The Three Roosters

Los Tres Gallos

From Jalisco they cameProcedentes de Jalisco
To Mazatlán they arrivedLlegaron a Mazatlán
They were three bold roostersEran tres gallos jugados
Who loved to strut aroundQue les gustaba pasear
They were the men of the hourEran hombres del momento
Didn’t like to wait aroundNo les gustaba esperar

Abelardo said to EliseoDijo Abelardo a Eliseo
This isn’t feeling rightEsto no me está gustando
I hear the cawing of vulturesOigo graznidos de buitre
Over by the centennialAllá por el centenario
Tell Javier BarbaAvísale a Javier Barba
To get ready for a fightQue se vaya preparando

Around 2 in the afternoonComo a las 2 de la tarde
They killed AbelardoLe dieron muerte a Abelardo
Then it was Eliseo’s turnDespués le tocó a Eliseo
They took them down like dogsLos mataron a mansalva
There were soldiers woundedHubo soldados heridos
Barba also got shotTambién hirieron a Barba

You know what?Sabes una cosa

Javier said, badly hurtDecía Javier malherido
As he was near deathCuando casi agonizaba
The friends never showed upNo llegaron los amigos
The ones who cared for meLos que tanto me apreciaban
If Corita were hereSi estuviera aquí el Corita
Another rooster would sing for meOtro gallo nos cantará

What do you think, sailor?Cómo la ves marinero
Three sharks went downCayeron tres tiburones
They fell out of the waterCayeron fuera del agua
By a few treacherous fingersPor unos dedos traidores
Envy isn’t a good feedLa envidia no es buen pesebre
To fatten up shrimpPara engordar camarones

Goodbye Javier and AbelardoAdiós Javier y Abelardo
Also to güero SalcidoTambién al güero Salcido
Because they were three fine roostersPorque eran tres gallos finos
This corrido is for themLes dedicó este corrido
They lived life their wayQue vivieron a su modo
And well, we lost themY ni modo, los perdimos