Tatacu's Violin

El Violín de Tatacu

Man, what a beautiful placePucha que lindo pago
It was Villa LoretoFue la Villa Loreto
Surrounded by happy folksRodeado de gente feliz
Full of peace and respectDe paz y respeto
Little houses with porchesCasitas con recovas
And pretty fencesY lindos parapetos

To the ding-dong of the bell towerAl tan-tan del campanario
The old church would fill upSe llenaba el viejo templo
And the Virgin of LoretoY la Virgen de Loreto
Would give her blessingLes daba la bendición

The Sweet River leftEl río Dulce dejaba
Canals and ditchesCanales y acequias

The local farmer with his plowEl paisano con su arado
Would hum little tunesCanturreaba vidalitas
Always dreaming while plantingSembraba siempre soñando
Endless harvests and joysCosechas y dichas sin fin

Back in those daysAndaba en ese tiempo
Tatacu with his violinTatacu con su violín

Tatacu Carmen with his violinTatacu Carmen su violín
Played at the partiesTocaba en las fiestas
During carnival timeEn epocas de carnaval
He’d be out in the afternoonAndaba la siesta
Enchanting the trenchesEmbrujando trincheras
Until dawn brokeHasta el amanecer

He was a carpenter by tradeCarpintero era su oficio
A boatman and a swimmerBotero y nadador
Conqueror of the Sweet RiverVencedor del río Dulce
The best Quichua aroundQuichuista de lo mejor

Then came the dayAsí llego el día
So sad to tellQue tan triste contarlo
The Sweet River and its furyEl río Dulce y su bravura
Took away Villa LoretoSe llevó a Villa Loreto
And Tatacu with his boatY Tatacu con su bote
Saving the townsfolkSalvandó a la población

All of that is just a memoryTodo eso ya es recuerdo
That weighs heavy on my heartQue me oprimen el corazón