TANGO in Argentina
ITS LANGUAJE
The one from the street and the suburbs. Lunfardo, prison jargon. Synonym for the braveness and the courage of the days on which the parties used to end with the smearing of blood. Pictouresque and cynical, desentailing its voices means diving into the essence of tango.
Arrabal: neighborhood outside the residence area of the population to which it belongs.
Bacán: man who supports a woman economically. Person enjoying a good life; oligarch, elegant, refined person.
Bulín: (lunf.) cotorro. A single man's room used for lovers to meet secretly; place where to sleep or live.
Burdel: brothel.
Cachafaz: (pop.) ruffian, rogue, insolent, bold, cheeky, scoundrel, shameless person. Lazy, idle, person.
Compadre: (pop.) Boastful, arrogant, conceited man. Disrespectful, cunning, defiant, crafty, vile individual of affected elegance.
Compadrear: (pop.) Boastful, arrogant, conceited man. Disrespectful, cunning, defiant, crafty, vile individual of affected elegance.
Compadrito: man from the lower class area, vain and conceited. Individual from the porteño suburbs who used to imitate the compadre.
Conventillo: large house where rooms are rented to various families.
Cotorro: room for a single man; room where lovers met in secret.
Cusifai: anonymous person, John Doe, ordinary man.
Fueye: the same as fuelle. Accordion, bandoneon. Lung, bronchus. Informer.
Gringo: oreigner whose native tongue is other than Spanish. Person with a very fair complexion or very fair hair.
Guapo: good-looking.
Malandra: criminal.
Malevo: person with a bad background. Agitator, quarrelsome person.
Milonguera/o: milonga singer. Person who attends popular balls.
Orillero/ra: from the arrabal. Resident of the suburbs. Disreputable person.
Peringundín: the same as piringundín. Place where people from the lower classes and dubious morality meet to dance.
Taura: (lunf.) Braggart. Corageous, very brave. Cunning person.
Tugurio: room, house or small mean facilities.
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1923
Lyrics:
Celedonio Flores.
Music:
Carlos Gardel y José Razzano.
Totally daft in my sadness today I reminisce and realize that you have been
in my poor orphan life nothing but a good woman;
your well-to-do lady's presence warmed up my nest,
you were good, honorable, and I know that you loved me
like you didn't love anybody, like you'll never be able to.
There was a time when you, a poor girl
dodged poverty in a boarding house;
now you are quite a wealthy lady, life smiles and sings at you,
the fool's fortune you squander everywhere
the way the trickster cat plays with the wretched mouse.
Today your head is filled with wretched illusions
you were conned by the gullible, by your girlfriends, and by the libertine;
the milonga among tycoons, with its crazy temptations
where dance pretenses suceed and fail,
has entered deep inside your poor heart.
There is nothing to thank you for, even steven we have ended,
I don't care what you've done, what you do, or what you'll do
all the favors I received, I think I have already paid you for
and if there is a small debt which unwillingly I have forgotten,
in the fool's account, please charge it if you want.
Meanwhile, may your triumphs, sad temporary triumphs,
be a long line of richness and pleasure.
May the rich concubine who supports you, have long lasting dough
and may you show off your vanity among pimping milongueros
and may the guys say, "She is a good woman."
And tomorrow when you become a rebuffed old object
and you no longer have hope in your poor heart
if you need some help, if you can use some advice,
remember me as a friend who is going to risk his skin
to help you in any way, when the time comes for that.
Lodging in
Buenos Aires City
