Milonga lunfarda [English translation]

In this beautiful country,

my land, Argentina,

a woman is a mine,

and an accordion a bandonion.

A snitch is a button,

a police officer, a white hair

A robber steals, 1

and a "chorro" is a vulgar thief

A fool is called a twit,

and a smart ass gets their frog beaten

Dough or cash

is money in circulation,

and to push an ass is to tell a story

Saying something wardsback is to say it backwards

If you molt, you have something.

If you're below a branch, you're destitute.

If you are doing well, you're doing straight.

If you're on the floor, you have nothing.

To plate something is to conveniently

get something for something already made

A modest room is where

you make love,

and an opulent person is a good gentleman

who spends his money well.

Your neighbor is the tart,

a tordoc is some doctor,

and a tin is the bar

where some drunk gets drunk

If you take wide steps,

you look down on others.

The one who labor, the one who works 2

and if you do nothing, you're lazy

Your look is what determines

to what degree you're an imposter

A bad streak is a misiadura 3

which is making your life difficult

A bed is a catrera, 4

and to get moth eaten is to sleep

To get torn or run off means to leave,

and everybody understands this

And what will they talk to you about?

Everything has been clocked

What’s been seen has been juna’o.

All my land knows it,

and even the Royal Spanish Academy,

who knows a lot about speaking,

will ask Pichuco 5

and Grela 6 to play their guitars

and sing as a group

this Lunfardian Milonga

1. Afanar means to steal something 2. To labor means to work 3. Misiadura means poverty or misery 4. catrera is a slang designed to the place you sleep; bed. Popular european slang is "catre" 5. He was an Argentine composer 6. Roberto Grela was a guitarist and composer of Tango

• Artist:Edmundo Rivero