Milonga de Los Perros

La Chicana's 'Milonga de Los Perros' paints a vivid and gritty picture of life in a port city, blending elements of tango and milonga with poetic storytelling. The song opens with imagery of cranes, horizons, and anchors, setting the scene in a bustling port filled with the scent of dead greetings and multilingual flags. This port is not just a place of commerce but a melting pot of cultures and stories, where the lines of women's underwear are visible beneath their skirts, adding a touch of raw, unfiltered reality to the scene.

The narrative then shifts to a personal encounter with a woman who takes the protagonist to her home. She shares a story about her gaucho uncle who lost a hand in a knife fight, a tale that adds a layer of historical and cultural depth. The woman wishes the protagonist were someone else, kisses him, and metaphorically 'throws butter at the ceiling,' a phrase suggesting a moment of carefree abandon. This encounter is a brief escape from reality, a moment of mental disconnection.

The song also explores the lives of various characters in the port: tearful bricklayers, sentimental firefighters, psychoanalyst prostitutes, and tender-hearted criminals. These characters add to the tapestry of the port's life, each with their own stories and struggles. The song concludes with a reflection on fate and destiny, as a recently freed convict sings and dances, embodying the duality of being marked as either a hero or a scoundrel. Throughout the song, God is depicted as observing the world through the eyes of hungry, wary dogs, symbolizing the overlooked and marginalized souls of the port.