La Carreta

The Wagon

La Carreta

Rolling through the plainsRodando por el llano
Goes the wagon at a slow pace;Va la carreta de lerdo paso;
Old wagon that endures the elementsVieja carreta que aguanta al raso
Winter rain, summer sun.Lluvia de invierno, sol de verano.
With a dull cigarette in his mouthCon su apagado pucho en la boca
The wagon driver moves along,El carretero de un lado avanza,
And now and then he tapsY de cuando en cuando toca
The alert nail of the prod.El clavo alerta de la picana
The heavy, gentle yoke...La yunta pesada y mansa...
Meanwhile, vibrant, he sends this song into the wind:Mientras, vibrante, lanza al viento esta canción:

Where you going, swallow?¿dónde vas, golondrina?
Where you going, hummingbird?¿dónde vas, picaflor?
If you see my girlSi la ves a mi china
Tell her of my love...Recordale mi amor...
My oxen move at a steady paceVan mis bueyes al tranco
And my overo is a softie;Y mi overo es sobón;
To make her fly to my ranchPa' que vuele a mi rancho
I’ll give you my heart.Te daré el corazón.
The singing wagon driverPor el llano se aleja
Fades into the distance,El carrero cantor,
With a carnation in his earDel clavel en la oreja
And a short cigarette.Y del pucho cortón.
The weary wagon,La carreta cansina,
With its broken sound,Del quebrado rumor,
With its swallow oxCon su buey golondrina
And its hummingbird ox...Y su buey picaflor...

My life is the wagon,Mi vida es la carreta,
That through so many bumps of bad luckQue en tanto bache de mala suerte
Keeps stumbling toward death.Va dando tumbos rumbo a la muerte.
I, the driver who doesn’t hold back,Yo, el carretero que no sujeta,
Cross the lands of my fateCruzo los pagos de mi destino
Alongside the tracks of my wagonJunto a la huella de mi carreta
And I sing my way...Y hago cantando el camino...
I’ve suffered so much that I’m a veteran!¡tanto he sufrido que soy baqueano!
And with the pace of the sturdy oxY al paso del buey maceta
Happy or sad, I always have a song...Alegre o triste siempre tengo una canción...