Juan Charrasqueado [English translation]

I’m going to sing an old ballad telling the story of

what happened somewhere on the ranch on the range,

the sad story of some farmer in love,

who was a boozer, a rake and a gambler.

His name was Juan and they called him “The Scar”.

He was brave and adventurous in love.

The most beautiful women possessed him

and where they lived there was not a flower left.

One Sunday, when he was getting drunk

people hurried to the tavern to warn him:

“Beware, Juan, they are already looking for you.

A lot of men, so don’t let them kill you.

He had no time to mount his horse,

someone from the crowd threw him a gun.

“Maybe I’m drunk, but I’m a tough guy”

he said before a bullet hit his heart.

With the rain the corn grew on the field

and the pigeons are flying to the rocky grounds.

Today they lead beautiful bulls to the slaughterhouse.

What a beautiful horse rides the one who leads them!

And the church bells are already tolling,

all the faithful go there to pray

and from the mountains the farmers bring down

a body of a dead man to bury him.

In a very humble hut a little boy is crying,

and women preach to his mother and go away

while his mother comforts him tenderly and

looking at the sky she cries and prays for her Juan.

And this is how this ballad ends,

a ballad about a Don Juan with a scar,

who, as it was believed, was spoiled by women

and who was a boozer, a troublemaker and a gambler.