Chamamé a Cuba

Chamamé to Cuba

Chamamé a Cuba

One January afternoon I took my canoe for a rideUna tarde de enero tomé mi canoa pa'dar una vuelta
They told me to be careful that with the storm I would get lostMe dijeron cuidate que con la tormenta te vas a perder
But I'm a tough guy from Corrientes in my homeland and an expert in the deltaPero soy correntino machazo en mi pago y baqueano en el delta

I left when the first lights of dusk were coming inSalí cuando entraban las primeras luces del atardecer

When it was already dark as a wolf's mouth, I tried to turn backCuando ya estaba oscuro como boca e'lobo pretendí volverme
But the deceitful river pushed me to the shores of the seaPero el río engañoso me llevó a empujones a orillas del mar
And discouraged, unable to see the coast anymore, to entertain myselfY desalentado sin ver más la costa, para entretenerme
I lay on my back counting little stars and started to thinkPanza para arriba contando estrellitas me puse a pensar

I thought about how little a man is worth when he is so aloneYo pensaba en lo poco que vale un hombre cuando está tan solo
But I had an idea that made me react at that momentPero tuve una idea que en aquel momento me hizo reaccionar
I will do a feat like Vito Dumas, I will be Marco PoloHaré una proeza como Vito Dumas seré Marco Polo
And when I return to my homeland, all the girls will want to kiss meY al volver a mi pago toditas las guairas me querrán besar

And after a few days of sailingY a los pocos días de navegación
I was happy as I already believed I was Christopher ColumbusTuve una alegría pues ya me creía Cristóbal Colón
And I was sad when I saw the spotY andaba con pena cuando vi el manchón
That was not a whale but good land, what a joyQue no era ballena y sí tierra buena, caray qué alegrón

When I set foot on land and took a sniff in case it was CorrientesCuando puse un pie en tierra y eché una olfateada por si era Corrientes
And seeing a countryman with a shotgun, I asked himY al ver a un paisano con una escopeta le pregunté a él
If La Cambicha ranch was far away, he kindly saidSi el rancho e'La Cambicha quedaba muy lejos, dijo buenamente
You are in Cuba, socialist homeland, land of FidelUsted está en Cuba patria socialista, tierra de Fidel

I wanted to go back because of what I read in the newspaper La PrensaYo quería volverme por lo que leía en el diario La Prensa
But seeing the Cubans working happily for the futurePero al ver los cubanos trabajar contentos por el porvenir
Today the land belongs to everyone, there are no illiterates and even a child thinksHoy la tierra es de todos, no hay analfabetos y hasta un niño piensa
That whoever enters Cuba with warlike airs will not be able to leaveQue aquel que entre en Cuba con aires de guerra no podrá salir

Because those rifles that yesterday aimed at the oppressed peoplePorque aquellos fusiles que ayer apuntaban al pueblo oprimido
Are the ones today defending their revolution in the hands of the peopleSon los que hoy defienden en manos del pueblo su revolución
They are the ones that in my homeland are carried by military men with two last namesSon los que en mi pago los llevan milicos de dos apellidos
They are the ones we will have Moncho Raela, Jesusa, and RamónSon los que tendremos el Moncho Raela, Jesusa y Ramón

And with my canoe and my chamaméY con mi canoa y mi chamamé
I left Raúl Roa and set the bow towards my homeland againDejé a Raúl Roa y puse la proa a mi pago otra vez
And to the people of Corrientes I will be faithful, and here I finishY a los correntinos yo he de serles fiel, y aquí yo termino
Long live Fidel, death to the Yankees!¡Que mueran los yanquis que viva Fidel!