La Rielera

The Railway Woman

La Rielera

The engineer on the wayEl maquinista en camino
Always in his place, he goes faithfullySiempre en su sitio, va fiel
When the locomotiveCuando la locomotora
Is walking on the railVa caminando en el riel

All the switchmenToditos los garroteros
And firemen tooY fogoneros también
Risk their livesLlevan en riesgo su vida
Between the train's wheelsEntre la rueda del tren

I am a railway woman, I have my JuanYo soy rielera, tengo mi Juan
He is my beloved, I am his loveÉl es mi amado, yo soy su querer
He always tells me when he leavesSiempre me dice cuando se va
Goodbye, my railway woman, your Juan is leavingAdiós, mi rielera, ya se va tu Juan

If they see me wearing gaitersSi porque me ven polainas
They think I'm a soldierPiensan que soy militar
I am a pure switchmanYo soy puro garrotero
Of the Central RailroadDel Ferrocarril Central

I carry my pair of pistolsTraigo mi par de pistolas
To go out for a walkPara salirme a pasear
One is for my belovedUna es para mi querida
And the other is for my rivalY otra es para mi rival

I am a railway woman, I have my JuanYo soy rielera, tengo mi Juan
He is my beloved, I am his loveÉl es mi amado, yo soy su querer
He always tells me when he leavesSiempre me dice cuando se va
Goodbye, my railway woman, your Juan is leavingAdiós, mi rielera, ya se va tu Juan

All the engineersToditos los maquinistas
Cannot have a wifeNo pueden tener mujer
Because they work at nightPorque de noche trabajan
Many don't get to see herMuchos la dejan de ver

When the conductor saysCuando dice el conductor
It's time to walkEs hora de caminar
I take his little basketMe llevo su canastita
With which he refinesCon la que va a refinar

I am a railway woman, I have my JuanYo soy rielera, tengo mi Juan
He is my beloved, I am his loveÉl es mi amado, yo soy su querer
He always tells me when he leavesSiempre me dice cuando se va
Goodbye, my railway woman, your Juan is leavingAdiós, mi rielera, ya se va tu Juan