesterday you thought of your future / And today I didn't see you laugh." The inability to speak, "Yesterday you wanted to talk to me / And today you don't know what to say," highlights a profound disconnect and loss of communication, a consequence of the present hardship. The repeated "And still we hear them sing" acts as a haunting echo, a reminder of a resilience or perhaps a sorrowful persistence that endures despite the pain. The most striking lyrical device is the juxtaposition of "slaves of a past / owners of a pain." This paradox captures a sense of being trapped by history and suffering, unable to escape its grip. The image of "their fists, their fists, their fists look to the sky / And speaks, speaks, speaks, speaks, speaks their prayer" conveys a desperate, almost involuntary plea for release or understanding. The repetition of "speak" emphasizes the overwhelming nature of this unspoken or unheard prayer. This song's power comes from its ability to evoke a deep sense of collective trauma and individual despair through simple, direct language. The contrast between a hopeful "yesterday" and a silent, unsmiling "today" creates a palpable sense of loss. The persistent, almost mournful refrain of "And still we hear them sing" leaves the listener with a lingering feeling of enduring hardship and a quiet, unresolved sorrow.