La Abandone y No Sabía (part. Raúl Beron)
Miguel Calo
The Heart's Reproach: A Tango of Regret and Loss
Miguel Calo's song "La Abandone y No Sabía," featuring Raúl Beron, is a poignant tango that delves deep into themes of regret, loss, and the haunting nature of past decisions. The song opens with a vivid description of its origins, born from a world of serenades and fandangos, cradled by the melancholic sounds of bandoneones. This sets the stage for a narrative steeped in emotional turmoil and the cultural richness of tango music, which often explores the darker aspects of human experience.
The lyrics reveal a profound sense of suffering and despair. The protagonist confesses that the tango was born from his own suffering, a reflection of his miserable existence where his luck seems to be dying. The act of listening to or dancing the tango brings him closer to the feeling of death, emphasizing the depth of his sorrow. This connection between music and emotion is a hallmark of tango, where the dance and the music are inseparable from the expression of deep, often painful, feelings.
The central theme of the song is the regret of abandoning a loved one without realizing the depth of his feelings for her. The protagonist's heart deceived him, leading him to leave her, only to realize too late the magnitude of his mistake. Now, as he searches for her, he is met with the harsh reality that she is gone, and he is left to wander without her love. This narrative of lost love and the irreversible consequences of one's actions is a common motif in tango, resonating with anyone who has experienced the pain of regret and the longing for what once was.