Introduction and translations by Jose Morones, St. Mary’s University
These are some popular, Spanish (Mexican) songs dealing with Death one way or another. Some songs have a humorous taste, yet others see death as the great equalizer and seem to find consolation in its non-discriminatory choice. Some of these songs’ lyrics make much use of common Mexican sayings, so oftentimes the real meaning is difficult to translate onto English. Death is addressed and named in numberless ways, yet each name has a unique connotation. But I hope you can get a sense of how Death is perceived in Mexican folklore.
Me encontré con la huesuda / Sin Saber que era la Muerte
Sin saber que era la Muerte / me encontré con la huesuda.
I met face to face the Boney One / Not knowing it was Death itself
Not knowing it was Death itself / I met face to face the Boney One
Me dijo la testaruda / No bebas el Aguardiente
Vas a morir de una cruda / Y amarga será tu suerte.
And adamantly she told me / Do not drink of that Tequila
Or you will die of a hangover / And your fate will be much bitter.
Cuando la Muerte se indigna / A llevarse a los mortales
A llevarse a los mortales / Cuando la muerte se indigna.
No vale la medicina / Ni vidas artificiales
Ni los caldos de gallina / Con todos materiales.
Whenever Death becomes indignant / It tends to take with her mortals
It tends to take with her mortals / Whenever Death becomes indignant
Medicine then is but useless / Artificial life serves nothing
Not even a chicken broad-soup / Will save you from Death’s fierce claws.
Llega la muerte luciendo / Mil llamativos colores
Ven dame un beso pelona / Que ando huérfano de amores.
Death arrives showing off / A thousand striking colors
Come give me a kiss, oh you Bald One / For I am hurting and loveless.
El mundo es una arenita / Y el sol es una chispita
Y a mí me encuentran tomando / Con la muerte en las cantinas.
The world is but a sand-grain / And the sun is a tiny sparkle
And you will find me here drinking / Drinking with Death in the bars
No le temo a la muerte / Mas le temo a la vida
Como cuesta morirse / Cuando el alma anda herida.
I am not afraid of Death / I am more afraid of life
How hard it is to die / When your soul is hurting dearly.
Dicen que van a asustarme / Llevándome a tu presencia
Si estás durmiendo en mi vida / Es natural si despiertas.
They say they will scare me / Taking me to your [Death’s] presence .
If you are in my life sleeping / If you awake is but natural
Se va la muerte cantando / Por entre la nopalera
En qué quedamos pelona? Me llevas o no me llevas?
Now Death departs singing / Going throughout all those cactus
What was the deal, then, you Bald One / Are you taking me or are you leaving me?
La muerte me anda buscando / Para poderme llevar
Para poderme llevar / La muerte me anda buscando.
Pero como ando en fandango / Muy fácil me ha de encontrar
Voy a tocarle un huapango / Para verla zapatear.
Death is looking for me / Because It wants to take me
Because It wants to take me / Death is looking for me
But because I am in ballrooms / It will be easy to find me
I’d better play her a huapango / And ask her to dance with me.
[Here the singer addresses Death saying: Go for it Boney One; perform your best dance]
La muerte es aprovechada / Yo no me quiero morir
Yo no me quiero morir / La muerte es aprovechada.
Me enseña terrible cara / Me dice te vas a ir
Calaquita no seas mala / Déjame otro día vivir.
Death is very opportunistic / And I do not want to die
And I do not want to die / Death is very opportunistic
It shows me so fearful face / And tells me with me you’re coming
Don’t be mean! my darling Boney / Let me one more day to live.
Cuando se me llegue el día / No quiero que estén llorando
No quiero que estén llorando / Cuando se me llegue el día.
Yo quiero que haya alegría / Cuando me estén sepultando
Y mucho agradecería / Que tocaran un Huapango.
When my final day arrives / I don’t want to see you crying
I don’t want to see you crying / When my final day arrives
I want to see you all happy / At the fixed time of my burial
And I would be very grateful / If you play for me a Huapango.
El día que me toque (el día que me toque)
Dejar esta vida (dejar esta vida)
Me iré convencido, que el mundo es así,
When it is my turn (when it is my turn)
To give up this life (to give up this life)
I’ll depart convinced the world is this way.
