La ley es tela de araña

(Milonga)

I had always heard it said
that before the law I was,
just like any mortal.
But there is a difficulty
when it comes to its execution.

A gaucho steals some spurs,
or takes a horse's bridle;
they catch him, they handcuff him,
and as a bad guy and a thief,
they treat him and even to prison
they send him with force.

Let's go then to a big shot:
He has a stroke of luck;
it's clear, it's fixed,
a slip-up
that can happen to anyone,
yes sir.

At first, a lot of noise,
seizures, lawsuits, prison;
they come and go, they come and go,
secrets, admiration.
What does he declare? That it's a lie,
that he is an honorable man.
And the money? It's not known,
the State lost it;
the prisoner goes out into the street
and the show is over.

And this is called equality,
the damn thing that threw them!
Because I always heard it said
that before the law I was,
just like any mortal.
But there is a difficulty
when it comes to its execution.