Las madres cansadas (All the Weary Mothers of the Earth)

The story behind

The song Las madres cansadas (All the Weary Mothers of the Earth), with its 2:58 duration, is featured on the album Gracias a la vida, released by Joan Baez in 1974 through A&M Records. This musical work, mostly in Spanish with one piece in Catalan, emerged at a time of deep reflection for the artist. Baez conceived the album as a gesture of encouragement directed at the Chilean people, who were going through a period of difficulty under the rule of Augusto Pinochet, following the death of President Salvador Allende. The singer-songwriter, always attentive to human rights issues in Latin America and critical of US foreign policy in the region, included on the record pieces by Chilean composers such as Victor Jara, who suffered torture and was murdered after September 11, 1973, and Violeta Parra.