Coplas Del Payador Perseguido

Couplets of the Persecuted Payador

Coplas Del Payador Perseguido

With permission to enterCon permiso via a dentrar
Although I am not invited,Aunque no soy convidao,
But in my payment, a asaoPero en mi pago, un asao
It doesn't belong to anyone and it belongs to everyone.No es de naides y es de todos.
I saw singing my wayYo via cantar a mi modo
After there is churrasquiao.Después que haiga churrasquiao.

I have no god to ask forNo tengo dios pa pedir
Quartered on this occasion,Cuartiada en esta ocasión,
I can't even ask for forgivenessNi puedo pedir perdón
If you love it, there's no mistake;Si entuavía no hei faltao;
I'll see when it's over,Veré cuando haiga acabao,
But that is another question.Pero ésa es otra cuestión.

I know that many will sayYo sé que muchos dirán
What a dareQue peco de atrevimiento
If I long my thoughtSi largo mi pensamiento
Pal direction that I already chose,Pal rumbo que ya elegí,
But I have always been like this:Pero siempre he sido ansi:
Galloper against the wind.Galopiador contra el viento.

I have that in my bloodEso lo llevo en la sangre
From my great-great-grandfather.Dende mi tatarabuelo.
People on the groundGente de pata en el suelo
They were my ancestors;Fueron mis antepasaos;
Creoles from four provincesCriollos de cuatro provincias
And with mixed Indians.Y con indios misturaos.

My grandfather was a carter,Mi agüelo fue carretero,
My dad was a tamer;Mi tata fue domador;
Doctor was never soughtNunca se buscó dotor
Well, they were cured with weeds,Pues se curaban con yuyos,
Or listening to the murmursO escuchando los murmullos
In a style of my flower.De un estilo de mi flor.

Like a good country ranchComo buen rancho paisano
There was never a lack of a string,Nunca faltó una encordada,
Of those that seem like nothingDe ésas que parecen nada
But they are dreamers.Pero que son sonadoras.
According to the song and the timeSegún el canto y la hora
The soul was exhausted.Quedaba el alma sobada.

My dad was knowledgeableMi tata era sabedor
Because of how much it has filmed.Por lo mucho que ha rodao.
And after he had sungY después que había cantao
He looked fourth and first,Destemplaba cuarta y prima,
And he put a poncho over himY le echaba un poncho encima
"so he doesn't talk too much...""pa que no hable demasiado..."

Blood has reasonsLa sangre tiene razones
That make the veins fat.Que hacen engordar las venas.
Sorrow upon sorrow and sorrowPena sobre pena y pena
They make you scream.Hacen que uno pegue el grito.
The sand is a handfulLa arena es un puñadito
But there are mountains of sandPero hay montañas de arena

I don't know if my singing is prettyNo sé si mi canto es lindo
Or if it will come out half sad;O si saldrá medio triste;
I was never a thrush, nor does it existNunca fui zorzal, ni existe
More ordinary plumage.Plumaje más ordinario.
I am a corsair birdYo soy pájaro corsario
Who doesn't know birdseed.Que no conoce el alpiste.

I fly because I don't crawl,Vuelo porque no me arrastro,
That crawling is ruin;Que el arrastrarse es la ruina;
Nest in thorn treeAnido en árbol de espinas
The same as in mountain rangesLo mesmo que en cordilleras
Without listening to the nonsenseSin escuchar las zonzeras
The kind that flies like a chicken.Del que vuela a lo gallina.

I don't just get close like thatNo me arrimo así nomás
To the flower gardens.A los jardines floridos.
Without wanting to live upside downSin querer vivo alvertido
To avoid stepping on the stick.Pa' no pisar el palito.
There are birds that are aloneHay pájaros que solitos
They get trapped because they are presumptuous.Se entrampan por presumidos.

Although I have suffered a lotAunque mucho he padecido
Prudence does not shackle me.No me engrilla la prudencia.
It's a false experienceEs una falsa experencia
Live trembling at everything.Vivir temblándole a todo.
Everyone has their way;Cada cual tiene su modo;
Rebellion is my belief.La rebelión es mi cencia.

I was born poor and I live poorPobre nací y pobre vivo
That's why I'm delicate.Por eso soy delicao.
I am with those of my sideEstoy con los de mi lao
Cinching even tweetsCinchando tuitos parejos
To make new what is oldPa' hacer nuevo lo que es viejo
And see the world change.Y verlo al mundo cambiao.

I am one of those of the lot,Yo soy de los del montón,
I am not a hothouse flower.No soy flor de invernadero.
I am like the pampero clover,Soy como el trébol pampero,
I grow without making a fuss,Crezco sin hacer barullo,
I press myself against the weedsMe apreto contra los yuyos
And that's how I put up with the pampero.Y así lo aguanto al pampero.

