A dark venue with a dim spotlight on the stage.
I sit on a chair made of maple wood.
The table made of the same dark maple wood displays additional scars that belong to various visitors, each one contains its own tale.
Craved names and spots of dried food that were never cleaned.
An antique.
I sit in the dark with a bottle of Corralejo tequila.
A small shot glass keeps the bottle company, while the lime and salt laugh at my need for them and my sensitivity to the strong liquor.
The only other person in this venue is the bartender,
busy wiping down the freshly washed glasses with a cotton towel.
The only sound to be heard is the cotton touching the surface of the wet glass, absorbing the water and whooshing back in for more.
The sound of a guitar begins to break the silence,
I stare down at my shot glass and look deep into the strong liquor,
raise the glass to my lips and without hesitation I throw the whole contents of the shot glass into my mouth.
I let it burn down my throat.
The guitar soon has company as it plays along to strong vocals.
Each word held out long and hard enough to express the pain or pride the vocalist feels.
You cant sing a ranchera until you experience the sorrow or pride the song is referring too.
At this point I am sure that I could be the best singer of any ranchera.
Ranchera was a name derived from the word rancho,
Mi ranchito, my ranch,and how do I explain a ranchera in English?
Soul, blues, felt deep in your heart.
These songs once touched my grandmother deeply and she too sang them with heart,
My father, mother, aunts and uncles all sing them with heart.
Mi cultura, our way of expressing our sorrow.
When my heart aches, this is where I dream to be.
In a dark venue with my shot glass and bottle of tequila.
Music and tequila to drown my sorrow in, thinking that possibly
I will awake the next day a new person, fresh and with a new heart.
Sadly the only thing new about the next day is the throbbing in my head,
which now seems to throb at the same rhythm as my heart.
My love for this sorrow so deeply rooted in my love for my culture.
How else do I explain a ranchera?
El Principio (The begining):
Tu Recuerdo y Yo
Written and recorded by: José Alfredo Jiménez
Estoy en el rincon de una cantina,
oyendo una cancion que yo pedi,
me estan sirviendo ahorita mi tequila,
ya va mi pensamiento rumbo a ti.
I am sitting in the corner of a bar,
Hearing a song that I asked to be played,
They are serving me my tequila,
My thoughts are on there way towards you.
Yo se que tu recuerdo es mi desgracia,
y vengo aqui nomas a recordar,
que amargas son las cosas que nos pasan,
cuando hay una mujer que paga mal.
I know that your memory is my misfortune,
and I come here just to remmeber you,
How sour are the things that happen to us,
When there is a women that does you wrong.
Quien no sabe en esta vida,
la traicion tan conocida,
que nos deja un mal amor,
quien no llega a la cantina,
exigiendo su tequila,
y exigiendo su cancion.
Who doesnt know of this life and the familar betraly that
id left with us after a painful love,
Who doesnt come to the bar,
Demanding their tequila and their song.
Me estan sirviendo ya la del estribo,
ahorita ya no se si tengo fe,
ahorita solamente ya les pido,
que toque otra vez "La que se fue".
They are now serving me the last drink,
Right now I dont know if I have any faith,
Right now I only know that I want the band to play again
"The one that left"
Paving the way for woman in the world of Racheras
Un Mundo Raro
Escrito por José Alfredo Jiménez
Recorded by: Chavela Vargas
cuando te hablen de amor y de ilusiones
y te ofrezcan un sol y un cielo entero
si te acuerdas de mi no me menciones
porque vas a sentir amor del bueno
When they speak to you of love and illusions
And they offer you the sun and the entire sky
If you remember me, please don’t mention me,
Because you will feel what good love was like
Y si quieren saber de tu pasado
es preciso decir una mentira
di que vienes de alla de un mundo raro
que no sabes llorar
que no entiendes de amor
y que nunca has amado
And if they want to know about your past
Its important you tell them a lie
Tell them that you’ve come from a strange world far away
That you don’t know about crying
That you don’t understand love
And that you’ve never loved
porque yo adonde voy
hablare de tu amor
como un sueo dorado
y olvidando el rencor
no dire que tu adios me volvio desgraciado
Because where ever I go
I will speak of your love
Like it was a golden dream
And Ill forget any grudge that I used to hold
I wont say that your farewell left me miserable
y si quieren saber de mi pasado
es preciso decir otra mentira
les dire que llegue de un mundo raro
que no se del dolor
que triunfe en el amor
y que nunca he llorado
And if they want to know about my past
It’s important to tell another lie
I will say that I’ve come from a strange world
That I don’t know about pain
That I triumpted in love
And that I’ve never cried
Modern Day Woman in Rancheras
Recorded by: Lila Downs
Modern Day Ranchera - The Evolution
Eres como una mariposa
Vuelas y te posas vas de boca en boca
Facil y ligera de quien te provoca
You are like a butterfly
You fly and you rest yourself from mouth to mouth
Easy and loose to those that provoke you
Yo soy raton de tu ratonera
Trampa que no mata pero no libera
Vivo muriendo prisionero
Mariposa traicionera
Todo se lo lleva el viento
Mariposa no regreso
I am a mouse in your mousehole
A Trap that doesn't kill, but doesn't liberate
I live dying a prisoner
Betraying butterfly
The wind takes away everything
Butterfly, I won't return to you
Ay, mariposa de amor,
Mi mariposa de amor
Ya no regreso contigo
Ay, mariposa de amor,
Mi mariposa de amor
Nunca jamas junto a ti
Ay, butterfly of love,
My butterfly of love
I won't return to you
Ay, butterfly of love,
My butterfly of love
Never again next to you
Vuela amor, vuela dolor
Y no regreses a un lado
Ya vete de flor en flor
seduciendo a los pistilos
Y vuela cerca del sol
Pa' que sientas lo que es dolor
Fly, love; fly, pain
And don't return by my side
Just leave now, go from flower to flower
Seducing the pistils
And fly near the sun
So you feel what pain is Ay, mujer como haces daño
Pasan los minutos cual si fueran años
Mira estos celos me estan matando
Ay, woman, how you cause harm
Minutes pass like they were years
Look, these jealousy is killing me
Ay, mujer que facil eres
Abres tu alitas, musculos de colores
Donde se posan tus amores
Mariposa traicionera
Todo se lo lleva el viento
Mariposa no regreso
Ay, woman, how easy you are
You open your wings, colorful muscles
Where your lovers rest
Betraying butterfly
The wind takes everything
Butterly, I won't return to you
Vuela amor, vuela dolor
Que tengas suerte en tu vida
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay dolor
Yo te llore todo un rio
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay amor
Tu te me vas a volar
Fly, love; fly, pain
I wish you the best of luck life
Ay, ay, ay, ay, pain
I cried a whole river for you
Ay, ay, ay, ay, love
You're going to fly from me
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