The Three Graves

Las Tres Tumbas

They left at dawnSalieron de madrugada
You could hear the roosters crowingSe oía el canto de los gallos
They were set for two daysIban hacer dos jornadas
On the backs of their horsesAl lomo de sus caballos
The party was going onLa fiesta se celebraba
At the pitayo ranchEn el rancho del pitayo

Their father gave them adviceSu padre les dio un consejo
As they were getting ready to leaveCuando a partir se aprestaban
Take good care of yourselvesCuiden muy bien el pellejo
'Cause life can end fastPor qué la vida se acaba
In the old man's wordsEn las palabras del viejo
The three brothers were thinkingLos tres hermanos pensaban

Pedro says to FabiánPedro le dice a fabián
Pour a drink for José LuisDale un trago a José luis
Let him have that mezcalQue beba de ese mezcal
So he can feel happyPa que se sienta feliz
'Cause as soon as we get thereQue ahorita nomás llegar
We're gonna have a blastNos vamos a divertir

When they arrived at the danceCuando arribaron al baile
They headed straight to the floorA bailar se dirigieron
Death was in the airLa muerte andaba en el aire
But they didn’t sense itEllos no la presintieron
Just like their father saidComo les dijo su padre
When they left the ranchCuando del rancho salieron

There were many rivalsEran muchos los rivales
Old grudges flared upViejos rencores surgieron
Lurking behind the shacksRondando tras los jacales
They all opened fireAbrieron todos el fuego
That's how cowards killAsí matan los cobardes
When fear corners themCuando los acosa el miedo

An old lonely manUn viejito solitario
With no hope at allSin esperansa ninguna
Takes care of the ranch and three horsesCuida el rancho y tres caballos
Like all his fortuneComo toda su fortuna
He goes to the cemetery now and thenVa al panteón de vez en cuando
To visit the three gravesA visitar las tres tumbas