Si al morir no dejo (si al morir no dejo)
Ni un petate nuevo (ni un petate nuevo),
No habrá quien se ocupe, de hablar mal de mí,
If upon my death (if upon my death)
I leave but a bedroll (I leave but a bedroll)
No one will have reason to speak badly about me.
No estoy inventando (No estoy inventando),
Lo que digo es cierto (Lo que digo es cierto)
Según es el muerto, así es de la gente la clara expresión,
Cuando muere un rico, dicen ya expiró,
Cuando muere un pobre, con desprecio dicen, ya se lo llevó.
I am not exaggerating (I am not exaggerating),
What I say is true (what I say is true),
The dead person’s status: the people’s expression, the feeling they show,
When a rich man dies, they say: he expired,
When a poor man dies, contemptuously they say: he’s finally gone.
Quien le llora a un pobre, su llanto es sincero,
Quien le llora a un rico, le llora al dinero,
El que tiene paga, para que lo sientan,
Cuando yo me muera, ni se darán cuenta,
He who cries for a poor man / cries tears that are sincere,
He who cries for a rich man / is crying for the money (the inheritance),
He who has money pays others to feel sorry,
But when I die, nobody will notice it.
Pero no me apura (pero no me apura)
Allá nos juntamos (allá nos juntamos),
Aunque yo no tenga, para comprar llantos, en mis novenarios,
Eso que me importa, si en el campo santo,
Cubierto de tierra, estaré lo mismo, que los millonarios.
But it doesn’t matter (but it doesn’t matter),
We’ll meet in the same place (we’ll meet in the same place),
What I care if I can’t buy mourners for my after-dead Novena,
Why should I care about it if once in the cemetery,
I’ll be covered with dirt, the same as the millioners.
Señores pido permiso pa´ cantar este corrido,
Lo que le paso a un trailero en la sierra de Saltillo.
Al cruzar la guardaraya de Coahuila y Nuevo Leon,
A una muy hermosa joven el trailero levanto.
Folks I ask for your permission / to begin singing this song (corrido)
This happened to a truck driver / by the mountains of Saltillo.
As he crossed the borderline / of Coahuila and Nuevo León,
To a very pretty lady / the truck driver gave a ride.
Le pregunta por su nombre y que cual rumbo llevaba,
Vengo a ver a mi familia que ya espera mi llegada.
Cuando pases esas curvas maneja muy con cuidado,
Hay curvas muy peligrosas, no te vaya pasar algo.
He then asked her for her name / also for her destination,
“I am going to see my family / my arrival they are waiting.
Ahead is a winding road / you have to drive very cautiously,
It’s a dangerous, curvy road / I don’t want you to have an accident.
Ves aquellas lucecitas que se divisan allá,
Es el rancho de mis padres, y ahí me voy a bajar.
Ven acércate a mi lado pa´ darte una acariciada,
Cuando venga de regreso te levanto de pasada.
See those flickering lights afar? You can hardly, barley see them,
It is the farm of my parents / and there’s where I will get off.”
“Get a bit closer,” said the driver, “to caress your pretty face,
At the time of my return / you can ride with me again.”
A los tres o cuatro días el trailero regresó,
Se detuvo en aquel rancho y por ella preguntó.
Señor pase para dentro, déjeme explicarle todo,
Esa joven que usted busca hace un año que murió.
Passed three or four days later / the truck driver was heading back,
He stopped at the farm again / and inquired for his companion (the woman).
“Come on in, sir,” was the answer, “I’ll explain all you should know,
The lady you’re looking for / died about a year ago.”
Hace un año en esta fecha en esas curvas chocó,
Se alcanzó a salir del carro y un poquito caminó,
Desde entonces se aparece pero ya sin esperanza,
Haciendo siempre el esfuerzo de llegar hacia su casa.
“It’s been a year by this date / in that windy road she crashed,
With great effort got off the car / and a few steps she then walked.
Ever since then she appears / but it is hopeless her effort,
Always striving and hoping / to arrive at her parents’ house.”
Ya con esta me despido esta es una historia cierta,
Esto le paso a un troquero que le dio ride a una muerta.
It is time for me to say good-by / this is a true story,
This happened to a truck driver / who unaware gave ride to a dead woman.