El Malevo

The Malevo

El Malevo

I never locked the door of my ranchYo no atrancaba la puerta de mi rancho
Not even while sleepingNi durmiendo
Why would I?¿Pa' qué?
If outsideSi al lao de ajuera
No matter how bad the weather wasPor malo que juese el tiempo
It was guarded by fangsLa enrrejaba de colmillos
The courage of my dogEl coraje de mi perro
Cimarrón, half wildCimarrón, medio atigrao
I found him lost in the hillsLo hallé perdido en las sierras
Panting from exhaustionBoqueandondo de agusanao
Mean as a pile of rocksMalo como manga 'é piedras
I had to bring him back tied upTuve que traerlo enlazao
To treat his woundsPara curarle las bicheras
And there he stayed, loyalY ahí se quedó aquerenciao
A companion through lazy hoursCompañero de horas lerdas
Trotting under the stirrupTrotando abajo el estribo
Not even counting the milesNi calculaba las leguas
And wherever the saddle loosenedY en donde aflojaba cincha
He’d lay down to guard my stuffSe echaba a cuidar mis priendas
That’s for sure, very delicateEso sí, muy delicao
I wouldn’t dare to touch himManosearlo ni le cuento
He’d get this wild look in his eyesSe ponía de ojo extraviao
And his hair would stand on endY se le erizaba el pelo
He had truly earnedCon que tenía bien ganao
His nickname: The MalevoSu apelativo: El Malevo

What a capable animalQue animal capacitao
For work in the open fieldPal trabajo en campo abierto
You had to see him in actionHabía que verlo al mentau
Working in a roundupTrajinando en un rodeo
If he were a ChristianDe ser cristiano
He’d be a damn doctor, that dogClavao era doctor ese perro

Me, herding cattle into the corral?¿Yo echar tropilla al corral?
I’d whistle between my fingersLe chiflaba entre los dedos
And with that whistleY embretao en el chiflido
He’d bring them in, leaning into the windMe los traiva clina al viento
And he was like a thornY era un abrojo prendido
Stuck to the thunder’s hoovesA los garrones del trueno

Once while rounding up a herdUna vez bandeando tropa
With a lot of water in the Río NegroCon mucho agua en el Río Negro
I fell, caught in a tight spotCaí quebrao de un apretón
Between a whirlpool of hornsEntre un remolino 'é cuernos
And I lost my sensesY me ganó la mollera
To darkness and silenceLa oscuridá' y el silencio
When I opened my eyes againCuando volví a abrir los ojos
A cloud crossed the skyCruzaba una nube el cielo
Moans and licksGemidos y lambetazos
Came from far awayLlegaban como de lejos
Suddenly I understoodRedepente compriendí
I half-sat on the groundMedio me senté en el suelo
To thank himPara entregarle las gracias
Brother, I owe you oneHermano de esta te quedo debiendo
I wouldn’t even find my blessed breadNo me halla ni el pan bendito
If you didn’t pull me out, MalevoSi no me sacás, Malevo
And an immense gratitudeY una inmensa gratitud
Stuck in my throatSe me atracó en el garguero

Well, that thing happenedBueno, la cosa pasó
I went in for the weddingYo dentre pa'l casamiento
I built the oven, the kitchenHice el horno, la cocina
My ranch stretched out a roofMi rancho estiró un alero
And in its little cornerY en su chúcara clinera
I dried the meat and the stewCharqueó el arroró y el reso
Two years laterA los dos años
My kid was crawling on a blanketGateaba mi gurí sobre un pelego
Or wandering around the yardO andaba por el guardapatio
Tied to the dog’s crossPriendido a la cruz del perro
Because he, took him outPorque él, me le sacó
The tickles from MalevoLas cosquillas al Malevo
He must’ve thought he was a pupLo habrá tomao por cachorro
From his rowdy litterDe su cría el pendenciero
He put up with his anticsLe soportaba imprudencias
He’d play along with his gamesSe priestaba pa' sus juegos
And when he looked like he’d fallY ande amenazaba a caerse
He’d lay down under himSe le echaba bajo el cuerpo

It all happened so suddenlyLa cosa jué tan de golpe
It almost feels like a storyQue hasta me parece cuento
It was after noonFue después de un mediodía
Around the end of JanuaryComo pa' fines de enero
I had laid down on the bedYo me había echao en el catre
To catch a napPa' descabezar un sueño
The missus was busyLa patrona trajinaba
Working with the lambProceando con el borrego
And suddenly that screamY un redepente aquel grito
Like terror, RosendoComo de terror, Rosendo
And I bolted to the yardY ya me pelé pa'l patio
Waving a stickManotiando un caronero
She was against the ovenElla estaba contra el horno
Stammering in silenceTartamudeando en silencio
She had the little one raisedTenía el gurisito alzao
Shaking against her chestTembloroso contra el pecho
And creeping forwardY avanzando agazapao
Like a beast, my dogComo una fiera, mi perro
Showing teeth like daggersEnseñaba unos colmillos como puñales
His hair was standing upLos pelos se le habían puesto de un modo
So much it was hard to recognize himQue costaba conocerlo
And in the blaze of his eyesY en la brasa de sus ojos
The memories had burned awaySe habían quemau los recuerdos
In a leap, I stood in front of himDe un salto me le puse en frente
I shouted, MalevoLe pegué el grito, Malevo
I saw him droolLe vi soltar una baba
He’s rabid, RosendoEstá rabioso Rosendo
Don’t come near me, brotherNo te me acerqués hermano
Don’t come near me, brotherNo te me acerqués hermano
Step back, step backEcha pa' tras, echa pa' tras
Get away, dogJuera perro

Suddenly he jumped at meRedepente me saltó
I leaned my body to the sideLadié pa' un costao el cuerpo
And felt his pawY sentí como que la mano
Hit against my chestLe topaba contra el pecho
And he fell, almost silentlyY cayó, casi sin ruido
Like a rag on the groundComo una jerga en el suelo
When I looked at himCuando lo miré
His eyes had softenedLos ojos se le habían puesto muy buenos
Like he was thanking meComo dándome las gracias
His breath was shorteningSe le acortaba el resuello
He crawled, licked my feetSe arrastró, lamió mis pieses
And tears welled up in my eyesY me brotó un lagrimeo
I had no choiceNo tenía pa' elegir
Brother, you were sickHermano tabas enfermo
It was for the pup, you know?Jué por el cachorro, ¿sabés?
If not, I wouldn’t have done itDe no, no lo hubiera hecho
He wagged his tail once, twiceMeneó la cola una vez, dos veces
And then he was goneY quedó muerto

That’s why since thenPor eso es que desde entonces
I don’t like having dogsNo me gusta tener perro
And when I ride a horseY cuando voy de a caballo
I feel like I sense itMe parece que lo siento
Still under the stirrupSeguir abajo el estribo
Trotting on through timeTrote y trote por el tiempo