El Choclo

With this tango that's cheeky and bold
Ambition took flight in my neighborhood
With this tango, tango was born, like a shout
It emerged from the gritty slums, reaching for the sky
A strange spell of love turned into rhythm
That opened paths with nothing but hope as the law
A mix of rage, pain, faith, and absence
Crying for the innocence of a playful beat

Through your miracle of ominous notes
The dancers and the rhythms were born, without a thought
Moonlight in the puddles, sway in the hips
And a fierce longing in the way we love

When I think of you, dear tango
I feel the tiles tremble in a dance hall
And I hear the echoes of my past
Today, with no mother by my side
I feel her coming on tiptoe to kiss me
When your song rises to the sound of a bandoneón

Carancanfua set sail with your flag
And in a Pernod, mixed Paris with Puente Alsina
You were a buddy to the tough guy and the girl
And even a friend to the big shot and the young lady
Because of you, the hustler, cop, convict, and misfortune
Voices were born with your destiny
A mass of skirts, kerosene, knife, and blade
That burned in the tenements and burned in my heart