Carta a Mi Padre En El Cielo

Letter to My Father in Heaven

Carta a Mi Padre En El Cielo

Father, I come from the road, I made a stop at your dwellingPadre, vengo del camino, hice un alto en tu morada
I bring a tired forehead, I want to rest for a whileTraigo la frente cansada, quiero descansar un rato
Life doesn't give a good deal, if luck is already castLa vida no da buen trato, si ya está la suerte echada

That Argentine pride that you taught me to feelAquel orgullo argentino que me enseñaste a sentir
Today it makes me suffer so much, because I can't understandHoy tanto me hace sufrir, porque no puedo entender
Why it's hard for us to learn, to live on this earthPorque nos cuesta aprender, en esta tierra a vivir

Father, I want to tell you, that back in the big cityPadre, te quiero contar, que allá por la gran ciudad
Lies and truths sleep under the same roofLa mentira y la verda duermen bajo el mismo techo
It's worth nothing to be right or to live with dignityNada vale ser derecho ni vivir con dignidad

Men who in their long speeches mention sovereigntyHombres que en su largo hablar mentan la soberanía
Sell the country day and night to the highest bidderA la patria noche y día venden al mejor postor
And fill the drawer with their chatterY llenan el tirador con su charlatanería

Father, I know it's not new what I'm telling youPadre, yo sé que no es nuevo lo que te vengo a contar
The gaucho always had to dance with the ugliestSiempre le tocó bailar al gaucho con la más fea
But even if you don't believe it, something will have to changePero aunque usted no lo crea, algo tendrá que cambiar

You who plowed the land, were captain of the wheatUsted que arando la tierra, fue capitán de la espiga
Told the seed, friend the land has no ownersDijo a la semilla, amiga la tierra no tiene dueños
And opened furrows and spent dreamsY abrió surcos y gastó sueños
Turning thistles and nettlesVolteando cardos y ortigas

To this granary of the world, they bring all the grainsA este granero del mundo, le llevan todos los granos
But on that handrail, we always end up losingPero en ese pasamanos, siempre salimos perdiendo
They stay eating, we have nothing in our handsEllos se quedan comiendo, nosotros nada en las manos

My father, so much is said, everyone has a little stoolPadre mío, se habla tanto, todos tienen un banquito
They send the little speech, but no one wants to plowSe mandan el discursito, pero nadie quiere arar
When it comes to working, the cockfights are overEn cuestión de trabajar, se acabaron los gallitos

For one who lives plowing and spent his daily effortPor uno que vive arando y gastó su esfuerzo diario
There are rows of intermediaries, shameless dronesHay filas de intermediarios, zánganos que sin pudor
Who keep the best and work without a scheduleSe quedan con lo mejor y trabajan sin horario

I believed, my father, that Martin Fierro and his storyYo creía padre mío, que a martín fierro y su historia
I would keep in my memory as a mere memoryGuardaría en mi memoria cual recuerdo solamente
But Fierro is still relevant, only Hernandez is in gloryPero fierro está vigente, solo hernández está en la gloria

No evil lasts 100 years, no temptation that doesn't breakNo hay mal que dure 100 años, ni tiento que no se corte
And no people can endure deception foreverY no hay pueblo que soporte el engaño eternamente
A group of decent people will come to rule from south to northVendrá un malón de decentes a mandar de sur a norte

I, who was born a peasant, with little rural schoolYo que nací campesino, con poca escuela rural
Learned the perfect difference between good and evilAprendí del bien y el mal la perfecta diferencia
From the silent their science and from the loud their immoralityDel silencioso su ciencia y del bocón su inmoral

It's hard for me, you know, father, to endure so much indecencyMe cuesta padre usted sabe, aguantar tanta indecencia
Because my gaucho conscience doesn't understand for what reasonPorque mi gaucha conciencia no entiende porque razón
The children of the land are children of indifferenceLos hijos del pago son hijos de la indiferencia