Violeta Ausente

Why did I leave Chile
when I was so well there
Now I'm in foreign lands
Oh, singing, but feeling sad

I have a thorn in my chest
that pierces me incessantly
It's my heart that suffers
Oh, for its Chilean land

I want to dance cueca,
I want to drink chicha,
I want to go to the market
& buy myself a Pequén.
Go to Matucana,
take a walk in the Quinta
& to Santa Lucía
with you, my love.

Before leaving Chile
I didn't understand
the value of being Chilean
Oh, now I do.
Just like my eyes cry
when singing this song
so does my guitar cry
Oh, painfully the bongoe.

I want to dance cueca,
I want to drink chicha,
I want to go to the market
& buy myself a Pequén.
Go to Matucana,
take a walk in the Quinta
& to Santa Lucía
with you, my love.

How far away is my Chile
far from my other half
how far my eight siblings
Oh, my friend and my mom.
It seems like a century
since I knew nothing about Chile
that's why I write this letter
Oh, sending it from here to there.

I want to dance cueca,
I want to drink chicha,
I want to go to the market
& buy myself a Pequén.
Go to Matucana,
take a walk in the Quinta
& to Santa Lucía
with you, my love.