Giving Voice to Brave Iranians with the Song “Baraye”
On November 3, 2022, Senator Omidvar rose in the Senate to give voice to brave Iranians. She read out the lyrics of Shervin Hajipur’s song, “Baraye.” Watch:
Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Honourable senators, I continue on a sombre note and wish to give voice to the brave Iranian women, men, girls and boys who are facing down a brutal regime in Iran. What better way to do this than to use their own words. These words, which I will read out shortly, were crowdsourced by 25-year-old musician Shervin Hajipour who captured their essence and put them to music.
On release of the song, he was, of course, immediately jailed and tortured before being released again. He has gone silent, but the song has gone viral — not just in Iran but, in fact, globally.
I am fortunate enough to understand Persian, and every time I listen to this piece, I go weak in the knees. I am struck by how inclusive the words are, and how they are a musical cry for justice. So here goes.
The song is titled “Baraye” or “For.”
For dancing in the alleys
For breaking the taboo of kissing in public
For my sister, your sister, our sisters
For changing rusted minds
For the shame of poverty
For the longing for a normal life
For the dumpster diving children and their wishes
For getting rid of this planned economy
For this polluted air
For the dying Tehran’s landmark trees
For the Persian cheetah about to go extinct
For the unjustly banned street dogs
For the unstoppable tears
For the scene of repeating this moment
For the smiling faces
For students and their future
For this forced road to paradise
For the imprisoned elite students
For the neglected Afghan refugee kids
For all these “for”s that are beyond repetition
For all of these meaningless slogans
For the rubbles of the bribe-built buildings
For the feeling of peace
For the sun after these long nights
For anxiety and insomnia pills
For men, fatherland, prosperity
For the girl who wished to be a boy
For women, life, freedom
Thank you.