Get used to the mountainsAcostumbrao a las sierras
I never know how to get dizzy,Yo nunca me sé marear,
And if I feel praiseY si me siento alabar
I'm going slowly.Me voy yendo despacito.
But he who is a buddyPero aquel que es compadrito
Pay to be named.Paga pa' hacerse nombrar.

If someone calls me sir,Si alguien me dice señor,
I appreciate the tribute;Agradezco el homenaje;
But I am a gaucho among gauchajeMas soy gaucho entre gauchaje
And I am nothing among the wise.Y soy nada entre los sabios.
And the grievances are for meY son pa' mi los agravios
What they do to the countryman.Que le hagan al paisanaje.

Vanity is bad weedLa vanidá es yuyo malo
That poisons every garden.Que envenena toda huerta.
You need to be alertEs preciso estar alerta
Wielding the hoe,Manejando el azadón,
But the man is not missingPero no falta el varón
That waters it even at your door.Que la riega hasta en su puerta.

Work is a good thing,El trabajo es cosa buena,
It's the best of life;Es lo mejor de la vida;
But life is lostPero la vida es perdida
Working in another's field.Trabajando en campo ajeno.
Some work like thunderUnos trabajan de trueno
And the rain is for others.Y es pa' otros la llovida.

I worked in a quarryTrabajé en una cantera
Of sharpening stones.De piedritas de afilar.
Forty knew how to payCuarenta sabían pagar
For every polished stone,Por cada piedra pulida,
And it was sold for six pesosY era a seis pesos vendida
In terms of negotiating.En eso del negociar.

The sun was barely risingApenas el sol salía
It was already hammered,Ya estaba a los martillazos,
And between two hugsY entre dos a los abrazos
With the piegrones sizes,Con los tamaños piegrones,
And for those moldsY por esos moldejones
Hands torn to pieces.Las manos hechas pedazos.

I was a baker againOtra vez fui panadero
And an axeman in a quebrachal;Y hachero en un quebrachal;
I have carried blocks of saltHe cargao bloques de sal
And I have also peeled canes,Y también he pelao cañas,
And a handful of other featsY un puñado de otras hazañas
For my good or for my bad.Pa' mi bien o pa' mi mal.

Searching to disarm myselfBuscando de desasnarme
I was a clerk;Fui pinche de escribanía;
The fine print madeLa letra chiquita hacía
To not waste sellao,Pa' no malgastar sellao,
And it was also tightY era también apretao
The salary he received.El sueldo que recibía.

Tired of so many miseriesCansao de tantas miserias
I left for Tucumán.Me largué pal tucumán.
Lapacho, alder, myrtle,Lapacho, aliso, arrayán,
And an ax with the carob trees.Y hacha con los algarrobos.
for two fifty! It was robbery¡por dos cincuenta! Era robo
So that one has that desire.Pa' que uno tenga ese afán.

Without being fixed in a laoSin estar fijo en un lao
He did all the work,A toda labor le hacía,
And so it happened that one dayY ansí sucedió que un día
That he was having funQue andaba de benteveo
I came across a harnessMe topé con un arreo
It came from where it jumps.Que dende salta venía.

I had the urge to walkMe picó ganas de andar
And I told the foreman,Y lo apalabré al capataz,
And just like that, all of a sudden.Y ansí, de golpe nomás.
The man asked me:El hombre me preguntó:
do you have a mule? How not¿tiene mula? Cómo no
I told. And hunger, too.Le dije. Y hambre, de más.

A week after thatA la semana de aquello
It covered mountain ranges,Repechaba cordilleras,
Skirts, slopes and slopesFaldas, cuestas y laderas
Always facing the west,Siempre pal lao del poniente,
Drinking spring waterBebiendo agua'e virtiente
And holding on to the soles.Y aguantando las soleras.

Maybe another one will have rolledTal vez otro habrá rodao
As much as I have rolled,Tanto como he rodao yo,
And I swear, believe it,Y le juro, creameló,
I have seen so much poverty,Que he visto tanta pobreza,
That I thought with sadness:Que yo pensé con tristeza:
God did not pass by here.Dios por aquí no pasó.

A cow fell off our backSe nos despeñó una vaca
Because of the closure,A causa 'e la cerrazón,
And prayer caught usY nos pilló la oración
Cueriando and making asao;Cueriando y haciendo asao;
Since that day, brother-in-law,Dende ese día, cuñao,
I spent my money.Se me gastó mi facón.

I shook off the frostMe sacudí las escarchas
When I came down from the Andes,Cuando bajé de los andes,
And I walked in large roomsY anduve en estancias grandes
Taking care of some couples;Cuidando unos parejeros;
Trumpet, cap and hat,Trompeta, tapa y sombrero,
But for the peons, go ahead.Pero pa' los peones, di ande.

