Tango Bar (1935)
"Por una cabeza"
Spanish-English interlinear translation
Por una cabeza
| 1 Por una cabeza de un noble potrillo que justo en la raya afloja al llegar, y que al regresar parece decir: No olvidés, hermano, vos sabés, no hay que jugar. | by a head of a pedigree young-horse that just in the line it-slackens when it- arrives, and that when it-returns it-seems to-say: not forget, brother, you you-know, not there-is to-bet. |
| 2 Por una cabeza, metejón de un día de aquella coqueta y burlona mujer, (y risuena mujer,) que al jurar sonriendo el amor que está mintiendo, quema en una hoguera todo mi querer. | by a head, being-in-heat of a day of that inconstant and kidding (smiling) woman, who when she-swears smiling the love that she-is lying-about, burning in a large-fire all my love. |
| ** 3a Por una cabeza, todas las locuras. Su boca que besa, borra la tristeza, calma la amargura. 3b Por una cabeza, si ella me olvida qué importa perderme mil veces la vida, para qué vivir. ** | caused-by a head, all the insanities. her mouth that it-makes-contact, it-deletes the sadness, it-calms the bitterness. caused-by a head, if she about-me she-forgets what it-matters to-lose-myself thousand times the life, for what to-be-alive. |
4 Cuántos desengaños, por una cabeza. Yo juré mil veces, no vuelvo a insistir. Pero si un mirar me hiere al pasar, sus labios de fuego (su boca de fuego) otra vez quiero besar. | how-many lost-illusions by a head. I I-swore thousand times, not I-return to repeat. but if a look me it-hurts when it-passes, her lips of fire (her mouth of fire) one-more time I-desire to-kiss. |
| 5 Basta de carreras, se acabó la timba. ¡Un final reñido ya no vuelvo a ver! Pero si algún pingo llega a ser fija el domingo, yo me juego entero. ¡Qué le voy a hacer..! | it-is-enough of races, itself it-finished the-card-game. an end of-tight-race now not I-return to see! but if some horse it-becomes certain on-the Sunday, I myself I-play whole-number what about-it I'm-going to do..! |
repeat **
Carlos Gardel sings at the beginning of the movie.
1 --> 2 -->3 with chorus --> 4 --> 5 -->3a chorus
---Horse racing video,
Gardel says "por una cabeza", and shreds a ticket..----
-->3a chorus -->3b with chorus
note----------------------------------------------------------
1 "por una cabeza" by a head, by a horse's head length, a winning margin in
horse racing.
noble : noble "noble" may mean "Thoroughbred"
potrillo: A horse less than three years old.
raya : line, finish line
2 metejón : passionate infatuation
hoguera : bonfire, stake
3 perder la vida : to lose one's life
4 insistir : to insist
5
se acabó : it's over
timba: a game of chance, especially of cards
pingo : (Argentina, Uruguay) a horse
llegar a ser : to become
fija : (Andes, Cono Sur) One who will get a safe win in horse racing.
¡Qué le voy a hacer! : How can I help it?
References
Spanish-English dictionary http://www.spanishdict.com/
Text https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Por_una_Cabeza
