Madre Tierra, Madre Vida: Alonso del Río’s Song for Mother Earth

“Madre Tierra, Madre Vida” (Mother Earth, Mother Life) is one of the best-loved medicine songs sung in circles today. It was written by the Peruvian composer Alonso del Río and released on his 2003 album Canciones de Medicina. Here it is sung by the Pachamama Sanga Band.

The song

Alonso del Río is a Peruvian composer of música medicina, medicine music, whose songs are sung in circles around the world. “Madre Tierra” first appeared on his album Canciones de Medicina in 2003. The words are his, so to hear them as he wrote them, listen to his own recording on that album.

Our recording

This version was recorded by the Pachamama Sanga Band in Sacramento, California, in 2014, and has been played more than 3,000 times on our SoundCloud. There is also a version from our ceremonies: Madre Tierra, recorded in circle.

What it sings about

The song is a prayer of gratitude. It sings to Mother Earth as the giver of life, greets Father Sun, and turns to the tree of life, asking that its love reach every wound. It is simple enough to learn after one listen, which is why it travels so easily from circle to circle.

How to listen

This is a song to sing, not only to hear. Stand or sit with your feet on the ground, and join the chorus when it returns. It is a good song to open a circle with, or to end a day outside, facing the sun as it goes down.

Blends for this song

A song for Mother Earth sits well with our grounding blends: deep, earthy hapé for settling into the body and the present moment.

Continue

• Eu Vi um Caboclo na Mata: song of the forest spirit
• Medicine songs: the healing power of sound in forest traditions
• What to expect at a hapé ceremony
• Grounding blends
• All our medicine songs