The laborers, out in the open,La peonada, al descampao,
The boss, in good spirits.El patrón, en güenos aires.
We, the cu...It in the airNosotros, el cu...Ello al aire
With wet caronas,Con las caronas mojadas,
And the winter estateY la hacienda de invernada
More dazzling than a friar.Más relumbrosa que un fraile.

The rancher hadEl estanciero tenía
Also its cane fields,También sus cañaverales,
And in the autumn timesY en los tiempos otoñales
We gathered the rags,Juntábamos los andrajos,
And no we were going downY noj íbamos p'abajo
Leaving the rocky terrain.Dejando los pedregales.

There they piled us upAllí nos amontonaban
In batch with other Creoles,En lote con otros criollos,
Everyone was looking for a holeCada cual buscaba un hoyo
Go quinchar your lair,Ande quinchar su guarida,
And we spent our livesY pasábamos la vida
Rigoriate and without support.Rigoriaos y sin apoyo.

Missing, nothing was missing:Faltar, no faltaba nada:
Wine, coffee and espadrilles.Vino, café y alpargatas.
If I have stirred my legsSi habré revoliao las patas
In cats and farms.En gatos y chacareras.
Things were just fierceRecién la cosa era fiera
When going to collect the cans.Al ir a cobrar las latas.

What an uneven life!¡qué vida más despareja!
Everything is ruin and humbug;Todo es ruindad y patraña;
Peeling cane is a featPelar caña es una hazaña
From the one that was born out of rigor.Del que nació pal rigor.
There was only one sweetnessAllí había un solo dulzor
And it was inside the cane.Y estaba adentro e'la caña.

It was a consolation for the poorEra un consuelo pal pobre
Go fucking around with vinacho.Andar jediendo a vinacho.
Big men and boysHombres grandes y muchachos
As cursed in life,Como malditos en vida,
Slaves to drinkEsclavos de la bebida
They were drunk.Se lo pasaban borrachos.

sad Sundays of the groove¡tristes domingos del surco
The ones I have seen and lived!Los que yo he visto y vivido!
Spread out and fall asleepDesparramaos y dormidos
In the sand they dawned,En la arena amanecían,
Maybe they would dreamA lo mejor soñarían
With death or oblivion...Con la muerte o el olvido...

Riojans and Santiago residents,Riojanos y santiagüeños,
Salteños and Tucumans,Salteños y tucumanos,
With the machete in handCon el machete en la mano
They turned over mature reeds,Volteaban cañas maduras,
Passing their bitternessPasando sus amarguras
And holding on like brothers.Y aguantando como hermanos.

roofed ranch with maloja,¡rancho techao con maloja,
Fighter's home!Vivienda del peleador!
In the midst of that rigorEn medio de ese rigor
There was no missing vihuela,No faltaba una vihuela,
with which the poor console themselvesCon que el pobre se consuela
Singing love songs.Cantando coplas de amor.

Me too, since ChangoYo también, que desde chango
United with singing I grew up,Unido al canto crecí,
More than a cheap one I orderedMás de un barato pedí
And for the piones he sang.Y pa'los piones cantaba.
what happened to them¡lo que a ellos les pasaba
It happened to me too!También me pasaba a mí!

When I learned to singCuando yo aprendí a cantar
I assembled with few rollsArmaba con pocos rollos
And on the bank of a streamY en la orilla de un arroyo
Under the branches of a willow,Bajo las ramas de un sauce,
I grew up looking in the riverbedCrecí mirando en el cauce
My poor Creole dreams.Mis sueños de pobre criollo.

When I felt joy,Cuando sentí una alegría,
When the pain hit me,Cuando el dolor me golpió,
When a doubt bitCuando una duda mordió
My countryman's heart,Mi corazón de paisano,
From the bottom of the plainsDende el fondo de los llanos
A song came and healed me...Vino un canto y me curó...

In those times they passedEn esos tiempos pasaban
Things that no longer happen.Cosas que ya no pasan.
Everyone had a songCada cual tenía un cantar
Or evening song.O copla de anochecida.
Ways to heal the woundFormas de curar la herida
That bleeds in the bustle.Que sangra en el trajinar.

Some sang well.Algunos cantaban bien.
Others, poor, more or less...Otros, pobres, más o menos...
But they were not foreign songs,Mas no eran cantos ajenos,
Although they didn't have a brand.Aunque marca no tenían.
And everyone was entertainedY todos se entretenían
Guitarizing until sleeplessness.Guitarreando hasta el desvelo.

A teacher came over there,Por ahi se allegaba un maistro,
From those literate townspeople;De esos puebleros letraos;
Gathered troops and versiaosJuntaba tropa y versiaos
Then they went to a bookstore,Que iban después a un libraco,
And the man lined the sackY el hombre forraba el saco
With what others have thought.Con lo que otros han pensao.

The pawns form the versesLos peones forman los versos
With his old pains.Con sus antiguos dolores.
Then come the gentlemenDespués vienen los señores
With a notebook in hand,Con un cuaderno en la mano,
They copy the countryman's songCopian el canto paisano
And they brag about writers.Y presumen de escritores.

