El Ciruja

The Bum

El Ciruja

With anger, and checkingComo con bronca, y junando
From the corner of his eye,De rabo de ojo a un costado,
He has directed his stepsSus pasos ha encaminado
Straight to the slum.Derecho pa'l arrabal.
He is guided by the feelingLo lleva el presentimiento
That, in that little field,De que, en aquel potrerito,
There is no longer the little houseNo existe ya el bulincito
That was his only ideal.Que fue su único ideal.

He remembered those hours of funRecordaba aquellas horas de garufa
When he didn't work at all,Cuando minga de laburo se pasaba,
Just stealing, hanging out at the corner,Meta punguia, al codillo escolaseaba
And getting high on the streets;Y en los burros se ligaba un metejón;
When he wasn't chased by the cops so much,Cuando no era tan junao por los tiras,
He would stab without hesitation,La lanceaba sin tener el manyamiento,
A girl would whisper sweet nothings in his earUna mina le solfeaba todo el vento
And played with his passion.Y jugó con su pasión.

He was a colorful characterEra un mosaico diquero
Who played as a thief,Que yugaba de quemera,
Daughter of a healer,Hija de una curandera,
A pickpocket by trade;Mechera de profesión;
But she was fooledPero vivía engrupida
By a pimp from the streetsDe un cafiolo vidalita
And she would give him the moneyY le pasaba la guita
That she took from the thug.Que le shacaba al matón.

Face to face, showing courage,Frente a frente, dando muestras de coraje,
The two tough guys fought in the slum,Los dos guapos se trenzaron en el bajo,
And the bum, who was ready for the fight,Y el ciruja, que era listo para el tajo,
Made the pimp pay dearly for his love.Al cafiolo le cobró caro su amor.

Now, free from jail and without the girl,Hoy, ya libre'e la gayola y sin la mina,
Walking under the sun on the sidewalk,Campaneando un cacho'e sol en la vedera,
He thinks for a moment about the love of his thiefPiensa un rato en el amor de su quemera
And sobs in his pain.Y solloza en su dolor.