What It Was, Was Football

Lo que era, era fútbol

What It Was, Was Football

Era allá por octubre pasado, creo que sí.It was back last October, I believe it was.
Íbamos a hacer un servicio de carpa en este pueblo universitario,We was going to hold a tent service off at this college town,
y llegamos allí alrededor de la hora de la cena del sábado.and we got there about dinner time on Saturday.
Algunos pensamos que debíamos comer algo antes de armar la carpa.Different ones of us thought that we ought to get us a mouthful to eat before we set up the tent.
Así que bajamos del camión y seguimos a este grupo de personasSo we got off the truck and followed this little bunch of people
por un pequeño bosquecito,through this small little bitty patch of woods there,
y llegamos a un letrero grande que decía: 'Coma algo aquí'.and we came up on a big sign that says, "Get something to Eat Here."

Fui y compré dos hot dogs y una gran bebida naranja,I went up and got me two hot dogs and a big orange drink,
y antes de poder probar esa comida,and before I could take a mouthful of that food,
un montón de gente se acercó a mí y no pude comer nada,this whole raft of people come up around me and got me to where I couldn't eat nothing, up like,
y dejé caer mi bebida naranja.and I dropped my big orange drink.
Amigos, empezaron a moverse y no pude hacer más que seguirlos.Well, friends, they commenced to move, and there wasn't so much that I could do but move with them.

Comenzamos a pasar por todo tipo de puertas y rejas y no sé qué más,Well, we commenced to go through all kinds of doors and gates and I don't know what- all,
y miré por encima de una de ellas y decía: 'Puerta Norte'.and I looked up over one of 'em and it says, "North Gate."
Seguimos por allí, y pronto nos encontramos con un joven que dijo:We kept on a-going through there, and pretty soon we come up on a young boy and he says,
'Boleto, por favor'."Ticket, please."
Y yo dije: 'Amigo, no tengo boleto;And I says, "Friend, I don't have a ticket;
¡ni siquiera sé a dónde voy!'I don't even know where it is that I'm a-going!"
Él dijo: 'Sal lo más rápido que puedas'.Well, he says, "Come on out as quick as you can."
Y yo dije: 'Lo haré; me daré la vuelta en cuanto pueda'.And I says, "I'll do 'er; I'll turn right around the first chance I get."

Seguimos avanzando por allí,Well, we kept on a-moving through there,
y pronto todos llegaron a donde iban,and pretty soon everybody got where it was that they was a-going,
porque se separaron y pude ver bastante bien.because they parted and I could see pretty good.
Y lo que vi fue un montón de gente sentada en dos bancosAnd what I seen was this whole raft of people a-sittin' on these two banks
mirándose a través de un bonito prado verde.and a-lookin at one another across this pretty little green cow pasture.

Alguien había dibujado líneas blancas por todas partes y había puesto postes,Somebody had took and drawed white lines all over it and drove posts in it,
y no sé qué más,and I don't know what all,
y miré hacia abajo y vi a cinco o seis convictos corriendo de un lado a otroand I looked down there and I seen five or six convicts a running up and down
y soplando silbatos.and a-blowing whistles .
Y luego miré hacia abajo y vi a estas chicas bonitas con vestidos cortosAnd then I looked down there and I seen these pretty girls wearin' these little bitty short dresses
bailando alrededor, así que pensé en sentarme y ver qué iba a pasar.and a-dancing around, and so I thought I'd sit down and see what it was that was a-going to happen.

Justo cuando me senté bien, miré hacia abajoAbout the time I got set down good I looked down there
y vi treinta o cuarenta hombres corriendo desde un extremo de un gran baño públicoand I seen thirty or forty men come a-runnin' out of one end of a great big outhouse down there
¡y todos donde estaba sentado se levantaron y gritaron!and everybody where I was a-settin' got up and hollered!
Y le pregunté a un tipo que estaba a mi lado,And I asked this fella that was a sittin' beside of me,
'Amigo, ¿por qué están gritando?'"Friend, what is it that they're a-hollerin' for?
¡Me dio una palmada en la espalda y dijo:Well, he whopped me on the back and he says,
'¡Amigo, toma una bebida!' Yo dije,"Buddy, have a drink!" I says,
'Bueno, creo que tomaré otra gran naranja'."Well, I believe I will have another big orange.
La tomé y volví a sentarme.I got it and set back down.

Cuando volví a mirar, vi que los hombres se habían agrupado en dos grupos pequeñosWhen I got there again I seen that the men had got in two little bitty bunches down there
muy juntos, y votaron.real close together, and they voted.
Eligieron a un hombre cada uno,They elected one man apiece,
y esos dos hombres salieron al medio de ese pradoand them two men come out in the middle of that cow pasture
y se estrecharon la mano como si no se hubieran visto en mucho tiempo.and shook hands like they hadn't seen one another in a long time.
Luego un convicto se acercó a donde estaban,Then a convict came over to where they was a-standin',
y sacó una moneda y empezaron a decidir ahí mismo.and he took out a quarter and they commenced to odd man right there!
Después de un rato vi por qué estaban decidiendo.After a while I seen what it was they was odd-manning for.
Era porque ambos grupos querían jugar con esa calabaza de aspecto extraño.It was that both bunchesfull of them wanted this funny lookin little pumpkin to play with.
Y sé, amigos, que no podían comerla porque la patearon toda la tardeAnd I know, friends, that they couldn't eat it because they kicked it the whole evenin'
¡y nunca se rompió!and it never busted.

Ambos grupos querían esa cosa.Both bunchesful wanted that thing.
Un grupo la consiguió y el otro se puso furioso.One bunch got it and it made the other bunch just as mad as they could be!
¡Amigos, vi la pelea más terrible esa noche que haya visto en toda mi vida!Friends, I seen that evenin' the awfulest fight that I ever have seen in all my life !!
Corrían hacia el otro y se pateaban,They would run at one -another and kick one- another
se tiraban al suelo y se pisoteaban unos a otrosand throw one another down and stomp on one another
y se golpeaban unos a otrosand grind their feet in one another
y no sé qué más,and I don't know what-
y tan pronto como uno resultaba herido,all and just as fast as one of 'em would get hurt,
lo sacaban y ponían a otro en su lugar.they'd take him off and run another one on !!

Bueno, hicieron eso mientras estuve allí, pero pronto ese chico que había dichoWell, they done that as long as I set there, but pretty soon this boy that had said
'Boleto, por favor'. Se acercó a mí y dijo:"Ticket, please." He come up to me and said,
'Amigo, tendrás que irte porque no tienes boleto'."Friend, you're gonna have to leave because it is that you don't have a ticket."
Y yo dije: 'Bueno, está bien'. Y me levanté y me fui.And I says, "Well, all right." And I got up and left.

No sé amigos, hasta el día de hoy, qué estaban haciendo allí abajo,I don't know friends, to this day, what it was that they was a doin' down there,
pero lo he pensado.but I have studied about it.
Creo que era algún tipo de concurso donde veían qué grupo de hombres podía tomar esa calabaza y correr de un extremo del prado al otro sin caerse o pisar algo.'I think it was that it's some kindly of a contest where they see which bunchful of them men can take that pumpkin and run from one end of that cow pasture to the other without gettin' knocked down or steppin' in somethin'.