The Creole takes care of his freight,El criollo cuida su flete,
His guitar and his wife;Su guitarra y su mujer;
He feels that he faces a dutySiente que enfrenta un deber
Every time he shakes hands;Cada vez que da la mano;
And although everything is baquianoY aunque pa'todo es baquiano
Only the song has to lose.Sólo el canto ha de perder.

couplets that accompanied it¡coplas que lo acompañaron
In the deserted ravines,En las quebradas desiertas,
Aromas of dead flowersAromas de flores muertas
And of lived homelands,Y de patriadas vividas,
were the light onFueron la luz encendida
For your awake nights!...Para sus noches despiertas!...

It grieves if it is lostSe aflije si se le pierde
A muzzle, a handler,Un bozal, un maneador,
But he doesn't feel angerPero no siente furor
If when listening to a trova,Si al escucharle una trova,
A townsman comes and robs himViene un pueblero y le roba
His best love song.Su mejor canto de amor.

Surely, if one thinks,De seguro, si uno piensa,
He finds the knot in the skein,Le halla el nudo a la madeja,
Because the oldest couplet,Porque la copla más vieja,
Like the root of life,Como la raíz de la vida,
It has the soul for its lair,Tiene el alma por guarida,
Which is where complaints nest.Que es ande anidan las quejas.

That's why the man when singingPor eso el hombre al cantar
With true emotion,Con emoción verdadera,
He throws his sorrow awayEcha su pena p'ajuera
So that the winds take her,Pa que la lleven los vientos,
And so, even for a momentY ansí, siquiera un momento
His embarrassment is relieved.Se alivia su embichadera.

It's not that he doesn't love his trovaNo es que no ame a su trova
Nor do I despise his singing.Ni que desprecie su canto.
It's like when a breakdownEs como cuando un quebranto
In the night of the plainsEn la noche de los llanos
It makes the countryman loosen upHace aflojar al paisano
And the wind carries his tears.Y el viento le lleva el llanto.

In matters of singing,En asuntos del cantar,
Life is teaching usLa vida nos va enseñando
that just flies awayQue sólo se va volando
The couplet that is light.La copla que es livianita.
Always hunt for popcornSiempre caza palomitas
Anyone who is hunting...Cualquiera que anda cazando...

But if the song is protestPero si el canto es protesta
Against the boss's law,Contra la ley del patrón,
He crawls from pawn to pawnSe arrastra de peón a peón
In a deep murmur,En un profundo murmuyo,
And marches at the level of the weedsY marcha a ras de los yuyos
Like a snap in a malón.Como chasque en un malón.

A thousand trovas can be lostSe pueden perder mil trovas
Let your wishes be sung,Ande se canten quereres,
Verses of happiness, pleasures,Versos de dichas, placeres,
Racing and amusements;Carreras y diversiones;
sighs of heartsSuspiros de corazones
And lyrical sufferings.Y líricos padeceres.

But if the song countsPero si la copla cuenta
From the countryman the history,Del paisanaje la historia,
Go the laborer, turn over the ferris wheelAnde el peón vueltea la noria
Of the miseries suffered,De las miserias sufridas,
that one stays onésa, se queda prendida
Like a caltrop in memory!Como abrojo en la memoria!

What made us happyLo que nos hizo dichosos
Maybe it can be forgotten;Tal vez se pueda olvidar;
The years in their passingLos años en su pasar
The thoughts will change,Mudarán los pensamientos,
But anguish and tormentPero angustias y tormentos
They are brands that must last...Son marcas que han de durar...

These things that I thinkEstas cosas que yo pienso
They don't come out by chance.No salen por ocurrencia.
To form my hopePara formar mi esperencia
I chew before swallowing.Yo masco antes de tragar.
It's been a long rideHa sido largo el rodar
That's where I got the warning.De ande saqué la alvertencia.

If one plays the guitarSi uno pulsa la guitarra
To sing couplets of love,Pa cantar coplas de amor,
Of foals, of tamer,De potros, de domador,
Of the mountains and the stars,De la sierra y las estrellas,
They say: what a beautiful thing!Dicen : ¡qué cosa más bella!
If he sings, it's a beauty!¡si canta que es un primor!

But if one, like iron,Pero si uno, como fierro,
That's where he leaves his opinion,Por ahi se larga opinando,
The poor thing is getting closerEl pobre se va acercando
With ears alert,Con las orejas alertas,
And the rich man sees the doorY el rico vicha la puerta
And he backs away.Y se aleja reculando.

You must draw your melga wellDebe trazar bien su melga
Whoever considers himself a singer,Quien se tenga por cantor,
Because only the imposterPorque sólo el impostor
It fits in every footprint.Se acomoda en toda huella.
Let him choose a single starQue elija una sola estrella
Whoever wants to be a sower...Quien quiera ser sembrador...

