Here’s an index of all our English-language versions of tango, vals, and milonga lyrics. Just click on the title, and view the page. Many pages have face-to-face lyrics and subtitled videos.
Tango word: CORRALÓN
Part of speech: Noun
Appears in the tangos: Arrabalera, Tres esquinas, No te apures Carablanca, Barrio de tango, Manoblanca, and 52 others. (Links are to TangoDecoder versions of the songs.)
Though the word corralón appears in at least fifty-six tangos, it’s meaning isn’t immediately clear. None of the present day porteños I’ve asked recognize the word, or know what it means. It’s a bit old-fashioned, and not in current use. You might think it to be a variant of the word corral, an enclosure in which animals like horses, cows, or other farm animals are kept. And that is true in Uruguay; there, a small corral is sometimes called a corralón. But in the tango songs I’ve examined, the word corralón always has one of two meanings:
The first usage is seen in the song Arrabalera composed by Sebastian Piana with lyrics by Catullo Castillo, and sung by Tita Merello in the film by the same name:
Mi casa fue un corralón
de arrabal bien proletario….
“My house was a real working-class tenement,” proclaims the song’s narrator, as she prepares to detail the long list of her credentials as an arrabalera, a gal from the arrabal, the outlying, working-class quarters of Buenos Aires. No, she wasn’t born in a corral, nor a barnyard, nor a pig-sty. She was born in a multi-family house or tenement, probably one of the famous conventillos (lit., “little convents”) of Buenos Aires.
The second usage, which is the more common by far in tango lyrics, is found in many familiar songs. Angel D’Agostino’s Tres esquinas (“Three corners”) is one example that many dancers will recognize by ear, since the word appears as the last word in the last line of the frequently-heard song:
Bajo el cielo de luna llena
duermen las chatas de corralón.
“Under the full-moon sky / sleep the flat-bed wagons of the timberyard.” Another key word in this passage is chata, which is a horse-drawn, flat-bed wagon that was used to haul timber and other goods. The two words often appear in the same verse. Las chatas de corralón were a common sight in the old arrabal.
A similar image is found in the second verse of No te apures Carablanca (Roberto Garza and Carlos Bahr):
Me achica el corazón
salir del corralón
porque me sé perdido.
Me tienta la ilusión
que ofrece el bodegón
en su copa de olvido.
“My heart sinks/shrinks as I leave the timber yard because I know I’m lost. The illusion of the bar tempts me with its cup of oblivion.”
One more, just for the fun of it. This one from Aníbal Troilo and Homero Manzi’s Barrio de tango:
Así evoco tus noches, barrio tango,
con las chatas entrando al corralón
y la luna chapaleando sobre el fango
y a lo lejos la voz del bandoneón.
That’s how I remember your nights, tango barrio,
with the flatbed wagons pulling into the timber yard,
the moon splashing in the mud,
and in the distance, the voice of the bandoneón.
By the way, the two main industries of the arrabal were ironworks and timberyards. The sound of the smith’s hammer striking the anvil, the saws rending huge logs into lumber, and the trotting horses pulling their chatas were the principle sounds of the arrabal, according to Horacio Salas in El Tango. That, and the sound of the bandoneón.
Do you have something to add about the word corralón? Feel free to leave a comment below….
The magnificent tango Pero… yo sé (“But… I know”) sung by its author, Azucena Maizani, with subtitles in Spanish and English by Tango Decoder. Face-to-face lyrics in Spanish and English are below the video.
| Llegando la noche recién te levantas y sales ufano a buscar un beguén.* Lucís con orgullo tu estampa elegante sentado muy muelle en tu regia baqué. Paseás por Corrientes, De regios programas Pero yo sé que metido Yo sé que en las madrugadas, Con tanta aventura, Con todo el dinero Pensar que ese brillo Tu orgullo de necio |
Night is falling You’ve just awakened and happily you set out to pick up your latest conquest. You show off with pride You drive along Corrientes, You’ve got piles of But I know that inside I know that in the wee hours, With so many affairs, With all the money To think that this brilliance Your foolish pride |
Azucena Maizani (1928)
"A good mink stole meant more to you than all my sincerity…." That about says it all.
Our subtitled video, followed by face-to-face lyrics in Spanish and English. English-language version by Michael Krugman.
Judas
Tango, 1942
Music: Carlos Marchisio
Lyrics: Carmelo Santiago
Recorded by Orquesta Típica Juan D'Arienzo with vocal by Héctor Mauré, 29 December 1942.
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Vida… Alma… Cargué mi cruz Mala… |
Life… Soul…. I bore my cross Wicked… |
This ad appeared in the "El Mundo" morning newspaper in the latter half of 1945. It describes a "Grand Tribute of Sympathy" in honor of Maestro Aníbal Troilo and his orchestra with his singers A. Marino and F. Ruiz. Troilo and his boys were slated to perform at the event, which was hosted by his friend, violinist and bandleader Alfredo Gobbi. Gobbi had launched his own orquesta típica a year earlier.
Guest performers included El Cuarteto de Antaño (unknown to me); the highly-regarded tango/canyengue couple Los Mendez; Volonte Jazz (unknown); Lucio Lanzoni and his típica (unknown to me); the Dakota Jazz Sextet (unknown); poet and lyricist Celedonio Flores (Corrientes y Esmeralda, Mano a mano, El bulín de la calle Ayacucho, and many more); jazz Los Dados Rojos ("The Red Dice," a frequent accompanying act to the típicas this period); and the popular singer Roberto Carlés and his guitarists.
