El Títere

The Puppet

El Títere

To a compadrito I singA un compadrito le canto
Who was the boss and the ornamentQue era el patrón y el ornato
Of the less holy housesDe las casas menos santas
In the neighborhood of TriunviratoDel barrio de triunvirato
Elegant in dressAtildado en el vestir
Somewhat bossy in mannerMedio mandón en el trato
Black the hat and the clothesNegro el chambergo y la ropa
Black the patent leather of the shoeNegro el charol del zapato

Like a light for handlingComo luz para el manejo
He marked a scrawlLe marcaba un garabato
On the face of the most cunningEn la cara al más garifo
In one leap, like a catDe un solo brinco, a lo gato

Dancer and gamblerBailarín y jugador
I don't know if Chinese or mulattoNo sé si chino o mulato
He was pampered by the tenementLo mimaba el conventillo
Which today is called a tenementQue hoy se llama inquilinato
To the brown-skinned womenA las pardas zaguaneras
The love of that brave manNo les resultaba ingrato
Who gave them such good timesEl amor de ese valiente
Was not ungratefulQue les dio tan buenos ratos

The man, as is knownEl hombre, según se sabe
Has signed a contractTiene firmado un contrato
With death. On every cornerCon la muerte. En cada esquina
The bad time is stalking himLo anda acechando el mal rato
Neither the split nor the shoutNi la cuartiada ni el grito
Save the candidateLo salvan al candidato
Death knows, gentlemenLa muerte sabe, señores
How to arrive with great cautionLlegar con sumo recato

A gunshot stopped himUn balazo lo paró
On Thames and TriunviratoEn Thames y Triunvirato
He moved to a neighboring neighborhoodSe mudó a un barrio vecino
The one from the ñato's estateEl de la quinta del ñato