In the process of choosingEn el trance de elegir
Let the man look inside,Que mire el hombre p'adentro,
Here the meetings are madeAnde se hacen los encuentros
Of thoughts and feelings.De pensares y sentires.
After you pull, pull,Después que tire ande tire,
With conscience at the center.Con la concencia por centro.

There are different piles,Hay diferentes montones,
Some big and some small.Unos grandes y otros chicos.
If it goes to the rich man's pileSi va pal montón del rico
The poor man who thinks little,El pobre que piensa poco,
Behind the mistakesDetrás de los equivocos
The harmful ones are coming.Se vienen los perjudicos.

I come from very low,Yo vengo de muy abajo,
And I'm not very high up.Y muy arriba no estoy.
To the poor I give my songAl pobre mi canto doy
And so I am happy,Y así lo paso contento,
Cause I'm in my elementPorque estoy en mi elemento
And there I am worth what I am.Y ahí valgo por lo que soy.

If I have ever returned I have sungSi alguna vuelta he cantao
Before paunchy bosses,Ante panzudos patrones,
I have identified the reasonsHe picaneao las razones
Deep of poverty.Profundas del pobrerío.
I do not betray mineYo no traiciono a los míos
By palms or patacones.Por palmas ni patacones.

Although I sing in every direction,Aunque canto en todo rumbo,
I have a preferred direction.Tengo un rumbo preferido.
I always sang shakenSiempre canté estremecido
The pains of the countryman,Las penas del paisanaje,
Exploitation and outrageLa explotación y el ultraje
From my beloved brothers.De mis hermanos queridos.

So that things would changePa que cambiaran las cosas
I looked for direction and got lost;Busqué rumbo y me perdí;
At the same time, I realizedAl tiempo, cuenta me dí
And I took the right path.Y agarré por buen camino.
First of all, Argentine;¡antes que nada, argentino;
And I followed my flag...!Y a mi bandera seguí...!

I am from the north and the south,Yo soy del norte y del sur,
From the plain and the coast,Del llano y del litoral,
And no one takes it the wrong wayY naides lo tome a mal
If there are a thousand grams in the kilo.Si hay mil gramos en el kilo.
Come on, I'm calmAnde quiera estoy tranquillo
But saddle up, I'm bagual.Pero ensillao, soy bagual.

The singer must be freeEl cantor debe ser libre
To develop your knowledge.Pa desarrollar su cencia.
Without seeking convenienceSin buscar la convenencia
Nor enlist with godfathers.Ni alistarse con padrinos.
Of those dark pathsDe esos oscuros caminos
I already have the experience.Yo ya tengo la experencia.

I sing, because they are ancient,Yo canto, por ser antiguos,
Songs that are already eternalCantos que ya son eternos
And they even look modernY hasta parecen modernos
For what we see in them,Por lo que en ellos vichamos,
With singing we cover ourselvesCon el canto nos tapamos
To warm the winters...Para entibiar los inviernos...

And I don't sing to tyrantsY no canto a los tiranos
Not even by order of the boss.Ni por orden del patrón.
The rogue and the trapalónEl pillo y el trapalón
Let them take care of themselvesQue se arreglen por su lado
With purchased payersCon payadores comprados
And lounge singers.Y cantores de salón.

By the strength of my songPor la fuerza de mi canto
I know cell and prison.Conozco celda y penal.
With unparalleled fiercenessCon fiereza sin igual
More than once I was beatenMás de una vez fui golpiao
And I throw him into the dungeonY al calabozo tirao
Like a jar in the garbage dump.Como tarro al basural.

You can kill a manSe puede matar a un hombre,
They can stain your face,Pueden su rostro manchar,
Your guitar singe,Su guitarra chamuscar,
But the ideal of life,Pero el ideal de la vida,
That's lit firewoodEsa es leñita prendida
That no one has to turn off.Que naides ha de apagar.

The bad guys are risingLos malos se van alzando
Everything they find out there;Todo lo que hallan por ahi;
Like grains of cornComo granitos de maiz
They sow the worst examples,Siembran los peores ejemplos,
And the temple collapsesY se viene abajo el templo
Of the decency of the country.De la decencia del pais.

Behind the noise of goldDetrás del ruido del oro
The maulas go as hacienda;Van los maulas como hacienda;
There is no lazy person who does not sellNo hay flojo que no se venda
For a dirty coin;Por una sucia moneda;
But always in my land it remainsMas siempre en mi tierra queda
Gauchaje to defend her.Gauchaje que la defienda.

Singer who sings to the poorCantor que cante a los pobres
Not even dead people should be silent.Ni muerto se ha de callar.
Well, go ahead and stopPues ande vaya a parar
The song of that Christian,El canto de ese cristiano,
The countryman must not be missingNo ha de faltar el paisano
Let him resurrect him.Que lo haga resucitar.

