Asha Elijah ~ Txoria Txori

Asha Elijah (aka Asha & Asher Quinn) sings 'Txoria txori' ('The bird 's a bird') from his album of cover versions "Roadside Songs". CD/download in 2025.
'Txoria txori' is a Basque freedom song, written during the brutal & austere years of the Franco regime in Spain. It stands as an implicit anti-fascist song, but as a love folk-ballad it also stands for freedom of the individual in a relationship.
"If you pick a beautiful flower, it slowly dies"... why not let the flower you love, grow?
These are the essential song lyrics translated into English; a poem by Joxean Artze:
SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN MINE
IF I HAD CUT HER WINGS
SHE WOULDN’T HAVE FLOWN AWAY
BUT IN THAT WAY
SHE’D NO LONGER HAVE BEEN A BIRD
AND I LOVED THAT BIRD
The story goes that Joxean was at a restaurant dinner with legendary Basque musician Mikel Laboa and his wife Marisol, in San Sebastian (Donostia) in 1968.
Joxean scribbled a short poem on a napkin, and this was noticed by Marisol who read it, liked it, and showed it to Mikel. That night he wrote the music.
The fascist dictator Franco tried to suppress it, even though it was not overtly political. The Basque country is known as Euskadi, and the language Euskara was even banned by the regime.
1968 was a year of political foment in the west, and 'Txoria txori' was considered to be a protest song; a hymn to freedom. But it speaks of love and relationship too, and stands as an unparalleled higher love-song in a culturally conditioned, patriarchal, possessive climate.
"If you love someone, set them free..."
The song was covered, and still is, by many Basque singers, but in 1998, Joan Baez brought it to world-wide attention.
Mikel Laboa was a very interesting & much-loved cultural figure. Not only was he a musician, but for many years he was a child psychiatrist working with autistic & Down's syndrome kids. He was quite awkward, shy and minimalist, with stage-fright, but Bob Dylan invited him to open a peace concert on the beach in Donostia in 2006, in front of tens-of-thousands of people.
I also work in the healing arts as a therapist, as well as as a musician.
I was sent the song maybe 3 years ago by a Dutch/Korean friend, Jung-yoon (Kim). She had been orphaned in infancy (as I was) and adopted from Korea by a Dutch family. Jung-yoon also sent me the very beautiful Scottish ballad 'Black is the colour (of my true love's hair)' which I covered almost immediately.
I recorded 'Txoria txori' this year, finally plucking up the courage to try to master it well enough in Basque, so as to honour it (Scottish is easier, as a Brit... though some might dispute that!)
But then I was wondering how to film for it! I'd willingly return to the Basque country (I've visited several times), but I was contemplating the logistics! If I go by plane I can't take my instruments so easily, but to go by car is 2 days there and 2 days back from Budapest, where I now live. But I was also wondering if I could combine a journey with a 2nd Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
Then Jung-yoon came up with some imaginative alternatives that could perhaps be researched in the film library I subscribe to... and that has just proved fruitful!
I first visited the Basque country (French side) with my adoptive parents on holiday aged 5. We stayed in Hendaye, and visited Bayonne and Donostia. I won the Mickey Mouse Club beach long-jump for children, even though I was the smallest, skinniest kid there! That won me some Basque fans! I loved France, but the Basque country felt like home in my heart, somehow!
We dared not cross over into Franco's Spain. The border was guarded by military police with machine-guns, and I saw them shoot after one car (they got away with it). Bikinis were banned, along with many other things.
Then, maybe 20 years ago, long after Franci's death, I went with my wife and our 2 young sons, and loved it all over again. We stayed in Ainhoa, and I fell in love with the place. You could walk across the stream from France into Spain there!
Then I gave a couple of concerts for a Yoga school in Pamplona, a few years after that, and once more adored the passion of the people, this time on the Spanish side. The art, language, architecture, food & culture is very quirky and unique.
Though this is not accepted by mainstream scholars, I've come to know of linguistic, spiritual & cultural links between the Basques, the Hungarians and the Georgians in the Caucasus.
I now live in Hungary, but have never yet visited Georgia which contains an ancient esoteric mystery school at Colchis, on the Black sea, that informs my own spiritual path. My favourite singing gals, the Trio Mandili, are from Georgia!
Euskadi, Hungary & Georgia are sun-sisters. These folks feel like family to me.
My most recent visit to the Basque territory was with a friend in 2015, and once again I went back to re-connect with Ainhoa.
So I have a love for all things Basque, and especially for this gentle, anthemic peace-ballad.

[@deborahkemp1537]

So beautiful as always xxx❤❤❤❤

[@irmavarszegi8492]

I love listening to this sad song of yours with beautiful music💖

[@10cbp]

As asas são leves. Leveza na melodia. Belíssima composição. De longe, apreciando tamanho dom musical. A Arte e suas formas de expressão. 🙏🏽🇧🇷

[@montsecasellas]

Precios

[@davids9703]

just beautifull..🥰🥰🥰

[@janerpfeifer8704]

Muito lindo. Gratidão Asha. Fraterno abraço. 🌺🌺🌺

[@garbineolazar6595]

Que ilusión oírte cantar en euskera. Preciosa canción de mi tierra. 💖💖💓💓🩷🩷

[@AshaSongs]

Thank you!!! I love the Basque country!! If you feel the impulse, please share with other Basque people... I'd really like to share my appreciation of this song & all things Basque!