U want an underworld tango ?

Subject: U want an underworld tango ?
From: Escamillo
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 12:03 PM

Last night I was ocasionally hearing a very slangish tango and was wandering how hilarious it would be to present to an English-speaking audience such a piece of underworld art, but in a form that they could understand. A translation would be needed, but not an academic one, but the most SLANG, gangster, language found in NY or Chicago. Anyone interested in a cooperative authoring of a bastarded English lyrics ? (Nothing dirty, just criminal). I would give you the MIDI and the lyrics with a good explanation, and you (disguised as gangsters)would find the words and make them rhyme. Of course the copyright is yours.
Oh.. the subject of the song is satyrical, very funny in Lunfardo (underworld Spanish of Buenos Aires in the 20's) If some interested, let me know.
I've searched the forum, and much have been said about tango, but looks that no experience like this was tried. Un abrazo - Andrés Magré

Subject: RE: U want an underworld tango ?
From: GUEST,emily rain at the U Dub
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 05:19 PM

wow, Andrés! cool idea! i only wish i spoke gangsta well enough to join the fun. good luck, and i definitely want to see the final result.

emily

Subject: RE: U want an underworld tango ?
From: jeffp
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 07:02 PM

Emily's post prompts me to ask for some clarification. Andr$eacute;s, do you want the current "gangsta" (rap) type of language or the "Guys and Dolls" type of 1930s gangster type of language?

I suspect the phoaks at the Mudcat might be better at the latter. If you are interested in the former, I can probably get some help from my daughter's boyfriend and some of their friends. Let us know please.

Subject: RE: U want an underworld tango ?
From: Escamillo
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 09:26 PM

You would decide which type of slang is more appropiate, the song is from the 20 decade, but an update would be funny too. Let's wait a day or two, to see if there's more people, otherwise we may start with JeffP version.
Un abrazo - Andrés

Subject: RE: U want an underworld tango ?
From: Escamillo
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 02:28 AM

Refreshing.. Anyone else interested ?
(This also applies to any other song you may like, but this one seemed to me really hilarious)

Subject: RE: U want an underworld tango ?
From: Alice
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 02:03 PM

Andrés, this idea is very interesting. I hope someone who does know the appropriate slang for translation will take on the project. Do you think these words are even able to be translated to English? Do they really have meaning only in the Argentine crime culture?

Can you give us a translation to English of some of the Lunfardo expressions?

alice

Subject: RE: U want an underworld tango ?
From: Escamillo
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 03:01 PM

Alice, I think it would be funny to translate the idea, since many words don't have a literal translation, but luckily the idea is universal: in this song, for example, it is a mockery on a "dandy" who is dandy only on Saturday nights and dully tries to imitate the seasoned "kings of the night" - all pimps, gigolós and bums of the city.
For example, laburo = hard working
How would a pimp call the activity of hard working ? Surely with a despective word ! That's the word we should find.
Lunfardo is basically the jargon of prisoners, invented to confuse the ears of the guards (an the police ears on the streets), and has taken many words from Napolitan, Caló, Euskera, Italian, and even English. Popularized by the tango (which has its origins in the marginal world), the Lunfardo has been so widely known that there is an Argentine Academy of the Lunfa, with many recognized poets and intellectual people participating in its research. Then the criminals were forced to change the jargon continually, which makes this more interesting, since it becomes a very LIVE language :)
Chau, que te garúe finito ! (Goodbye, Let the rains be light on you)
Andrés

Subject: RE: U want an underworld tango ?
From: Escamillo
Date: 27 Jan 00 - 12:56 AM

Oops.. reading the interesting thread "Blues vs. Rap", I now realize what would be the impression of people about my suggestion, if they visualize gangsta sub-culture as the present RAP shows it to us.
I feel that some clarification should be made: while there is an interesting phenomenon of tango raising from the marginal world and gaining a place in pop music, tango has never been an expression of anger or hate. It is melancholic indeed, sad, pesimistic, critics, and sometimes ironically humorous, but you'll never find a word about rape, drugs, or encouraging of crime of any kind. Furthermore, most of tango is not criminal, of course. Even in those like the one I was referring to, the most criminal expression you may find is "the clothes I took from his room". References to murder in other tangos are few, always in passional situations, and always in a context of grief and repentance.

