Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha

Subject: La Cucaracha
From:
Date: 28 Mar 99 - 10:01 PM

Am looking for the lyrics of "La Cucaracha" in Spanish with the English translation.

Subject: RE: La Cucaracha
From: Mark Roffe
Date: 28 Mar 99 - 10:27 PM

"La Cucaracha, la cucaracha, ya no puede caminar. Porque le falte y necessite marijuana a fumar." The story I heard is that this was written about Pancho Villa's car. It means "The cockaroach, the cockaroach, can go no further. Because it's lacking and it needs marijuana to smoke."

Subject: RE: La Cucaracha
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Mar 99 - 02:53 AM

Hi - we had quite a discussion of that song a while ago - Click here.
You also might find this interesting.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: to La Cucaracha
From:
Date: 09 Feb 01 - 01:37 AM

We are doing a silly play for the cubs scouts and need the Lyrics to this song La Cucaracha Please help we need the song by 2/10/01

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Feb 01 - 01:59 AM

Good thing you said it's for the Cub Scouts. The original version is about a cockroach who doesn't have any marijuana to smoke. I'll look around for a more suitable version. English or Spanish?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Feb 01 - 02:24 AM

Well, I didn't find a kids' version. You can Click here to get to our previous discussion of the song. You may be able to glean a cleaned-up version from there - but even Carl Sandburg's rendition has the marijuana. I worked as a Cubmaster for ten years, and I can say with certainty that the Boy Scouts of America would not look favorably on this.
-Joe Offer- (e-mail sent)

Subject: Lyr Add: LA CUCARACHA
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Feb 01 - 02:38 AM

Well, here's one that sounds OK. I don't understand every word, but in this one, the cockroach doesn't have money to eat. This version is from a rather extensive lyrics site at the National Institutes of Health, which also disapproves of marijuana...
Here's the URL for the site:
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kidspan/lyrics/cucaracha.htm

Can anybody come up with a translation?
-Joe Offer-

---

(Mexican folk song)

La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
ya no quiere caminar,
porque no tiene, porque le falta
dinero para gastar.

Una cucaracha pinta!
Le dijo a una colorada:
vámonos para mi tierre,
a pasar la temporada.

Todas las muchachas tienen
en los ojos dos estrellas,
pero las mejicanitas
de seguro son más bellas!

La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
ya no quiere caminar,
porque no tiene, porque le falta
dinero para gastar.

(Otra versión)

La cucaracha, la cucaracha
Ya no puede caminar
Porque no tiene, porque le falta
Unas patitas para andar.

Ya murio la cucaracha
Ya la llevan a enterrrar
Entre cuatro zopilotes
Y un raton de sacristan.

Una cucaracha pinta
Le dijo a la colorada
Vamonos para mi tierra
A pasar la temporada

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: GUEST,celticblues5
Date: 09 Feb 01 - 12:55 PM

Ha! This has always been so funny. In old cartoons, they used La C all the time - but they only ever sang the first four words - "La Cucaracha, la cucaracha," and then degenerated into "la la-la-la la-la-la" or some variation thereof. Couldn't have Daffy Duck singing about the evil weed, now could we? ;-)

Subject: Lyr Add: LA CUCARACHA (English version)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 09 Feb 01 - 06:06 PM

Try the English version from the show "Viva Mexico" if the Spanish defeats you:

La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
That's our catchy little song
La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
While we're galloping along

La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
You can hear it far and wide,
La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
Everywhere the rebels ride.

Though for the creature we have little feeling,
And as a tune it might not mean a thing,
It has a beat that people find appealing,
And morning, noon and night we love to sing,

La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
Oh how thrilling it can be,
La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
Still the song for you and me.

Then there's a bit with a four-part harmony counter-melody

Peace shall not reign, while tyrants remain,
They'll hear our refrain, time and time again.
Who, under the sun, from duty would run,
Till justice is done, till the battle has been won.

Then it gets more complicated again, but basically goes back to the first verse, finishing with--

Till our Mexico is free!

