La maza

The Mace is a song by Silvio Rodríguez, written in 1979 and released in 1982 on the album Unicornio. The lyrics speak of a mace, a hammer that has no meaning without the quarry, as a metaphor for how life needs a purpose or belief to have meaning. Silvio compares the mace with the artist and his instrument, and the quarry with the beliefs that shape his lyrics. The song was performed by several artists, such as Mercedes Sosa, Soledad Bravo, Lila Downs and Shakira, among others. There are also versions in German and other languages. On the album Unicornio, Silvio accompanies it with an orchestra, something he had not done before. The song became one of his most well-known, both for its message and its sound.