(Arlo Guthrie / A. Mitchell)Victor Jara of Chile, he lived like a shooting star
He fought for the people of Chile with his songs and his guitar
And his hands were gentle, his hands were strong
Victor Jara was a peasant, he worked from a few years old
He sat upon his father's plough and he watched the earth unfold
And his hands were gentle, his hands were strong
When the neighbours had a wedding or one of the children died
His mother sang all night for them with Victor by her side
And his hands were gentle, his hands were strong
He grew to be a fighter against the people's wrongs
He listened to their grief and joy and he turned them into songs
And his hands were gentle, his hands were strong
He sang about the copper miners and those who worked the land
He sang for the factory workers, they knew he was their man
And his hands were gentle, his hands were strong
He campaigned for Allende, working night and day
He sang, Take hold of your brother's hand, the future begins today
And his hands were gentle, his hands were strong
The bloody generals seized Chile, they arrested Victor then
They caged him in a stadium with five thousand frightened men
And his hands were gentle, his hands were strong
Victor stood in the stadium, his voice was brave and strong
He sang for his fellow prisoners until the guards cut short his song
And his hands were gentle, his hands were strong
They broke the bones in both his hands, they beat his lovely head
They tore him with electric shocks, after two long days of torture they shot him dead
And his hands were gentle, his hands were strong
Now the generals rule Chile, and the British have their thanks
For they rule with Hawker hunters, and they rule with Chieftain tanks
And his hands were gentle, his hands were strong
Repeat 1
As sung by Dick Gaughan