Attending guests included Alfredo De Angelis, Carlos Dante, Julio Martel, Argentino Galván, Héctor Vargas; poet, playwright, lyricist, activist, and puppeteer Enrique S. Discépolo; songstress Tania; lyricist José María Contursi (author of Troilo's hits Esta tarde gris and Gricel, among others), popular poet Héctor "El Triste" Gagliardi, and comedic film actor Fidel Pintos.
Homenajes ("tributes") like this were a regular feature of the Buenos Aires tango scene during the Golden Decade (1940-50), and Aníbal Troilo was one of the most frequent recipients. It doesn't mention it in this ad, but an homenaje often included the awarding of a pergamino ("parchment" or "proclamation"), often signed by the attendees, and sometimes a gold medal, too. Lots of pomp, lots of circumstance. That's how they like it in BsAs.
The site of the tribute, the Confitería Congo at 717 Avenida Forest (and its earlier incarnation, La Colmena, "The Beehive"), was a frequent site of dances during the Golden Decade. The place itself was not large, but during the summer months it opened its landscaped jardín de verano ("summer garden") which boasted 5000 square meters (54,000 square feet) of open-air pista in addition to its elegant indoor ballroom. This event took place during the summer, so it may have attracted quite a large crowd.
NO AFLOJÉS (Don't give up)
Tango, composed 1934
Música: Pedro Maffia / Sebastián Piana
Letra: Mario Battistella
Recorded by Orquesta Típica Angel D'Agostino with vocal by Angel Vargas, 13 November 1940.
English-language version and subtitles by Michael Krugman for Tango Decoder.com.
You may also like: NO AFLOJÉS as sung by Tita Merello in the 1949 film "Morir en su ley."
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Vos, que fuiste de todos el más púa,
Vos fuiste el rey del bailongo Maula el tiempo te basureó de asalto |
You who were the biggest troublemaker all, You were the king of the clamorous dances Good for nothing, time insulted you |
Pa' Qué Seguir?
("Why go on?")
Music: Francisco Fiorentino
Lyrics: Pedro Lloret
Recorded by Orquesta Típica Miguel Caló with vocal by Jorge Ortiz on 19 January 1943. Odeon 8372 12494
English-language version by Michael Krugman for TangoDecoder.com. All Rights Reserved.
This time in American history has a certain epochal finality to it—the age of democracy seems to be coming to an end. My musical soundtrack for this moment is Pá qué seguir.
"Why go on?"
| Con la noche enfrente, revolviéndome, dolorosamente a mi conciencia pregunté: Pa' qué seguir? Cada paso por la vida es un fracaso, es una herida más Mientras que luchando por no ser y por vivir, me despedazan el deber y mi sentir. Y por pensar [Trágico dilema, drama sin final, |
With the night ahead of me, tossing and turning… I painfully question my conscience: Why go on? Each step in life is a disaster, is one more wound. While I’m wrestling with living and dying, duty and my feelings are tearing me apart. And to think Tragic dilemma, drama without end, |
Pa' Que Seguir?
("Why go on?")
Music: Francisco Fiorentino
Lyrics: Pedro Lloret
Recorded by Orquesta Típica Aníbal Troilo with vocal by Francisco Fiorentino on 14 December 1942. RCA-Victor 39812 84188.
English-language version by Michael Krugman for TangoDecoder.com. All Rights Reserved.
Troilo's signature vocalist Francisco Fiorentino was also a gifted bandoneonista, so it's not surprising that he could write a song this good. It's said this was also the last song he sung with Troilo's orchestra.
This time in American history has a certain epochal finality to it—the age of democracy seems to be coming to an end. My musical soundtrack for this moment is Pá qué seguir.
"Why go on?"
| Con la noche enfrente, revolviéndome, dolorosamente a mi conciencia pregunté: Pa' qué seguir? Cada paso por la vida es un fracaso, es una herida más Mientras que luchando por no ser y por vivir, me despedazan el deber y mi sentir. Y por pensar [Trágico dilema, drama sin final, |
With the night ahead of me, tossing and turning… I painfully question my conscience: Why go on? Each step in life is a disaster, is one more wound. While I’m wrestling with living and dying, duty and my feelings are tearing me apart. And to think Tragic dilemma, drama without end, |
For a brief period in 1945, Miguel Caló's star vocalist Raúl Iriarte left the band, along with its pianist, Osmar Maderna, to form a new orchestra. It didn't last long, as indicated by this report in Cantando weekly that appeared in late 1945 or early 1946.
"The vocalist Raúl Iriarte, who previously responded to the baton of Miguel Caló, will again perform with said orchestra. Iriarte, who until a few days ago belonged to the orchestra directed by Osmar Maderna, now separated from that maestro, comes to share hits with Caló's new orchestra. The news spread quickly, giving rise to numerous rumors. Nevertheless we can affirm that this is the result of a series of amicable arrangements that in no way alter the gentlemanly ways of these artists." (Cantando, 1945)
Good to know!
"Once again joining the group of his former director, Raúl Iriarte reappears, a performer whose manly voice and distinctive personality have marked him as one of our star singers. Here we see Caló's orchestra with his singers Iriarte and Arrieta at the cabaret Ocean Dancing, where night by night they are winning more applause."
(Iriarte, wearing a light colored suit, stands in the back row directly behind the microphone. Arrieta is to his left.)
Source: Cantando, 1945. Photo: Tango Time Machine.
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