
Lila Downs
El bracero fracasado lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 2001
- Genre
- Cumbia
- Length
- 2:34
Cuando yo salí del rancho, no llevaba ni calzones
When I left the ranch, I wasn't even wearing shorts
Pero sí llegué a Tijuana de puritos aventones
But I did arrive in Tijuana hitchhiking all the way
Como no traía dinero, me paraba en las esquinas
Since I didn't have any money, I would stand at the corners
Para ver a quién gorreaba los pescuezos de gallina
To see who I could bilk out of chicken necks
Yo quería cruzar la línea de la Unión Americana
I wanted to cross the line into the American Union
Yo quería ganar dinero porque esa era mi tirada
I wanted to make money because that was my goal
Como no traía papeles, mucho menos pasaporte
Since I didn't have papers, much less a passport
Me aventé cruzando cerros, yo solito y sin coyote
I jumped across mountains, all alone and without a guide
Después verán cómo me fue
You'll see how it turned out for me
Llegué a Santana con las patas bien peladas
I arrived in Santa Ana with my feet all scraped up
Los huaraches que llevaba, se acabaron de volada
The sandals I wore, they ran out in a flash
El sombrero y la camisa, los perdí en la correteada
The hat and the shirt, I lost them in the chase
Que me dieron unos güeros que ya mero me alcanzaban
Some blondes were after me, almost catching up
Me salí a la carretera, muerto de hambre y desvelado
I hit the road, starving and sleep-deprived
Me subí en un tren carguero que venía de Colorado
I hopped on a freight train coming from Colorado
Y con rumbo a San Francisco, de un vagón me fui colado
And headed towards San Francisco, sneaking in a freight car
Pero con tan mala suerte que en Salinas me agarraron
But with such bad luck that they caught me in Salinas
Después verán cómo me fue
You'll see how it went for me later
Llegó la migra, de la mano me agarraron
The border patrol arrived, they grabbed me by the hand
Me decían no sé qué cosas, en inglés me regañaron
They were saying who knows what, scolding me in English
Me dijeron los gabachos: "te regresas pa' tu rancho"
The gringos told me: "go back to your ranch"
Pero yo sentí muy gacho regresar pa' mi terruño
But I felt very sad going back to my hometown
De bracero fracasado, sin dinero y sin hilacho
As a failed farmworker, without money and without hope
De bracero fracasado, sin dinero y sin hilacho
As a failed farmworker, without money and without hope
De bracero fracasado, sin dinero y sin hilacho
As a failed farmworker, without money and without hope
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- tan
- soA2
- carguero
- freighterC2
- salí
- I left
- rancho
- ranchC2
- calzones
- underwear
- llegué
- I arrivedB2
- puritos
- purest
- aventones
- rides
- traía
- brought
- dinero
- moneyA1
About this song
Lila Downs is a Mexican-born singer-songwriter and performer. She makes Indigenous Mexican-rooted music that blends North American jazz and Latin American folk, and is known for albums such as Ofrenda and for receiving Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.