Mire amigo

Look, friend

Mire amigo

(Song from the coast)(Canción litoraleña)

Look, friend, don't comeMire amigo no venga
with those things about the 'issues'.con esas cosas de las "cuestiones".*
I don't understand muchYo no le entiendo mucho
excuse me, I'm kind of 'wild'.discúlpeme, soy medio "bagual".
But I'll tell you thisPero eso sí le digo
I'm not interested in 'elesions';no me interesan las "elesiones";
those who don't have moneylos que no tienen plata
wear espadrilles:van de alpargatas:
everything remains the same.todo sigue igual.
Look, for example,Fíjese por ejemplo
at Don Segismundoen don Segismundo
with ten thousand hectares:con diez mil cuadras:**
he has two young sonstiene dos hijos mozos
who are 'doctors' in the city.que son "dotores" en la ciudad.
I have four kidsYo tengo cuatro crías
and had to give away the oldest;y a la más grande tuve que darla;
none of them went to schoolninguno fue a la escuela
and for them to 'make a living'y pa' que "hagan muela"
I need to steal.me falta robar.
Look, friend, don't comeMire amigo no venga
saying that 'gringos' are 'generous' people.con que los "gringos" son gente "dada".
I saw Mister 'so-and-so'Yo lo vi a Mister "coso"
drinking whiskey with the 'club' members;tomando whisky con los del "clú";
but I never 'saw'pero nunca lo "vide"
him drinking 'mate' with the workers.tomando "mate" con la peonada.
You won't say they were 'drinking'No dirá que "chupaban"
and toasting to my 'health'.y que brindaban a mi "salú".
Look, friend, excuse me,Mire amigo disculpe,
don't be offended, I don't drink anything.no se moleste, no tomo nada.
I don't know if you knowYo no sé si "usté" sabe
that for threshing you have to get up early.que pa' la trilla hay que madrugar.
Those of us born as laborersLos que nacimos peones
don't know about 'staying up late'.no conocemos las "trasnochadas".
I'm very poorly fedAndo muy mal comido
and if I have a wine, I feel like fighting.y si tomo un vino me da por pelear.

* Despite always writing it this way, in all versions it is heard saying 'custiones'.* A pesar de haberlo escrito siempre de esta manera, en todas las versiones se le escucha decir "custiones".
** In previous versions it says 'with three thousand hectares'.** En las versiones anteriores dice "con tres mil cuadras".

(The text presented is a faithful transcription of how it was published in the insert of the 1980 album 'Political Texts')(El texto presentado es transcripción fiel de como fue publicado en el inserto del disco Textos políticos, de 1980)