The rancher boastsEl estanciero presume
Of gauchism and arrogance.De gauchismo y arrogancia.
He thinks it's extravaganceEl cree que es estravagancia
May your pawn live better,Que su peón viva mejor,
But that man doesn't knowMas no sabe ese señor
That because of his pawn he has a stay.Que por su peón tiene estancia.

He who has his realAquel que tenga sus reales
You do very well in taking care of them;Hace muy bien en cuidarlos;
But if you want to increase themPero si quiere aumentarlos
Let the law not be deaf,Que a la ley no se haga el sordo,
That in every fat poutQue en todo puchero gordo
The corn turns brown.Los choclos se vuelven marlos.

A return, without work,Una vuelta, sin trabajo,
I was walking through Tucumán,Andaba por tucumán,
And in an inn, they goY en una fonda, ande van
Early morning singers,Cantores de madrugada,
I approached for the paydayMe acerqué pa la payada
Which has always been my desire.Que siempre ha sido mi afán.

Although missing the mountAunque extrañando la monta
I took up an instrument.Me le apilé a un instrumento.
And after some timeY al cabo de algún momento
I gave the door to a baguala,Le di puerta a una baguala,
With a thin coupletCon una coplita rala
The kind that the winds carry.De esas que llevan los vientos.

Maybe it was the guitar.Tal vez fuera la guitarra.
as cute as it sounded!¡tan lindo como sonaba!
my heart was soaringMi corazón remontaba
Sadness of the roadsTristezas de los caminos
And I cursed it to fateY lo maldije al destino
How much pain it gave me.Que tantas penas me daba.

A man approached meUn hombre se me acercó
And he said to me: what are you doing here?Y me dijo : ¿qué hace acá?
Trip to the big cityViaje pa la gran ciudad
That there they will understand it;Que allí lo van a entender;
there he will have fame, pleasureáhi tendrá fama, placer
And money to give away.Y plata pa regalar.

Why would I have listened to it!¡para qué lo habré escuchao!
Yes, it was the voice of the Mandinka!¡si era la voz del mandinga!
Buenos Aires, gringo city,Buenos aires, ciudá gringa,
He had me very tight,Me tuvo muy apretao,
Tweets seemed to me to be a wasteTuitos se me hacían a un lao
Like body to the syringe.Como cuerpo a la jeringa.

And I didn't come poorY eso que no vine pobre
Well, I was wearing new espadrilles;Pues traiba alpargatas nuevas;
The old ones for when it rainsLas viejas pa cuando llueva
I put them in the saddlebag;En la alforja las metí;
Gray pantsUn pantalón color gris
And a sack pulling a lever.Y un saco tirando a leva.

Jumping from radio to radioSaltando de radio en radio
I walked, I figured,Anduve, figuresé,
I spent four monthsCuatro meses me pasé
In failed games;En partidas malogradas;
No one assured anything,Naide aseguraba nada,
And I was left without money.Y sin plata me quedé.

I sold my pretty saddlebags,Vendí mis lindas alforjas,
My guitar, I sold it!Mi guitarra, ¡la vendi!
In my poverty, woe is me,En mi pobreza, ay de mí,
I would have liked to save it,Me hubiera gustao guardarla,
It cost me so much to buy it,Tanto me ha costao comprarla,
But in the end, I lost everything.Pero en fin, todo perdí.

vihuela, where are you going,¡vihuela, dónde andarás,
What hands are touching you!Qué manos te están tocando!
Whole nights thinkingNoches enteras pensando
Even as a consolation,Siquiera como consuelo,
Let it be a song of this soilQue sea un canto de este suelo
What they are taking from you...!Lo que te están arrancando...!

When the corn is fallowCuando el máiz está en barbecho
It has a bright color;Luce un color brillantón;
The strands, like a nylonLas hebras, como un nailón
They show off with their niceties.Presumen con sus lindezas.
But they bow their headsPero agachan la cabeza
If the coal grabs them.Si las agarra el carbón.

The same thing happened to meIgual me pasaba a mí
In those gone times;En aquellos tiempos idos;
Young, strong, conceited,Joven, fuerte, presumido,
And when the cheese was gone,Y cuando se acabó el queso,
I returned in a sad returnVolví en un triste regreso
The soul is populated with oblivion.Poblada l'alma de olvidos.

Youth things...Cosas de la juventud...
Damn, where are you going!¡malhaya, dónde andarás!
Aura, I'm crazyAura que estoy bataraz
From changing my hair so much,De tanto cambiar el pelo,
I remember those sleepless nightsRecuerdo aquellos desvelos
But I don't look back.Pero no miro p'atras.

I returned to TucumánMe volví pal tucumán
Again to suffer.Nuevamente a padecer.
And in that of walking and seeingY en eso de andar y ver
Many years passedSe pasaron muchos años
Between sorrows, disappointments,Entre penas, desengaños,
Hopes and pleasure.Esperanzas y placer.

