Papalote

Kite

Papalote

It must be because of your dwellingSerá por tu vivienda
Made of ruins and mysteriesHecha de ruinas y de misterios
Because you broke the rockPorque rompías la roca
To earn a couple of coinsPara ganarte un par de medios
Or because of your slingshotsO por tus tirapiedras
The most famous in the hillLos más famosos de la loma
With the best forkCon la mejor horqueta
Made of guava and tough rubber bandsDe la guayaba y duras gomas
It must be because of all thisSerá por todo esto
That my memory soars at timesQue mi memoria se empina a ratos
Like your kitesComo tus papalotes
The invincible, the cheapestLos invencibles, los más baratos
And it lifts in weightY levanta en peso
Narciso 'El Mocho', to put youNarciso «El Mocho», para ponerte
Next to the chosen onesJunto a los elegidos
Those who don't fit in deathLos que no caben en la muerte

The kite, falls, falls, falls, falls, fallsEl papalote, cae, cae, cae, cae, cae
The kite, falls, falls, falls, falls, fallsEl papalote, cae, cae, cae, cae, cae
The imagination goes adriftSe va a bolina la imaginación
A good blade cut itBuena cuchilla lo picó

Once from your handsUna vez de tus manos
A colonel came out shiningUn coronel salió brillando
What a perfect birdQue pájaro perfecto
So many colors, such a beautiful songCuantos colores, que lindo canto
None of usNinguno de nosotros
Were going to fly it, it was already knownIba a volarlo, ya se sabía
It was an expensive commissionEra un encargo caro
From the one who commanded, from the one who hadDel que mandaba, del que tenía

You carried in your fistLlevabas en el puño
That money of sadnessAquel dinero de la tristeza
Money of aguardienteDinero de aguardiente
From the Cuban sun, from the beerDel sol de Cuba, de la cerveza
And we all followed youY te seguimos todos
To celebrate it, dirty and crazyA celebrarlo, sucios y locos
For you, 'Carta Oro'Para tí, «Carta Oro»
And candies for usY caramelos para nosotros

The kite, falls, falls, falls, falls, fallsEl papalote, cae, cae, cae, cae, cae
The kite, falls, falls, falls, falls, fallsEl papalote, cae, cae, cae, cae, cae
The imagination goes adriftSe va a bolina la imaginación
A good blade cut itBuena cuchilla lo picó

People whistled at youLa gente te chiflaba
When in the afternoonCuando en la tarde
You climbed drunkSubías borracho
You answered with stonesTu contestabas piedras
And curses to your boysY maldición a tus muchachos
You were the characterEras el personaje
Of the hustle and bustle of your townDe los trajines de tu pueblo
You were for graceEras para la gracia
You were an old man, you were blackEras un viejo, eras negro

One night respectUna noche el respeto
Came down and put a beautiful crown on youBajó y te puso bella corona
Respect from mortalsRespeto de mortales
That finally made you a personQue muerto al fin te hizo persona
Pity the one who thoughtPobre del que pensó
Pity all those peoplePobre de toda aquella gente
That the most important dayQue el día más importante
Of your existenceDe tu existencia
Was the day of deathFue el de muerte

The kite, falls, falls, falls, falls, fallsEl papalote, cae, cae, cae, cae, cae
The kite, falls, falls, falls, falls, fallsEl papalote, cae, cae, cae, cae, cae
The imagination goes adriftSe va a bolina la imaginación
A good blade cut itBuena cuchilla lo picó

The kite, falls, falls, falls, falls, falls, fallsEl papalote, cae, cae, cae, cae, cae, cae
The kite, falls, falls, falls, falls, falls, fallsEl papalote, cae, cae, cae, cae, cae, cae
The imagination goes adriftSe va a bolina la imaginación
A good blade cut itBuena cuchilla lo picó