[Updated version of this post, including our subtitled video of the song]
Last night we danced to Pugliese and Maciel's rendering of Cascabelito. There were only three couples left on the pista by that time, and it was dreamy dancing it with C in that wide open space. I had prepared this version of the lyrics several months ago, so I was able to follow pretty much word for word as I danced. That really added to the experience! It was very emotive. Other versions are by Canaro, Di Sarli/Rufino, D'Agostino/Ruiz, Florindo Sassone, etc.
Jake Spatz did his own English version of the song a while back. I love his rendering of the title, "Little jing-a-ling," but that's his and I leave it to him. I chose to explore its meaning in greater detail in the notes, below. As always, I'm open to your comments and corrections. Enjoy!
Sheet-music cover courtesy of TodoTango. Not sure where I copped the lyrics....
Tango Decoder version Copyright © 2014.
Cascabelito (1924)
Music: Jose Bohr
Lyrics: Juan Andrés Caruso
Amidst the wild celebration,
mysterious little masquerader,
let’s steal away together,
from this crazy Carnaval!
Where have you gone to, Cascabelito,*
flighty* little masquerader,
so pretty, so flirtatious,
with your crystal laugh?
Entre la loca alegría
volvamos a darnos cita
misteriosa mascarita
de aquel loco Carnaval.
Donde estás Cascabelito,
mascarita pizpireta,
tan bonita y tan coqueta
con tu risa de cristal.
Cascabel, Cascabelito;
Laugh, laugh, don’t cry,
may your childish laughter
hold the scent of your future loves.
Cascabel, Cascabelito;
laugh, don’t have a care,
Though I’m not beside you,
You’re always in my heart.
Cascabel, Cascabelito;
ríe, ríe y no llores
que tu risa juvenil
tenga perfumes de tus amores.
Cascabel, Cascabelito;
ríe, no tengas cuidado
que aunque no estoy a tu lado
te llevo en mi corazón.
Mysterious little masquerader,
to put me under your spell,
you rewarded me with
the carnation of your lips.
And as we parted,
full of sweet delight,
the sound of our kiss
drowned out your bell.
Mascarita misteriosa,
por tener mi alma suspensa
me ofreciste en recompensa
tu boca como un clavel.
Y cuando nos despedimos
llenos de dulce embeleso,
el ruido de nuestro beso
lo apagó tu cascabel.
NOTES
* Cascabel, cascabelito: A cascabel is a little bell or more particularly a jingle-bell. (Note the sheet music, with the lovers’ kiss reflected on the surface of a jingle-bell.) Girls sometimes sewed one or more jingle-bells into the hem of their skirts to make a flirty jingling sound when they moved—that fact is not directly referenced in the lyric, but it is implied. However, cascabel also has a negative connotation as in ser un cascabel, to be scatter-brained, flaky, or flighty, which the girl in the song does seem to be. Finally, a cascabel is a rattlesnake, although that doesn’t seem to be at issue here. The girl in the song isn’t venomous; she’s just young, flirtatious, and possibly a bit of a tease. "Cascabelito," then, has a double meaning. It is a term of endearment, but it's also a veiled comment on the girl's character, depending on how it's taken.
*flighty: Pizpireta, meaning high-spirited, also fickle or provocative. I used flighty, which to my mind says all of that in a word.
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