But I didn't waste time,Mas no jué tiempo perdido,
As I saw it later,Asegún lo ví después,
Because I knew well what it is likePorque supe bien como es
The life of the countrymen.La vida de los paisanos.
I felt like a brother to all of them,De todos me sentí hermano,
The right and upside down.Del derecho y del revés.

I always remember the timesSiempre recuerdo los tiempos
In what beauty I spent,En que guapiando pasé,
The hills that I crossedLos cerros que atravesé
Looking for what I couldn't find,Buscando lo que no hallaba,
And sometimes I even stayedY hasta a veces me quedaba
Through those fields on foot.Por esos campos de a pie.

Life taught meLa vida me fué enseñando
What a guitar is worth;Lo que vale una guitarra;
I went to parties for herPor ella anduve en las farras
Maybe made a mess,Tal vez hecho un estropício,
And the vice almost caught meY casi me agarra el vicio
With its invisible claws.Con sus invisibles garras.

Thank goodness I have it insideMenos mal que llevo adentro
What the earth gave me:Lo que la tierra me dio:
Homeland, race or what do I know,Patria, raza o que sé yo,
But he was saving me,Pero que me iba salvando,
And so, I kept walkingY así, seguí caminando
By the ways of God.Por los caminos de dios.

The thing was to thinkLa cosa estaba en pensar
That when pressing an instrumentQue al pulsar un instrumento
You have to give with feelingHay que dar con sentimiento
All the country force,Toda la fuerza campera,
But no one goes outsidePero nadie larga afuera
If it doesn't have anything inside.Si no tiene nada adentro.

The guitar is a hollow stickLa guitarra es palo hueco
And to touch something goodY pa' tocar algo bueno
The man must be fullEl hombre debe estar lleno
Of internal clarity,De claridades internas,
To sow eternal coupletsPa' sembrar coplas eternas
Life is a good terrain.La vida es un buen terreno.

If praying brings comfortSi el rezar brinda consuelo
To whom he needs consolation,Al que consuelo precisa,
Just like a Christian at massIgual que cristiano en misa
O matrero in the middle of the mountain,O matrero en medio 'el monte,
I pray on the horizonsYo rezo en los horizontes
When the afternoon is dying.Cuando la tarde agoniza.

The pampa remains silentQueda callada la pampa
When the light goes out,Cuando se ausenta la luz,
The chajá and the ostrichEl chajá y el avestruz
They are looking for the thicketVan buscando la espesura
And it grows on the plainY se agranda en la llanura
The loneliness of the ombú.La soledad del ombú.

So, just like a poncho,Entonces, igual que un poncho,
The earth surrounds one,A uno lo envuelve la tierra,
From the plain to the mountainsDesde el llano hasta la sierra
A shadow is spreadingSe va una sombra extendiendo
And the soul is understandingY el alma va comprendiendo
The things that the world contains.Las cosas qu'el mundo encierra.

There is the right momentAhi está el justo momento
To think about destiny,De pensar en el destino,
If the man is a pilgrim,Si el hombre es un peregrino,
If you are looking for love or affectionSi busca amor o querencia
Or if he fulfills the sentenceO si cumple la sentencia
Of dying on the roads.De morir en los caminos.

In the north I saw thingsEn el norte vide cosas
That I will never forget.Que ya nunca he de olvidar.
I saw gauchos fightYo vide gauchos peliar
With caronero faconsCon facones caroneros
Or with sugarcane machetesO con machetes cañeros
That when they saw them they made us tremble.Que al verlos hacían temblar.

The countryman rarely killsRara vez mata el paisano
Because he doesn't have that instinct.Porque ese instinto no tiene.
He agrees to the Creole duelAl duelo criollo se aviene
Not to back down even a step,Por no recular ni un tranco,
He makes it known that he is not one-handedHace saber que no es manco
And in the fight he entertains himself.Y en el peliar s'entretiene.

There is no bloodthirsty mountainNo hay serrano sanguinario
Not even a conversationalist,Ni colla conversador,
The most capable tamerEl mas capaz domador
He never tells of his exploitsJamás cuenta sus hazañas
And they are not tempted by the caneY no les tienta la caña
Because tintillo is better.Porque el tintillo es mejor.

Every payment is addedCada pago se aficiona
To a way of fightingA una forma de peliar
And whoever wants to be prettyY aquel que quiera guapear
You will have to reverse firstAntes tendrá que alvertir
That to be able to leaveQue para poder salir
You have to learn to go inside.Hay que aprender a dentrar.

They fight with fistsSe agarran a puñetazos
Just like anywhereIgual qu'en cualquier parte
But it is a separate licensePero es una cencia aparte
Use payment methodsUsar los modos del pago
There the drink gets fierceAhi se pone fiero el trago
As Don Narvarte said.Como dijo don narvarte.

