Don't cry for me??

Cry in English has two definitions -- 1) to sob or shed tears because of grief, sorrow or pain, and 2) to call loudly or shout. I believe both meanings are used in the musical. When Ghost Eva first sings the chorus at her own funeral at the beginning of Act I, and later in Act II when she renounces the vice presidency due to illness, cry in both instances means "to weep." She more or less is telling them "Don't weep for me because I am gone (dead)" and "Don't weep for me because I am going to leave you (die)," respectively.

However, when she sings the proper song at Peron's presidential inauguration at the beginning of Act II, cry in this instance means "to shout." Just before she steps out onto the balcony, the crowd is crying,or calling, her name (Evita! Evita! Evita!). Therefore, she tells the people: "Don't shout for me because I have not left you." She's reassuring them that, though she has risen to great heights and is now rich herself, she is still of the people. The real Eva Peron never missed a chance to remind the poor and working classes that she too was once poor and that she remained a worker, or descamisada, despite her new status and wealth.

BTW: The famous lyric is taken from one of Eva Peron's own quotes, which incidentally adorns her tomb: "No me llores ni perdida ni lejana." That translates to: "Don't cry for me, for I am neither lost nor far away from you."

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Thank you! Guess I was concentrating too much on Ché's displeasure during the balcony scene.

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Thanks for explaining that. I never understood it til now.

You're welcome. The song can be confusing because, out of context, it sounds like Evita recounting her life story from beyond the grave and telling the people not to weep for her. It doesn't help that most people in concerts sing it as a lovely ballad. The fact is, the song is actually a manipulative speech.


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