The Cabeceo

Skip to content

Song

La muchachada del centro

Music by Francisco Canaro, lyrics by Ivo Pelay. 2 recordings in our catalogue, 1932–1937.

Who recorded it

Every version2

Earliest we hold: Francisco Canaro, 1932

  1. Francisco CanaroErnesto Famá1932
  2. Rafael Canaro Y Su Orquesta ArgentinaRaúl Sander1937

Versions of La muchachada del centro recorded 1932–1937

La muchachada del centro was composed by Francisco Canaro.†† The lyrics of La muchachada del centro are by Ivo Pelay.†

The song

The piece as people name it, whoever plays it.

2 orchestras recorded it

26 Dances filmed to it

Who wrote it

Music
Francisco Canaro
Words
Ivo Pelay
Written
not yet cited · help fill it
First played
not yet cited · help fill it

Source: TangoCloud catalogue

Lyrics

Español · Underlined words are lunfardo: tap one for its meaning.

¿Qué decís? ¿Qué decís y qué contás, chico bien, que te veo tan ? ¿Qué decís? ¿Vos también te has desfondao y has quedao con la crisis desplumao? ¿Qué decís? ¿Te ha cachao el temporal a vos también y estás seco y sin boleto en el andén? ¡Y si sigue así la serie te estoy viendo a la intemperie y alumbrao a querosén! Yo sé que ves a papá y lo mangás y te ensartás, y que ves a mamá y le pedís y no da más; que has empeñao la voiturette y en colectivo la viajás; que ya no vas al cabaret y con café te conformás; que no podés firmar una adición de cero diez porque van a cobrar y les hablás de pagarés; que no tenés dónde hacer pie porque la crisis te la dio. ¡Con esa crisis yo soné y vos igual que yo! ¿Qué decís? ¿Qué decís? ¿Cómo te va, chico bien? ¡Quién te ha visto y quién te ve!... ¿Qué decís? Vos tirabas los de a mil y has quedao masticando perejil... ¿Qué decís? Como a todos la maroma te ha cachao y has quedao en la palmera disecao ... Que como el refrán opina todo bicho que camina es porque no está parao...

English · machine translation

What do you say? What do you say and what do you say, good boy, that I see you so much fané? What do you say? Have you also gone off the deep end and you have been left with the crisis plucked? What do you say? Have you been caught in the storm you too and you're dry and without a ticket on the platform? And if the series goes on like this I'm seeing you out in the open and lit up with kerosene! I know that you see daddy and you're holding him and you're strung up, and that you see mom and you ask her and she doesn't give more; that you've pawned the car and you travel by bus; that you no longer go to the cabaret and with coffee you make do; that you can't sign an addition of zero ten because they are going to collect and you talk to them about promissory notes; that you have nowhere to stand because the crisis gave it to you. With that crisis I sounded and so did you! What do you say? What do you say? How are you doing, well boy? Who's seen you and who's seen you!... What do you say? You used to throw a thousand and you're left chewing parsley... What do you say? Like all of us, the maroma has caught you and you've been left in the palm tree disecao ... That as the saying goes every bug that walks is because it's not standing still...

Every version

Computed from the catalogue, not yet written by anyone

The catalogue holds 2 recordings of this song by 2 orchestras, 1932 to 1937.
1930
Recordings of La muchachada del centro by year, taller the more they are danced · 2 of 2 recordings carry a year · read Nov 3, 2026

2 recordings · our catalogue, dances filmed on TangoTube · 3 more we know of

a version people dance tono Dances matched yet: something to listen to

Choose A and B on two recordings to hear them one after the other.

  1. Francisco CanaroEarliest we holdMost dancedLa muchachada del centroFrancisco CanaroErnesto FamátangoOdeon
    26 dances
    1932
  2. Rafael Canaro Y Su Orquesta ArgentinaLa muchachada del centroRafael Canaro Y Su Orquesta ArgentinaRaúl Sandertango
    No match yet
    1937
  3. Trío ArgentinoNot in our catalogueRoberto Fugazot1932
  4. Ada FalcónNot in our catalogue1935
  5. Francisco CanaroNot in our catalogueTita Merello · Jul 21955
All recordings of La muchachada del centro

One recording

A dated take, with its sound and the couples dancing it.

Francisco Canaro

La muchachada del centroFrancisco CanaroErnesto FamátangoOdeon

Couples filmed dancing this recording · 26 Performances

Danced to it

Music from 1932–1937 · danced on film 2010–2026

20102026
By the year it was danced; each dance counts once, however many channels filmed it

2010: 2, 2011: 1, 2012: 1, 2013: 2, 2014: 4, 2015: 5, 2016: 1, 2024: 1, 2026: 1

Where it is danced

The places our videos show it danced, by performances filmed there.

  1. Confitería IdealSan Nicolás
    1 performance

Filmed sets

One Couple dancing three or four songs at one Occasion, every song known. What was danced on film, not what a DJ played.

2 of 3 complete sets on film

  1. Horacio Pebete Godoy and Magdalena Gutiérrez

    Wawel Tango Festival, 2014 · In upload order: nobody has said the order danced

    1. 1La muchachada del centroFrancisco Canaro, 1932
    2. 2El adiósOsvaldo Pugliese, 1963
    3. 3De antañoJuan D'Arienzo, 1939
    Watch it on TangoTube
  2. Alejandro Figueroa and Moira Daloia

    2015 · In upload order: nobody has said the order danced

    1. 1Todo es amorRodolfo Biagi, 1958
    2. 2La muchachada del centroFrancisco Canaro, 1932
    3. 3NegroHéctor Grané, 1957
    Watch it on TangoTube

Read more

What we don't know yet3 of 4 known

The year it was written.

Data: recordings, facts and sources

Composer1

Composed by Francisco Canaro

In other catalogues3

tango.info · Z0000002019

MusicBrainz · 35396de0-770a-4139-b3b9-f4f774bd260esource

TodoTango · tema/1064

Lyricist1

Lyrics by Ivo Pelay

Listen

  1. La muchachada del centroFrancisco CanaroErnesto FamátangoOdeon
  2. La muchachada del centroRaúl Sandertango

Ask Tangopedia

Answers only from cited facts, each with its source.