Cordobés, for the stone,Cordobés, pa' la pedrada,
Riojano for the rebencazo,Riojano p'al rebencazo,
Chilean for the horse,Chileno p'al caballazo,
Salteño with dagger in handSalteño con daga en mano
And the Tucumán is a kingY es un rey el tucumano
To fight with headbutts.Pa' peliar a cabezazos.

The Creole always has to fightSiempre el criollo ha de peliar
At night and a half machao;De noche y medio machao;
It's a shame brother-in-lawEs una pena cuñao
That sometimes for a prickly pearQue a veces por una tuna
Moonlit nights become cloudySe nublen noches de luna
And starry skies.Y cielitos estrellaos.

A song comes easyUna cancion sale fácil
When one wants to sing,Cuando uno quiere cantar,
A matter of seeing and thinkingCuestión de ver y pensar
About the things of the world.Sobre las cosas del mundo.
If the river is wide and deepSi el río es ancho y profundo
Who knows how to swim crosses.Cruza quien sabe nadar.

May others sing joysQue otros canten alegrías
If they have lived happily,Si es que alegres han vivido,
that I have also knownQue yo también he sabido
Fall asleep in those deceptionsDormirme en esos engaños
But the years have been morePero han sido mas los años
Of blows received.De porrazos recibidos.

No one can point me outNadie podrá señalarme
What a bitter song I sing,Que canto por amargao,
If I have happened what I have happenedSi he pasao lo que he pasao
I want to serve as a warning,Quiero servir de alvertencia,
Rolling will not beEl rodar no será cencia
But it is not a sin either.Pero tampoco es pecao.

I have walked through the world,Yo he caminao por el mundo,
I have crossed lands and seasHe cruzao tierras y mares
Without borders that stop meSin frontera que me pare
And in any lairY en cualesquiera guarida
I have sung, dear land!Yo he cantao, ¡tierra querida!,
Your joys and your sorrows.Tus dichas y tus pesares.

Sometimes they fell into song,A veces cáiban al canto,
Like a vacation to the water,Como vacaje a la aguada,
To listen to my versesPara escuchar mis versiadas
Men of all winds,Hombres de todos los vientos,
Braiding your feelingsTrenzando sus sentimientos
To the beat of a string.Al compás de una encordada.

Woe to him who does not knowPobre de aquel que no sabe
Of the song the beauties,Del canto las hermosuras,
Life, the darkest,La vida, la mas oscura,
The one who has the most brokenness,La que tiene mas quebrantos,
You will always find in the songHallará siempre en el canto
Consolation for your sadness.Consuelo pa' su tristura.

They say they don't have a songDicen que no tienen canto
The rivers that are deepLos ríos que son profundos
But I learned in this worldMas yo aprendí en este mundo
Whoever has more depthQu'el que tiene mas hondura
He sings better because he is deepCanta mejor por ser hondo
And he makes honey from his bitterness.Y hace miel de su amargura.

With the bumps in the roadCon los tumbos del camino
They come in to twist the loads,S'entran a torcer las cargas,
But it is the law that in a long footprintPero es ley qu'en huella larga
They will have to accommodateDeberán acomodarse
And the one who forgetsY aquel que llega a olvidarse
They must have a bitter time.Las ha de pasar amargas.

Friends, I'm going to leave,Amigos, voy a dejar,
My part is doneEstá mi parte cumplida
In the preferred wayEn la forma preferida
From a pampas milonga,De una milonga pampeana,
I sang plainlyCanté de manera llana
Certain things in my life.Ciertas cosas de mi vida.

Ahura I'm leaving, I don't know where,Ahura me voy, no se adonde,
For me, every direction is good,Pa' mí todo rumbo es güeno,
The fields, even though they are foreignLos campos, con ser ajenos
I cross them at a gallop,Los cruzo de un galopito,
I don't need a lairGuarida no necesito
I know how to sleep at night.Yo se dormir al sereno.

There is always some taperaSiempre hay alguna tapera
At the foot of a mountain rangeEn la falda de una sierra
And as long as this war continuesY mientras siga esta guerra
Of injustices for me,De injusticias para mi,
I have to think from thereYo he de pensar desde allí
Songs for my land.Canciones para mi tierra.

And even if they take my lifeY aunque me quiten la vida
Or shackle my freedomO engrillen mi libertá
And although they may burnY aunque chamusquen quizá
My guitar in the kitchen,Mi guitarra en los fogones,
My songs must liveHan de vivir mis canciones
In the souls of others.En l'alma de los demás.

Don't tell me what a sin it isNo me nuembren qu'es pecao
And don't comment on my trills,Y no comenten mis trinos,
I am leaving with my destinyYo me voy con mi destino
P'al lao where the sun is lost;P'al lao donde el sol se pierde;
Maybe someone will rememberTal vez alguno se acuerde
That an Argentinian sang here.Que aquí cantó un argentino.

endfin