Manuel Santillán, The Lion (Tumbao Salsa)

Manuel Santillán, El León (Tumbao Salsa)

The lion is hiding in the alleyEl leon esta escondido en el callejon
He knows well what’s coming for himSabe bien lo que le va a pasar
Then he pulls out his gun and is ready to shootEntonces saca su revolver y va a disparar
The cops surround him without mercyLa policia lo rodea sin tregua
They’re looking for him for settling scoresLo buscan por ajuste de cuentas
And that sergeant, without hesitationY ese sargento que sin vacilar
Opens fire and hits himAbre fuego y le da

What’s curious is that before he diesLo curioso es que antes de morir
The lion Santillán spoke some wordsEl leon santillan pronuncio palabras
To the officers who looked on in shockAnte los oficiales que desconcertados miraban
And he saidY les dijo

Dear enemies of oldQueridos enemigos de siempre
I’m leaving this world of painDejo este mundo de dolor
Never forgetNunca se olviden
That all the people are heading to the seaQue ya toda la gente va hacia el mar

They’re going to the sea, going to the seaVan al mar, van al mar
Crying, pain, sufferingLlanto, dolor, sufrimiento
A people drowns and sinks in the seaDe un pueblo se ahoga y se unde en el mar

They’re going to the sea, going to the seaVan al mar, van al mar
Crying, pain, sufferingLlanto, dolor, sufrimiento
A people drowns and sinks in the seaDe un pueblo se ahoga y se unde en el mar

The lion said it, Manuel SantillánLo dijo el leon, manuel santillan
The lion said it, old fighter from San TelmoLo dijo el leon, viejo peleador de san telmo
The lion said it, Manuel Santillán the lionLo dijo el leon, manuel santillan el leon
The lion said itLo dijo el leon

The officers who saw Santillán dieLos oficiales que vieron morir a santillan
Left the force behindAbandonaron la institución
Never heard from them againNunca más se supo de ellos
The case was never spoken of againDel caso no se hablo más

However, in old San TelmoSin embargo por el viejo San Telmo
In a dirty dive barEn un sucio bodegón
They say a drunkDicen que un borracho
Murmured crying the words that were from the lionMurmuro llorando las palabras que eran del leon

(And what were they, Manuel?)(¿Y cuales eran, manuel?)

They’re going to the sea, going to the seaVan al mar, van al mar
Crying, pain, sufferingLlanto, dolor, sufrimiento
A people drowns in the seaDe un pueblo se ahoga en el mar

They’re going to the sea, going to the seaVan al mar, van al mar
The people cry so sadlyLlora la gente tan triste
For the death of the great SantillánLa muerte del gran Santillán

They’re going to the sea, going to the seaVan al mar, van al mar
Night falls in San TelmoCae la noche en San Telmo
And the lion Santillán diesY se muere el león Santillán

They’re going to the sea, going to the seaVan al mar, van al mar
There goes ManuelAhí va Manuel