Moisés Gadea is a singer-songwriter from Managua who was once declared "Songwriter of the Year" by the Nicaraguan National Assembly. "Guerra Solo Muertos," or "War only death," is a song from his latest CD, Colección. On a recent trip to the United States, Gadea teamed up with some friends to create this official music video for "Guerra Solo Muertos," produced by Douglas Cushnie and The Ninth Octave Films:
Guerra Solo Muertos
"In 2003, I went to Spain," says Gadea. "During this trip I started noticing the massive protests that were carried out in the public spaces. Every day on the news, they were talking about the war in Iraq. This song is dedicated to all the victims that died in this war."
En español: "En el año 2003 tuve que viajar a España. Durante cuatro meses que viví en Madrid tocaba en las calles y metros. Veía las manifestaciones masivas de gente en Plaza el Sol, Plaza Mayor, La Cibeles... La noticia de todos los días era la Guerra contra Iraq. Esta canción está dedicada para todas las víctimas de esa masacre."
The story behind the video
In July 2012, Moisés Gadea traveled to Boulder, Colo. to perform in a fundraising event for Empowerment International, a non-profit organization that works with Nicaraguan children. During his visit, I introduced Moisés to independent filmmaker Douglas Cushnie, the friend of a friend who I'd heard was involved in a film project set in Nicaragua. Cushnie was working on "Volar en Línea Recta" ("To Fly in a Straight Line"), a short film he conceived while working as a volunteer for Fabretto Children's Foundation in Cusmapa, Nicaragua.
Gadea and Cushnie decided to collaborate on a music video, which they filmed in front of a white screen at Cinesthetics, a video production company with a small studio on college hill. Cushnie reports:
"'Guerra Solo Muertos' had a specific emotional connection for Moises in that he wrote it in reaction to the war in Iraq. However, the song itself doesn't specify any particular war just war in general, and I felt that's where the real power of the song lies; war produces death, and always has, regardless of where it takes place. In that sense, I wanted to have images of war from both the present day and the not-so-distant past playing in the background of the video. In addition, I made sure to include some images of the Contra War of the 1980s, which we felt adds to Moises's individual perspective on war, being from Nicaragua."
"Above all," he adds, "the video is complimentary; Moises's lyrics really speak for themselves."
Listen to a sample of Guerra solo muertos" here, or "Like" the producer's Facebook page and download "Guerra Solo Muertos" for free!
English Lyrics:
Guerra Solo Muertos / War Only Death
War only death
Dead are the empires
That plague the world... falling down
Together in the wind
We go forth on the paths
Today we sprout days for singing
I love you so much,
as much as a cedar
that we lovingly planted together
I love you so much and I sing to you:
War only death (x4)
So many paths to take
So many destinations I have
So many that they merge as I walk
Only souls are left
Souls in the wind
That fade away... suffering... falling down
I love you so much,
as much as the cedar
that we lovingly planted together
I love you so much and I sing to you:
War only death (x4)
War only death
War only death
I love you so much
I love you, the wind
I love you, the paths, the paths
I love you, smiling
I love you, souls
I don't want death
I love you the paths, the paths
I love you smiling
I love you so much and I sing to you:
War only death (x2)
War only death (x8)
-------------
Guerra Solo Muertos
L y m: Moisés Gadea
Guerra solo muertos
Muertos los imperios
Que azotan al mundo cayendo
Juntos por el viento
Vamos los caminos
Hoy retoñan dias de cantar
Yo te quiero tanto, tanto como el cedro
Que juntos plantamos con amor
Yo te quiero tanto y te canto
Guerra solo muertos x2
Tantos los caminos
Tantos mis destinos
Tantos que se juntan al andar
Solo quedan almas
Almas en el viento
Que se desvanecen sufriendo
Yo te quiero tanto, tanto como el cedro
Que juntos plantamos con amor
Yo te quiero tanto
Yo te quiero el viento
Yo te quiero caminos, caminos
Yo te quiero sonriendo
Yo te quiero almas
Yo no quiero muertos
Yo te quiero caminos caminos
Yo te quiero sonriendo
Guerra solo muertos (x4)
WATCH THE VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pBs5eBgfNI