Guillermo Anderson
Chago (Santiago) lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 2001
- Length
- 6:42
Chago era un tipo tranquilo
Chago was a laid-back guy
Que vivía al filo de lo que es vivir aquí
Who lived on the edge of what life is here
Por el día trabajaba, en la noche estudiaba
By day he worked, by night he studied
Quería sobresalir
He wanted to stand out
Y para el fin de semana salía con ganas
And by the weekend, he went out with zeal
Bailar era vivir
Dancing was life
No es que el dinero abundaba
It's not that money was plentiful
Se las arreglaba, era más o menos feliz
He got by, he was somewhat happy
Pero aquí no termina la cosa
But this isn't where it ends
Un hermano de él y la esposa
A brother of his and the wife
Le escribían del norte para decirle así
They wrote to him from the north to say it like this
Y le decían
And they would say to him
Chago, venite que aquí hay trabajo
Chago, come over here, there's work
No te quedes allá abajo
Don't stay down there
Que ahí no hay nada para vos
Because there's nothing for you there
Chago, venite que aquí hay dinero
Chago, come over here, there's money
Venite que el sueño entero
Come over here, the whole dream
Se puede realizar aquí
Can come true here
Chago no se convencía de eso que le ofrecían
Chago wasn't convinced by what they were offering him
La duda lo mataba
The doubt was killing him
Tantos que se van al norte con o sin pasaporte
So many that go up north with or without a passport
Y vuelven sin decir
And return without saying a word
Que si no es de vida o muerte
That if it's not life or death
Eso sí hay que tener suerte para sobrevivir
Well, you need some luck to survive
El alma al diablo le entrega
The soul to the devil is given
Todo aquel que allá llega creyendo que es muy fácil
All those who arrive there thinking it’s so easy
Y que no hay cosa que en el norte falle
And that nothing ever goes wrong up north
Que hay dinero tirado en la calle
That there's money just lying in the streets
Pensó que en el norte iba a ser feliz
He thought he’d be happy in the north
Y le insistían
And they kept insisting
Chago, venite que aquí hay trabajo
Chago, come over here, there's work to do
No te quedes allá abajo
Don't stay down there
Que ahí no hay nada para vos
There's nothing for you there
Chago, venite que aquí hay dinero
Chago, come over here, there's money to be made
Venite que el sueño entero
Come over so the whole dream
Se puede realizar aquí
Can come true right here
A hacer fila al consulado
Go wait in line at the consulate
Con todo arreglado se dispuso a salir
With everything arranged, he got ready to leave
Chago alistó sus maletas y olvidó las metas
Chago packed his bags and forgot the goals
Que había fijado aquí
That he had set right here
Y cayó en la trampa de la era
And he fell into the trap of the era
Cambió el mango por la falsa pera
He traded the handle for a false pear
Pensó que en el norte iba a ser feliz
He thought he would be happy in the north
Y le insistían
And they kept insisting
Chago, venite que aquí hay trabajo
Chago, come over here, there's work
No te quedes allá abajo
Don't stay down there
Que ahí no hay nada para vos
There's nothing for you there
Chago, venite que aquí hay dinero
Chago, come over here, there's money
Venite que el sueño entero
Come over here, the whole dream
Se puede realizar aquí
Can be realized here
Y en la humedad de Nueva Orleans
And in the humidity of New Orleans
De Washington, de Los Ángeles aterrizó
He landed from Washington, from Los Angeles
Ahí sin darse cuenta todo lo perdió
There, without realizing it, he lost everything
Se dijo "este paraíso es cierto"
He said to himself, 'This paradise is real'
Cuando vio las luces del aeropuerto
When he saw the lights of the airport
De ayuda un electricista
A handyman was of help
El frío, la autopista insoportables son
The cold, the highway are unbearable
El poco pago le asusta
The little pay scares him
Y apenas le ajusta para el apartamento
And barely it fits for the apartment
Los viernes son aburridos
Fridays are boring
Los pasa prendido de todos sus recuerdos
He spends his days surrounded by all his memories
El bar, el niri, la chava, el salón donde bailaba
The bar, the niri, the girl, the hall where he danced
Todo ha quedado atrás
Everything is left behind
Y en sus ánimos de fracaso
And in his spirits of failure
Chago maldice el haberle hecho caso
Chago curses having listened to them
A aquellas voces que le decían
To those voices that told him
Que le decían
That told him
Chago, venite que aquí hay trabajo
Chago, come here, there's work to be had
No te quedes allá abajo
Don't stay down there
Que ahí no hay nada para vos
Because there's nothing for you there
Chago, venite que aquí hay dinero
Chago, come over, there's money here
Venite, venite que el sueño entero
Come over, come over, the whole dream
Se puede realizar aquí
Can be realized here
Final de la historia
The end of the story
Ayer envié una postal del correo nacional
Yesterday I sent a postcard from the national mail
Donde a Chago le escribo y le digo
Where I write to Chago and tell him
Chago, hacete de iniciativa
Chago, take some initiative
Y no te quedes allá arriba
And don't stay up there
Que ahí no hay nada para vos
Because there's nothing for you there
Chago, venite aquí no hay dinero
Chago, come here, there's no money
Pero si pones esmero
But if you put in the effort
Todo se puede hacer aquí
Everything can be done right here
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- falsa
- falseC1
- iniciativa
- initiativeC1
- noche
- nightA1
- sobresalir
- stand outC2
- abundaba
- abounded
- arreglaba
- fixed
- cosa
- thingA1
- esposa
- wife
- escribían
- wrote
- decirle
- tellB1
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About this song
Guillermo Anderson was a Honduran singer-songwriter. He is known for lyrics that address ecology and social problems.