Esquila

Shearing

(Milonga song)

There he came and touched my shoulder
the hand of the wool shearer;
a token for my can
and a fleece, for the landowner.

The flock looks beautiful,
many sheep well sweated,
and the scissors shoot
like a fish in the water.

Today I sheared a hundred and thirty,
fleece, belly, and rump;
and from sweeping the field
the benteveo bird got tired.

Damn it, heavy bug!,
the holder grumbles,
and against the light in the bag,
the bagger fumbles.

There he came and touched my shoulder
the hand of the wool shearer;
another token for my can
and a fleece, for the landowner.

It's the life of the shearer,
a lot of sweat, little money,
many stories and promises,
to keep living on all fours.

I know how to bend my waist,
but I don't bend my neck,
nor am I looking for a group
to go out and whip.

There he came and touched my shoulder
the hand of the wool shearer;
another token for my can
and another fleece... from my skin.

Benteveo: Beginner worker, who performs the least complex tasks.
Group: Work team that shears, composed of the shearer, the holder, the bagger, and the benteveo.
Token: Element that is introduced into a container to count the number of animals sheared by each of the shearers.
Wool shearer: The trusted man of the landowner, who controls the whole process.
Shearer: Each member of the group that performs the task, called wool shearing.