Let's consider that tango was originated by the end of the 19th century, in the suburban area of Buenos Aires (where it took its roots in the Habanera, the country-folk Milonga and some African components) and was influenced by the late romanticism of classics too, and from its very beginning conquered the hearts of popular poets who immortalized so many masterpieces of true music.

Curiously, I personally choose spirituals, traditional and some jazz to perform when I'm for a solo. May be tango is too pesimistic for my taste, or I'm not a nationalist at all. I still owe to Kat a tape with my voice, then I'll record one tango and one spiritual :)
Un abrazo - Andrés

Subject: RE: U want an underworld tango ?
From: Amos
Date: 28 Jan 00 - 12:54 AM

Post 'em, Andres! Miramos que podemos hacer! We seem to have some real Chicago-style toughs in the Mudcat speakeasy -- let's see how good they are! :>)

Amos

Subject: RE: U want an underworld tango ?
From: Escamillo
Date: 28 Jan 00 - 03:31 AM

Ok (oh - I should say "macanudo"), I'll post the lyrics tonight and submit a MIDI to Mudcat in the weekend.
Good Spanish, Amos ! Prepare to study Lunfa
Un abrazo - Andrés

Subject: RE: U want an underworld tango ?
From: Escamillo
Date: 29 Jan 00 - 03:26 AM

GARUFA
Lyrics: Roberto Fontaina.
Music : Juan A. Collazo.

Del BArrio La MonDIOla sos el mas RAna
---- From the slums of The Salami you are the most sly
y TE llaman GaRUfa por lo baCAN,
---- and you're called Carousal for you're a (x1)
teNES mas pretenSIOnes que bataCLAna
---- you have more pretentions than a (x2)
que huBIEra hecho suCEso CON un goTAN.
---- who had made a successs singing a tango

DuRANte la seMAna, MEta al laBUro
---- The whole week only hard working
y el SAbado a la NOche SOS un docTOR...
---- but Saturday night you are a Doctor
Te enCAjas las poLAInas Y EL cuello DUro,
---- you fit in your leggings and hard collar
y TE venis al CENtro DE rompeDOR.
---- and come to downtown, as a heart-breaker

Chorus:
GaRU..FA!
---- Carousal ! Pucha que SOS diverTIdo!
---- a heck of a cool guy
GaRU..FA!
---- Carousal ! vos sos un CAso perDI..DO.
---- you're a lost case
Tu VIE..JA
---- Your old mother
dice que SOS un banDI..DO
---- says that you're a little rogue
porque SUpo que te VIE..RON,
---- 'cause she knows that you were seen
la otra NO..CHE
---- the last night..
en el PARque JapoNES...
---- in the Attractions Park !

CaES a la miLONga EN cuanto emPIEza
---- You drop into the dancing as it begins
y SOS para las MInas EL vareaDOR;
---- and for the (x3) you are the (x4)
sos CApaz de baiLARte LA MarseYEsa
---- able to dance on the Marseillaise,
la MArcha GariBALdi Y El TrovaDOR...
---- the Garibaldi March and the Trovatore

Con UN cafe con LEche Y Una ensaiMAda
---- With a caffe au lait and a croissant
reMAtas esa NOche DE bacaNAL,
---- you finish the night of Bacanal
y al VOLver a tu CAsa DE madruGAda
---- and back home in the morning
deCIS... "Yo soy un RA..NA fenomeNAL."
---- tell yourself "I'm a phenomenal sly !"

Chorus

x1) bacán = young rich bum - gambler- suspicious of being supported by a woman
x2) bataclana = dancer of the old cheap Bataclan Theatre, never supposed to sing.
x3) mina = woman, the category of cabaret, but the term was extended to all loveable women.
x4) vareador = the laborer (pedestrian) in charge of driving horses for a daily ride or exhibition

Important: I've capitalized the syllabes that fall into the first beat of a 2/4. That's why you may find a word separated, as in GaRU..FA, it means an eighth note in Ga, followed by a half note in RU and the next half note in FA, while "madruGAda" means 8th, 8th, 4th, 4th. This is to facilitate fitting the words, while I'm preparing the full MIDI file.

I found "carousal" in my dictionary, for a spree, action of gambling, drinking, dancing, and all that horrible sins (mmppf) but surely there must be a word that fits better.

Wheeww... Un abrazo - Andrés

Subject: RE: U want an underworld tango ?
From: GUEST,Amos
Date: 29 Jan 00 - 07:44 PM

Well, I have printed it out and I'll try working it out over the weekend. No promises though!

Amos