Lyrics - Spanish
(Mexican folk song)
“No estés triste, Nicolás.” (repeat)
lo que pida me has de dar, (repeat)
una cuera y un cabal (repeat)
y el mayordomo le dice,
“no hay dinero, Nicolás.” (repeat)
para poderme casar, (repeat)
English Translation - The horseman
1. There was a horseman sitting
in the bars of a pen (repeat)
His foreman tells him,
“Don’t be sad, Nicholas.” (repeat)
2. If you want me not to be sad,
whatever I ask you have to give me, (repeat)
and the foreman tells him,
“Go asking for Nicholas.” (repeat)
3. I need thirty pesos*
a cuera* and a cabal* (repeat)
and the foreman tells him,
“There is no money, Nicholas.”
4. I need thirty reales*
so I can get married, (repeat)
and the foreman tells him:
“I don’t even have a real*, Nicolás.” (repeat)
*amounts of money
Singable English Lyrics
1. There was a charro a-sitting
on the fence of a wide corral. (repeat)
Kindly the foreman to ask him,
“Why so mournful, Nicholas?” (repeat)
2. I need a horse, I am thinking,
A good saddle, a good coat, too. (repeat)
Kindly the foreman assured him,
“All is yours, my Nicholas.” (repeat)
3. You have a beautiful daughter,
I must marry that girl as well. (repeat)
Firmly his foreman assured him,
“She is promised, Nicholas.” (repeat)
See also
- Country: Mexico
- Type: ballad
- Harmony: I IV V chords
- Metro: 3
- Scale: hexatonic
- Tones: drmfst
- Source: Spanish songs of old California, Charles Fletcher Lummis, translator Arthur Farwell, 1923
- more lyrics
YouTube
- PDF of song with chords
- MIDI file
- Listen to the melody
4 thoughts on “El charro”
I learned this song as a child very much anglicized and a little different than it appears here. I have looked for a long time and this is the first time I have ever found it on line. Thank you very much for posting it!
That’s so great! I’m glad you found it here! 🙂
Is this song in the public domain or is it still protected by copyrights?
To the best of my knowledge, this song is in the public domain.