La Ultima Curda

Anibal Troilo's 'La Ultima Curda' is a poignant tango that delves into themes of sorrow, regret, and the search for oblivion through alcohol. The song's title, which translates to 'The Last Drunk' or 'The Last Binge,' sets the tone for a narrative steeped in melancholy and introspection. The bandoneón, a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay and essential to tango music, is personified in the song as a confidant to the singer's heartache.

The lyrics speak to the bandoneón as if it were a companion, sharing the pain of a life perceived as an 'absurd wound.' The singer acknowledges the transient nature of existence, likening life to a fleeting drunken stupor. This metaphor suggests a desire to escape reality, to find solace in the temporary amnesia that alcohol provides. The mention of a 'hondo bajo fondo,' which can be interpreted as the depths of the underworld or the lowest point of despair, illustrates the depth of the singer's emotional turmoil.

The song also touches on themes of lost love and failure, urging the bandoneón to tell its own tale of woe. The repeated requests to 'contame tu condena' (tell me your sentence) and 'decime tu fracaso' (tell me your failure) reflect a shared sense of defeat and a longing for connection through shared suffering. The closing lines, which speak of drawing a curtain over the heart and the sun dragging its 'slow snail of a dream,' evoke a sense of closure and resignation, as if the singer is ready to shut out the world and retreat into darkness and forgetfulness.