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Corrido de Kiansis

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Lyrics for Kiansis II
Lyrics and translation from A Texas-Mexican Cancionero

by Américo Paredes, pgs. 54-55


En Español
In English

Cuando salimos pa’ Kiansis
con una grande corrida,
gritaba mi caporal:
–Les encargo a mi querida.–

Contesta otro caporal:
–No tengas cuidado, es sola;
que la mujer que es honrada
aunque viva entre la bola.–

Quinientos novillos eran,
todos grandes y livianos,
y entre treinta americanos
no los podían embalar.

Llegan cinco mexicanos,
todos bien enchivarrados,
y en menos de un cuarto de hora
los tenían encerrados.

Esos cinco mexicanos
al momento los echaron,
y los treinta americanos
se quedaron azorados.

Los novillos eran bravos,
no se podían soportar,
gritaba un Americano:
–Que se baje el caporal.–

Pero el caporal no quiso
y un vaquero se arrojó;
a que lo matara el toro,
nomás a eso se bajó.

La mujer de Alberto Flores
le pregunta al caporal:
–Déme usted razón de mi hijo,
que no lo he visto llegar.–

–Señora, yo le diría,
pero se pone a llorar;
lo mató un toro fortino
en las trances de un corral.–

Ya con ésta me despido
por ’l amor de mi querida,
ya les canté a mis amigos
los versos de la corrida.

When we left for Kansas
on a big cattle drive,
My caporal shouted,
“Take good care of my beloved.”

Another caporal replied,
“Have no fear, she has no other loves;
For if a woman is virtuous,
no matter if she lives among men.”

Five hundred steers there were,
all big and quick;
Thirty American boys
could not keep them bunched together.

Then five Mexicans arrive,
all of them wearing good chaps;
And in less than a quarter-hour,
they had the steers penned up.

Those five Mexicans
penned up the steers in a moment,
And the thirty Americans
were left staring in amazement.

The steers were vicious,
it was very hard to hold them;
An American shouted,
“Let the caporal go into the corral.”

But the caporal refused,
and a vaquero took the dare;
He got himself killed by the bull,
that’s all he managed to do.

The wife of Alberto Flores
asks of the caporal,
“Give me word of my son,
I have not seen him arrive.”

“Lady, I would tell you,
but I know that you will cry;
he was killed by a bull with a blazed face
against the rails of a corral.”

Now with this I say farewell,
by my sweetheart’s love;
I have now sung for my friends
the stanzas about the cattle drive.

 

Music and Lyrics for Kiansis I

Click Here to Hear Versions of El Corrido de Kiansis