But if you don't like this, might I suggest the time-honoured tradition of Scout and Cub camps of using the tune and making up your own words to suit the foibles of Akela and his/her cronies.

Tattie B

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 13-Jul-02.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 09 Feb 01 - 07:59 PM

Thanks for these lyrics Joe. I am the only Anglo in an otherwise totally Hispanic organization, and every lunchtime, the "roach-coach" appears, playing this tune. Now I will have two Spanish songs to sing. (Freddy Fender's "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" being the other)

Murray

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Feb 01 - 11:08 PM

I learned it as "...aquadiente que tomar." Aquadiente literally means water with teeth, i.e., liquor. still not suitable for cub scouts bt at least it's legal for some people.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: GUEST,Fred
Date: 09 Feb 01 - 11:24 PM

Ay, Ay, Ay! Chihuahua!! Where is Pancho Villa when we need him?! Maybe we need another revolucion if the gringos are going to take all the fun out of our native songs. Of course, good Boy Scouts have never heard of marijuana.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: Hollowfox
Date: 10 Feb 01 - 10:21 AM

When my mother sang this song to me (I was 3 or 4, let's not go into details), she told me that "La C" was a jeep that had run out of gasoline. (Cassells Spanish Dictionary translates gasoline as "gasoleno" or "gasolina") My mother used the femenine form, and kept "fumar" (to smoke) as the verb, which can make sense if you stretch it a bit.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Feb 01 - 05:08 PM

Murray, please note that the marijuana-free lyrics have been sanitized, and are not the original version of this song. The traditional lyrics are in this thread (click). I feel a bit ashamed of myself for presenting the sanitized lyrics, and I'm not sure I could sing them in public. If the marijuana lyrics are good enough for Carl Sandburg, they're certainly good enough for me (but they probably won't meet the approval of the Boy Scouts of America).
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: Maryrrf
Date: 11 Feb 01 - 03:47 PM

I don't think it's "aguadiente" but "aguardiente" which translates "firewater".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: GUEST,gwennee australia
Date: 14 Jul 02 - 10:53 PM

Do you know where I might get lyrics to where the next teardrop falls.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: masato sakurai
Date: 15 Jul 02 - 12:23 AM

It may not be the right thread for the request, but anyway HERE's the lyrics for "Before the Next Teardrop Falls."

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 12:03 AM

Much more complete lyrics, references and history of this old tune in thread 5841: Cucaracha

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: GUEST
Date: 08 May 08 - 05:51 PM

La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
ya no quiere caminar,
porque no tiene, porque le falta
dinero para gastar.

Una cucaracha pinta!
Le dijo a una colorada:
vámonos para mi tierre,
a pasar la temporada.

Todas las muchachas tienen
en los ojos dos estrellas,
pero las mejicanitas
de seguro son más bellas!

La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
ya no quiere caminar,
porque no tiene, porque le falta
dinero para gastar.

(Otra versión)

La cucaracha, la cucaracha
Ya no puede caminar
Porque no tiene, porque le falta
Unas patitas para andar.

Ya murio la cucaracha
Ya la llevan a enterrrar
Entre cuatro zopilotes
Y un raton de sacristan.

Una cucaracha pinta
Le dijo a la colorada
Vamonos para mi tierra
A pasar la temporada

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: Greg F.
Date: 09 May 08 - 05:56 PM

...but they probably won't meet the approval of the Boy Scouts of America

There isn't a whole helluva lot these days that DOES meet the approval of the BSA - it isn't remotely the organization I volunteered with 30 years ago as an Assistant Scioutmaster, Scoutmaster, and Explorer Post leader and assistant camp director.

Its downfall dates from the time the national HQ moved from New Jersey to the heart of the 'Bible Belt' in Texas and it has become increasingly bigoted, intolerant and fundagelical ever since.

'Tis a shame, too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: to La Cucaracha
From: GUEST,nina trenas
Date: 27 Nov 09 - 08:12 PM