Era Assim Naquele Tempo

It Was Like That in Those Times

Era Assim Naquele Tempo

It was like that in those times... of the old ranch dancesEra assim naquele tempo... dos baile "véio" de rancho
Approaching with a swagger, wearing the dawn of a gauchoSe achegava um de carancho tendo a d'alva de sinuelo
The commotion was seen in the face of the countrymanO bochincho tava visto no semblante do "paysano"
And the .38 revolver choked with caramel.E no trinta e oito orelhano engasgado de caramelo.

It was like that in those times... in the universe of the Three SalesEra assim naquele tempo... no universo das Três Vendas
If one cowboy turned into income, another one changed homelandSe um taura virasse renda, outro cambeava de pátria
If by chance they caught a 'guaxa' of a 'cristiano' in UruguaySe acaso pelassem a "guaxa" de um "cristiano" no Uruguai
'A son without a father' was left behind, mourned with bagpipe music."quedava um hijo sin padre" velado a choro de gaita.

Beyond Upamaroty, long before VacaiquáPra lá do Upamaroty, bem antes do Vacaiquá
Between Santana and Rivera, leaning against Dom PedritoEntre Santana e Rivera, que em Dom Pedrito se encosta
Who played with fate from Villa Indarte to hereQuem bolinava com a sorte da Villa Indarte pra cá
Asked to 'meet' a one-way cattle drive.Pedia pra se "topá" com um tropeada sem volta.

When an insult blew in the night's commotionQuando um insulto assoprava no movimento da noite
A machete whipped, flashing in the rushUm facão fazia açoite relampejando no apuro
A poncho on the left arm, supporting the 'puaço'Um pala no braço esquerdo escorador de "puaço"
Set the pace of the dance that was performed in the dark.Cadenciava o contrapasso que se bailava no escuro.

And life was lost like that, for nothing or very littleE a vida assim se perdia por nada ou por muito pouco
A disagreement in the 'troco', a retort over an aceUm desacerto "nos troco", um retruco em riba de um às
Some bunch of horses, 'of course' wrongly judgedAlguma penca de potro, "por supuesto" mal julgada
Or a dishonored sister... and then it was 'too much'.Ou uma irmã desonrada... e aí já era "demás".

Some went for 'calaveras', others went for cowardsUns iam por "calaveras", outros iam por covardes
And sometimes, with great fanfare, the deceased was a brave oneE às vezes, cheio de alarde, o finado era um valente
It was like that in those times... and the justice that prevailedEra assim naquele tempo... e a justiça que imperava
Was honor and word, the highest law of those people.Era a honra e a palavra, lei maior daquela gente.

The crosses that wind through the spaces between the linesAs cruzes que serpenteiam nos entremeios da linha
Are longings that agonize in the sharp edge of the windSão saudades que agonizam no fio afiado do vento
They remained there marking the history that is notedFicaram ali demarcando a história que se assinala
When destiny veils... memory, reason, and time.Quando o destino embuçala... lembrança, razão e tempo.