El Tata Esta Viejo (Zamba)

The Grandfather is Old (Zamba)

El Tata Esta Viejo (Zamba)

The grandfather is oldEl tata está viejo
I saw him the other nightLo vi la otra noche
Struggling to roll his cigaretteArmar su cigarro con dificultad
The lit cigarette trembledEl pucho encendido temblaba
On his lipsEn sus labios
Like a firefly in the darknessComo un tucu-tucu en la oscuridad

He no longer gets up early to drink mateYa no se levanta a matear temprano
He doesn't gallop anymore, just trotsNo pasa al galope, va al trote nomás
He spends hours by the gateSe pasa las horas junto a la tranquera
Watching the road go byMirando al camino pasar y pasar

I remember my grandfather in his younger yearsRecuerdo a mi tata en sus años mozos
Strong as a treeFuerte como un tala
Like a quebrachoComo un ñandubay
Today he looks like a willow all bent overHoy parece un sauce 'ta to'ito encorvado
What a sorrow it would be if one day he's goneQué pena si un día me llega a faltar
Today he looks like a willow all bent overHoy parece un sauce 'ta to'ito encorvado
What a sorrow it would be if one day he's goneQué pena si un día me llega a faltar

The grandfather is old, if one day he has to leaveEl tata está viejo, si un día ha de irse
May he not even notice, just quietlyQue ni se de cuenta, al tranquito nomás
I ask you, dear God, to turn off his lifeDiosito te pido que apagues su vida
Like a cigarette that goes out on its ownCual se apaga un pucho solo sin pitar

I remember my grandfather in his younger yearsRecuerdo a mi tata en sus años mozos
Strong as a treeFuerte como un tala
Like a quebrachoComo un ñandubay
Today he looks like a willow all bent overHoy parece un sauce 'ta todo encorvado
What a sorrow it would be if one day he's goneQué pena si un día me llega a faltar
Today he looks like a willow all bent overHoy parece un sauce 'ta todo encorvado
What a sorrow it would be if one day he's goneQué pena si un día me llega a faltar