Ginastera-FivePopularSongsTranslations.docx

Alberto Ginastera – Five Popular Songs

Texts and Translations

1.CHACARERA

A mí me gustan las ñatas

Y una ñata me ha tocado

Ñato será el casamiento

Y más ñato el resultado.

Cuando canto chacareras

Me dan ganas de llorar

Porque se me representa

Catamarca y Tuoumán.

2. TRISTE

Ah!

Debajo de un limón verde

Donde el agua no corría

Entregué mi corazón

A quien no lo merecía. Ah!

Triste es el día sin sol

Triste es la noche sin luna

Pero más triste es querer

Sin esperanza ninguna. Ah!

3. ZAMBA

Hasta las piedras del cerro

Y las arenas del mar

Me dicen que no te quiera

Y no te puedo olvidar.

Si el corazón me has robado

El tuyo me lo has de dar

El que lleva cosa ajena

Con lo suyo ha de pagar. Ay!

4. ARRORRO

Arrorró mi nene,

Arrorró mi sol,

Arrorró pedazo

De mi corazón.

Este nene lindo

Se quiere dormir

Y el pícaro sueño

No quiere venir

5. GATO

El gato de mi casa es muy gauchito

Pero cuando lo bailan Zapateadito.

Guitarrita de pino cuerdas de alambre.

Tanto quiero a las chicas,

Digo, como a las grandes.

Esa moza que baila

Mucho la quiero

Pero no para hermana

Que hermana tengo.

Que hermana tengo

Si, pónte al frente

Aunque no sea tu dueño,

Digo, me gusta verte.

1. CHACARERA

I think the girl that I marry

will have a turned-up nose, maybe.

After the wedding we hope we may have

a turned-up nose baby.

I think the girl that I marry

will have a turned-up nose, maybe.

When I sing the chacareras then my eyelids overflow

The melody still reminds me of the land I used to know.

2. TRISTE

Ah!

Beside this pool of cool water

where the lime-tree’s branches shade me

here my heart I gave away

to a girl who has betrayed me. Ah!

Sad is a day without sun,

or night with no moon above you,

but it is sadder to love

if you have no one to love you. Ah!

3. ZAMBA

Though all the stones of the mountains

and all the sands of the sea

tell me it’s foolish to love you,

what does that matter to me?

Now that my heart you have stolen,

you I must gently remind: it is the law

that a robber must repay his theft in kind. Ay!

4. ARRORRO

Go to sleep, my baby;

sleep my shining sun,

you are all my treasures gathered into one.

Such a drowsy baby his dark eyes should close

or sleep will not bring lovely dreams and repose.

[humming] You are all my treasures gathered into one.

5. GATO

I have a cat in my house who’s very handsome,

I have a cat in my house who’s very handsome

Play a ‘ranchero’ or ‘gato’ he loves to dance them.

My guitar makes sweet music, though it’s a small one.

What a beautiful girl is that one, the dark and tall one.

If she had only let me, I would have kissed her

If she had only let me, I would have kissed her

not as I’d kiss my mother, not as my sister.

Sisters I have at home who don’t go dancing.

Dance with me once more, my dark-eyed darling,

you are entrancing