El Violín de Tatacu
Los Chalchaleros
Tatacu's Violin
Man, what a beautiful place
It was Villa Loreto
Surrounded by happy folks
Full of peace and respect
Little houses with porches
And pretty fences
To the ding-dong of the bell tower
The old church would fill up
And the Virgin of Loreto
Would give her blessing
The Sweet River left
Canals and ditches
The local farmer with his plow
Would hum little tunes
Always dreaming while planting
Endless harvests and joys
Back in those days
Tatacu with his violin
Tatacu Carmen with his violin
Played at the parties
During carnival time
He’d be out in the afternoon
Enchanting the trenches
Until dawn broke
He was a carpenter by trade
A boatman and a swimmer
Conqueror of the Sweet River
The best Quichua around
Then came the day
So sad to tell
The Sweet River and its fury
Took away Villa Loreto
And Tatacu with his boat
Saving the townsfolk
All of that is just a memory
That weighs heavy on my heart
