Julio Y La Sierra

Julio And The Sierra

Julio Y La Sierra

Once I went to the sierraUna vez yo fui a la sierra
To the Michoacan sierraA la sierra michoacana
To take care of a jobA encargarme de un trabajo
In that town of ArteagaA ese pueblo de arteaga
I needed a guideYo necesitaba n guía
And someone to watch my back.Y quien mi espalda cuidara.

A trusted friendUn amigo de confianza
Soon introduced me to threePronto me presento a tres
Two men and a kidA dos hombres y un chamaco
And he asked me, what do you think?Y me dijo como vez
They are the best I haveSon los mejores que tengo
Which one do you choose from the three.Cual escoges de los tres.

The kid was looking at meEl chamaco me veía
To see who I would pickA ver por quien decidía
The men were armedLos hombres iban armados
Their machetes gleamedSus machetes relucían
In their red sashesEn sus fajas coloradas
You could see the guns.Las escuadras se veían.

All three in white pantsLos tres con calzones blancos
With calm looksY de miradas serenas
Wide-brimmed hatsSombreros anchos de falda
Rubber sandals for solesGuaraches de hule sus suelas
I chose the kidMe decidí por el niño
Who should have been in school.Que debía estar en la escuela.

He carried a machetePor arma traía un machete
Short and leather sheathCortito y funda de cuero
His name was Julio SanchezSu nombre era julio sánchez
He was eleven years old back thenTenia once años cuando aquello
He knew the sierra so wellConocía tan bien la sierra
Like a cowboy knows his lasso.Como la riata el vaquero.

Julio served as my guideJulio me sirvió de guía
And watched over meY velo en mi cabecera
Once while I was sleepingUna vez mientras dormía
They tried to make firewood out of meQuisieron hacerme leña
That's when the kid showedAhí demostró el chamaco
He was made of good wood.Que era de buena madera.

There was plenty of feastingTragazón en abundancia
Up in the sierraQuedó arriba de la sierra
The vultures feastedSe agasajaron los buitres
And now I'm here in my landY hoy estoy acá en mi tierra
I gave Julio ten thousand dollarsLe di a julio diez mil dollar
To pay for his schooling.Pa' que pagara su escuela.