Champagne tango · Héctor Varela · 1952

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

Esas minas veteranas que siempre se conformaban, que nunca la protestaban aunque picara el buyón, viviendo así en su cotorro pasando vida pibera en una pobre catrera que le faltaba el colchón. ¡Cuántas veces a mate amargo el estomago engrupía y pasaban muchos días sin tener para morfar! La catrera era el consuelo de esos ratos de amargura que, culpa 'e la mishiadura no tenía pa' morfar. Se acabaron esas minas que siempre se conformaban con lo que el bacán les daba si era bacán de verdad. Hoy sólo quieren vestidos y riquísimas alhajas, coches de capota baja pa' pasear por la ciudad. Nadie quiere conventillo ni ser pobre costurera, ni tampoco andar fulera... Sólo quieren aparentar ser amigo de fulano y que tenga mucho vento que alquile departamento y que la lleve al Pigall. Tener un coche, tener mucama y gran 'chapó' y pa' las farras un gigoló; pieza alfombrada de gran parada, tener sirvienta y... ¡qué se yo! Y así... de esta manera en donde quiera 'champán tangó'.

English · machine translation

Those veteran mines who always conformed, who never protested even if the buyon bit, living like this in their cotorro spending their lives in their cotorro in a poor catrera that lacked a mattress. How many times with bitter mate the stomach would grow fat and many days went by without having anything to eat! The catrera was the consolation of those bitter moments that, because of the mishiadura I didn't have enough to eat. No more of those mines who were always satisfied with what the bacán gave them if it was really cool. Today they only want dresses and rich jewelry, low top cars to drive around the city. Nobody wants to live in a tenement nor to be a poor seamstress, nor to be a tramp... They only want to pretend to be so-and-so's friend and who has a lot of wind who rents an apartment and to take her to the Pigall. To have a car, have a maid and big 'chapó and for the parties a gigolo; carpeted room of great stop, have a maid y... I don't know! And so... in this way wherever you want 'champagne tango'.