Bert Jansch remembered. The songs: (1) Let me Sing
October 28, 2023
See all items covering the Bert Jansch commemoration at this link: https://www.salutlive.com/bert-jansch/
Let me introduce a new mini-series intended as apart of Salut! Live's coverage of what would have been the 80th birthday of Bert Jansch, a hero of acoustic guitar among many other things. He was born in Glasgow on Nov 3 1943 but died in 2011, a month short of his 68th birthday.
Here, Ian Evans contributes the first of three or four articles, possibly five, in which the writer describes a favouritc Jansch song or instrumental. His choice is Let Me Sing. I shall discuss Needle of Death, Andrew Curry - whose idea it was to commemorate the anniversary - has written on Blackwaterside and two other volunteers have said they, too, will offer items (though these being labours of love, we'll see!) ...
In the canon of Bert Jansch songs Let me Sing is unique.
Most of his repertoire consisted of a mix of classic folk songs such as ‘Black waterside’, Irish songs such as the Curragh of Kildare, contemporary songs such as Blues Run the Game, as well as his own songs such as Strolling Down the Highway.
Although he wrote songs addressing contemporary social issues, exemplified by ‘Needle of Death’ dealing with drug addiction, ‘Let me Sing’ is probably his only overtly political song. [See https://thequietus.com/articles/19788-bert-jansch for a slightly different appraisal - Ed].
Whereas ostensibly it seems to be a love song, in substance it is in fact profoundly and scathingly political. Its power derives from the fact that the apparent simplicity of a love song conceals a devastating political critique.
When performing it live, Bert invariably felt the need to provide a context for the song by describing it as ‘a song for a Chilean artist, Victor Jara, who was murdered in a coup in his country just for singing and playing his guitar
The coup in question was that of General Pinochet, on 11 September 1973. Victor Jara was arrested on the first day of the coup and along with thousands of others was held in the national football stadium. His hands were smashed by guards who mockingly asked him to play guitar and sing. He defiantly sang his own song ‘Venceramos’ (We shall overcome). Soon after he was tortured then shot, after which his body was thrown out on a street in a shantytown of Santiago.
The song itself does not itself describe these political events, nor the brutal reality of what happened to Victor Jara himself. Hence Bert’s introduction was imperative in terms of understanding the meaning and power of the song.
It starts with an air of innocence:
‘Let me sing about love,
Love you can feel and love you can hold,
Hold it to your breast.
Like a warm summer high it makes you feel good,
Good to be alive.
Alive to live your life without crying
And singing until the day you die.
Oh! Let me sing and let me live.
The alliteration in those last three lines is superbly effective.
This gentle and achingly poetic love song at this point gives no hint of its conclusion.
The final lines come as a complete shock, as the musician with a moving naivety makes the followingplea:
‘Never take my life.
You can cut off my hands and I’ll still keep singing until the day I die.’
This is not metaphorical for poetic effect, it is the powerful reflection of the impotence of a musician acing a brutal imminent death.
The evident deep empathy that Bert has with the awful plight of a fellow poet and musician has resulted in one of his best ever songs. It only tacitly reflects the grim reality of what occurred, which is a mark of Bert’s consummate skill as a songwriter.
Never has the indictment of a murderer been more powerfully expressed than in this beautiful and touching song.
SEE ALSO:
Bert Jansch remembered: the interview (1) 'Pentangle could have been as big as Fleetwood Mac'
Bert Jansch remembered: the interview (2) honouring 'five decades of music'
Ian Evans on himself:
Welsh born, bred and educated. Passionate Welsh rugby supporter but increasingly less passionate Ipswich Town supporter.
After teaching law for 3 years practised as a solicitor for 20 years before working in the court service for 27 years. Francophile and Hispanophile with a home in the French Atlantic Pyrenees near to the Spanish border. Eclectic music taste but a rock and roll folkie at heart.
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