Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: guitar
Song Meaning of “Viejo Ciego” by Adolfo Berón
Viejo Ciego is a song written by Argentinian singer-songwriter Adolfo Berón which tells the story of an elderly man who is struggling to make it through the day. The narrator uses vivid imagery and metaphor to capture the feeling of helplessness and loneliness experienced by this man who is seemingly forgotten by society.
The first verse paints a vivid picture of the scene: “a lonely man with an empty soul, cries his sorrows into the night”. This conveys a vivid picture of a man who is alone and helpless, feeling abandoned by society and unrecognized. The chorus then follows this up with a heartbreaking description of what his life has become: “un viejo ciego sin amigos, su alma desgarrada de soledad”, which translates to “an old blind man without friends, his soul torn apart from loneliness”. This really hits home and shows the emotional pain felt by the man who is reduced to “just a weeping old blind man”.
The song reports how no one recognizes this man who has been reduced to nothing and who cannot even “see his own sadness in the mirror”. The lyrics also speak of the fragility of life, and how no one can truly know the pain of the elderly man who is in such a state.
The last verse shifts in tone from one of sadness and misery, to one of acceptance in that this old man should feel proud for having overcome all the hardships he has faced, despite all the darkness that has surrounded him. The narrator concludes the song by stating that despite the darkness and hardships, “he has still been able to make of life a thing of beauty” in spite of it all.
This song is a powerful reminder of how we should never forget those elderly members of our society who often feel disconnected and estranged to the rest of us. Viejo Ciego is a song about coming to terms with loneliness, while also recognizing the beauty that still lives even in our darkest hour.