La Cucaracha- Old verses, and translation of a version posted by Joe Offer, have been added to thread 5841: La Cucarocha

Song originated in Spain, perhaps when the Moors were being contested, but no direct evidence except the oldest known verse is about the Moors.
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Octosyllabic-
The following lines have eight syllables- a standard poetic form in the 'romances' written in Spain.
Del pellejo del rey moro
tengo que hacer un sofá,
etc.
Some lines use words that add up to more than eight syllables, but delivery and pronunciation were adjusted by the declaimer. Words like que, de, un una, etc. often get little sound value in speech.   
A versifier could explain more elegantly, but the above may help.