The wisdom of Buffy Sainte-Marie

"Must I go bound, and you so free?
 Must I love one who doesn't love me?
 Must I be born with so little art,
      as to love the one who would break my heart?"

Buffy Sainte-Marie (b. 1941)
Canadian Cree singer-songwriter, activist, educator, fantastic person

This snippet is an abiding example of Buffy uncovering the hurt that feels so good….

I started loving Buffy's music in the '60s, when even her eccentric style and songs were included under the broad rubric of "folk music." There's a lot to learn from Buffy's music, and you can keep on learning as you listen over the years, as I have done…

Think "Circle Game," "Maple Sugar Boy," "Welcome, Welcome, Emigrante," "Universal Soldier," "Pineywood Hills," "Los Pescadores," "Broke Down Girl," and, of course, "Must I Go Bound?"......

There is yearning in Buffy's music and in her politics and in her life…I saw her perform a year ago, she's 70 years old, still beautiful, still athletic, still sincere, still in your face, still yearning, still teaching, and still 100% Cree Indian…

...more on los emigrados...

The wisdom of Ian and Sylvia....


Switch gears, try Rafael Sabatini