If I (Could Just Hold You) [Demo]

Rocker Man [Demo]

Girl Next Door (Original Version)

The Girl Next Door [Demo]

Hey There, San Francisco [Demo]

To learn more about this song, check out my website: www.eileentorrez.com/sister.html

"Sister" was created in collaboration with my friend and soul sister Tabitha Joi. It's a song of hope and strength written in response to the struggle and fear we've all experienced in a society that continually disempowers women, especially low-income women, migrant women, trans women, disabled women and women of color.

For me, this year is about fiercely loving and protecting what's ours. Our family, our friends, our communities, our planet, and our values. I wrote this song in solidarity with all female-identified folks (and their allies) because we often experience so much alienation - both from society and from each other. We are expected to tear each other down and fight to prove our value against that of our peers. What if instead, we walked with bravery together? What if we made sisterhood the foundation of our collective confidence and growth?

What 2016 taught me is that we've got to have each other's backs. Sometimes all it takes is reaching out and telling someone that you see them, or that you feel what they're going through. The rest is staying up, staying positive and taking action together. For all of you out there who are activists, or planning to get more involved in activism this year, this song is for you... keep on trucking. I got you and we got each other.

Sister

"Freedom Lives" was written in protest and solidarity with women worldwide who are losing their families, their livelihood and their homes to wars of oppression. The lyrics are my answer to the question: where does our strength come from? How do we continue?

This question has become increasingly relevant for Americans this year, but it has always been relevant to women living in countries at war with or colonized by the United States. The first verse is my story and voice, and the second verse is my effort to put myself in the shoes of mothers who are survivors of colonization and police brutality. In the words of Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin who was killed by Florida police in 2012, "If it takes me the rest of my life, I am dedicated and committed to getting justice." Her testimony and that of other women who have suffered at the hands of US imperialism were a deep inspiration for me to write this song, and I dedicate it to them.

Lyrics: 

I can't fight fire with water
If my water runs with oil

I can't breathe, or plant truth as a seed
When lies seep through the air and the soil

I can't reach the hand of my sister
If between us there rises a wall

But I swear on my grave
Til the end of my days
I will fight till each tyrant will fall

Because
Freedom lives in my body
Freedom lives in my soul
Freedom lives where my spirit lives
And they can't take away my home

I can't find food for my daughter
If they take what our ancestors found

I can't believe in a future of peace
When police put my son in the ground

I'd like to see the sun rising
On a heart in that house on the hill

But until then I rise
With the truth by my side
For justice, which no man can kill

Ohh
Freedom lives in my body
Freedom lives in my soul
Freedom lives where my family lives
And they can't take away my home

Ohh
Freedom lives in my body
Freedom lives in my soul
Freedom lives where my people live
And they can't take away our home

Freedom Lives

Shut the Door

Trevor Smith's Album

Love Lies Cover by Trevor Smith feat. Eileen Torrez (orig. Khalid + Normani)

Folk 'n B (pop with folk and R&B influences) based in Oakland, CA. Strong vocals, intricate guitar, deep lyrics. Learn more at www.eileentorrez.com.

Eileen Torrez Music

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