La Gata Varela

The Varela Cat

La Gata Varela

The cat goes out to sing, wrapped in adrenalineLa gata sale a cantar, envuelta en adrenalina
And perfumes the stage with incense and wisteriaY perfuma el escenario con inciensos y glicinas
With a tango code, without books and without schoolCon un código de tango, sin libros y sin escuela
And tells you by painting with watercolor colorsY te lo dice pintando con colores de acuarela

The best of singersEl mejor de los cantores
Has the old teachingTiene la vieja enseñanza
To be silent when necessaryDe callar cuando se debe
And to speak when neededY de hablar cuando hace falta
Rain-soaked catGata mojada de lluvia
Lightening the vicesQue aligerando los vicios
Goes out to walk on the ledgesSale a andar por las cornisas
Without falling into the precipiceSin caer al precipicio

She seems like a troublemaker when she singsParece una atorranta cuando canta
It seems like she lets herself go and doesn'tParece que se deja y no se deja
You get the feeling when she walksTe da la sensación cuando camina
That, instead of one woman, two chicks arriveQue, en vez de una mujer, llegan dos minas

She seems a bit crazy and provokes youParece medio loca y te provoca
Because the tango in her mouth is a moanPorque el tango en su boca es un gemido
It seems like nothing surprises her anymoreParece que ya nada la sorprende
It seems she knows everything about lifeParece saber todo de la vida
It seems, but it's not what it seemsParece, pero no es lo que parece
She's a wounded catEs una gata herida

Those who sing loudlyLos que cantan a los gritos
Will remain apprenticesSeguirán siendo aprendices
Because tango is not sungPorque el tango no se canta
Because tango is toldPorque al tango se lo dice
With pauses and silenceCon la pausa y el silencio
Referred to by poetsAl que aluden los poetas
Slowly, little by littleDespacito, poco a poco
So they understand the lyricsPara que entiendan la letra

When the audience doesn't listen, the cat takes prideCuando el público no escucha, la gata tiene el orgullo
In having a fresh mind in the midst of the noiseDe tener la mente fresca en el medio del barullo
I also write and sing, without books and without schoolYo también escribo y canto, sin libros y sin escuela
Slowly, little by little, like the Varela CatDespacito, poco a poco, como la Gata Varela

She seems like a troublemaker when she singsParece una atorranta cuando canta
It seems like she lets herself go and doesn'tParece que se deja y no se deja
You get the feeling when she walksTe da la sensación cuando camina
That, instead of one woman, two chicks arriveQue, en vez de una mujer, llegan dos minas

She seems a bit crazy and provokes youParece medio loca y te provoca
Because the tango in her mouth is a moanPorque el tango en su boca es un gemido
It seems like nothing surprises her anymoreParece que ya nada la sorprende
It seems she knows everything about lifeParece saber todo de la vida
It seems, but it's not what it seemsParece, pero no es lo que parece
She's a wounded catEs una gata herida