Alys Willman is an economist by training, a singer-songwriter by vocation, and a social justice activist by faith, living in Athens, Georgia.
Nico Willman is a guitarist, writer, soccer player and sophomore at Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia.
lyrics
Mangos and Fire
I remember mountains like the end of the world
The taste of mango and lime on my tongue
Mama in the kitchen. She always smelled like fire
We were poor but I didn’t know
We were poor but I didn’t know
I was barely turned nine that summer
Asking for answers I was too young to know
I was holdin mama’s hand, walkin across the desert
And the mountains were watching us go
And the mountains were watching us go
And all that I know, I try to forget
Or at least not to speak it out loud
When I close my eyes, I taste mangos and fire
Feel those mountains takin me down
Feel those mountains takin me down
Well the rains here are straight out of the Bible
I live on a street full of people I don’t know
15 years have come and gone, rolled past us like a river
Got a husband and a girl of my own
Got a husband and a girl of my own
And I swear that I never will get used to
My daughter speaking in a language I don’t know
I can feel my mama’s voice rising in my mouth
But the words got nowhere to go
Yeah the words have got nowhere to go
And all that I know, I try to forget
Or at least not to speak it out loud
When I close my eyes, I taste mangos and fire
Feel those mountains takin me down (taking me taking me down)
Feel those mountains takin me down (taking me taking me down)
And the mountains are taking me down, taking me down
Mangos y fuego
Recuerdo montañas como el fin del mundo
El sabor de mango y lima en mi lengua
Mamá en la cocina siempre olía a fuego
Éramos pobres, pero yo no sabia
Éramos pobres, pero yo no sabia
Acababa de cumplir nueve ese verano
Pidiendo saber lo que era muy joven saber
Mamá y yo de la mano, cruzando el desierto
Y las montañas nos miraban ir
Y las montañas nos miraban ir
Todo lo que sé, trato de olvidar
O por lo menos, no decirlo en voz alta
Cuando cierro los ojos, siento mangos y fuego
y las montañas me derriban
las montañas me derriban
Acá las lluvias me acuerdan de la biblia
Vivo rodeada de desconocidos
Han pasado 15 años como un rio
Tengo esposo y mi propia niña ya
Tengo esposo y mi niña ya
Y te lo juro, nunca me acostumbraré
A que mi niña habla un idioma que no entiendo
La voz de mi mamá sube a mi boca
Pero las palabras no tienen adónde ir
las palabras no tienen adónde ir
Todo lo que sé, trato de olvidar
O por lo menos, no decirlo en voz alta
Cuando cierro los ojos, siento mangos y fuego
y las montañas me derriban
las montañas me derriban
credits
from Voces en Pandemia,
released October 17, 2020
Autor Alys Willman and Nico Willman
Beto Cacao is an artist, organizer and activist who has been performing in Athens, GA for over 20 years. His album
Undocorridos and his collaboration whit Killick Hinds The Art that gives us strength to face tyrant. In Oct 2020 release it's new album Voces en Pandemia, a collection of 5songwriters, telling the stories of the migrant families lives during the pandemic and their own perspective...more
Oakland’s Dirtwire are in the middle of a campaign to press the dizzying electro-highlife grooves of “Electric River” to vinyl. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 22, 2020
Former member of Fela Kuti’s Egypt 80 unveils a rich, swinging new record that pulls from jazz and soul in its high-wattage songs. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 24, 2024