Translation of the song La Piragua artist Carlos Vives
La Piragua
The Canoe
Me contaron los abuelos
My grandparents told me
que hace tiempo,
that a long time ago
Navegaba en el Cesar
A canoe navigated
una piragua
in the Cesar1
Que partía de
That would depart from
El Banco viejo puerto
the old port at El Banco
A las playas de amor
To the beaches of love
en Chimichagua.
in Chimichagua.
Capoteando el vendaval
Dodging the gale,
se estremecía,
it would tremble,
Y impasible desafiaba la tormenta
And impassively challenge the storm
Y un ejército de estrellas la seguía
And an army of stars would follow it,
Tachonandola de luz y de leyenda.
Studding it with light and with legend.
Era la piragua
It was the canoe
de Guillermo Cubillos,
of Guillermo Cubillos,
Era la piragua,
It was the canoe,
Era la piragua.(2Xs)
It was the canoe. (x2)
Doce bogas con la piel
Twelve rowers with skin
color Majagua,
the color of Majagua2
Y con ellos
And with them
el temible Pedro Albundia.
the fearsome Pedro Albundia.
Por las noches
At night
a los remos le arrancaban
they would extract from their oars
Un melódico rugir
A melodic roar
de hermosa cumbia.
of a beautiful cumbia.
Doce sombras, ahora viejas,
Twelve shadows, now old,
ya no reman;
no longer row;
Ya no cruje el maderamen
The wood no longer creaks
en el agua.
in the water.
Solo quedan
All that is left
los recuerdos en la arena
are memories in the sand
Donde yace
Where the
dormitando la piragua.
canoe now lies dozing.
Era la piragua
It was the canoe
de Guillermo Cubillos,
of Guillermo Cubillos,
Era la piragua,
It was the canoe,
Era la piragua.(2Xs)
It was the canoe. (x2)
Era la piragua,era la piragua(2Xs)
It was the canoe, it was the canoe(2Xs)
Era la piragua
It was the canoe
de Guillermo Cubillos,
of Guillermo Cubillos,
Era la piragua,
It was the canoe,
Era la piragua.(2Xs)
It was the canoe. (x2)
La piragua, la piragua, la piragua...
The canoe, the canoe, the canoe...