Sólo le pido a Dios (in English: I only ask of God) is a famous protest song, written by Argentine singer-songwriter León Gieco. It is the first song of Gieco's 1978 album, IV LP.
History
Gieco wrote it in 1978, at his parents' house in his childhood village of Cañada Rosquín, a small town in the north of Santa Fe Province, Argentina. In fact, he wrote it in presence of his father, who told him that the song would be a "world-renowned" song, something it would eventually achieve. Gieco composed this song first trying out melodies with his harmonica and guitar. Then he began to write personal feelings, that gradually turned into phrases inspired by the harsh social events of the time, such as the military dictatorship of his country, Mercedes Sosa's exile and the threat of war between Chile and Argentina at the time.
The author doubted whether or not to include the song on his album IV LP, believing it was "boring and monotonous", but finally followed the advice of Charly García to include it and, thereafter, Gieco sang it as his closing song and has played it in all his national and international tours.
It was finally published in the album IV LP, 1978; since then it has been interpreted by various artists both from Argentina and around the world.
Versions
This song has been covered by various artists around the world and translated into more than twenty-five languages, including English, Portuguese, Basque, German, Quechua, Catalan, Persian, Arabic, Armenian, Hebrew.