With Teflon Soles, Maybe?

I took this on my last visit to Buenos Aires. I'd just had lunch and a spirited conversation with Michael Lavocah and La Belle Birgit at the Café Británico, and there was a bit of cobblestone-paved street outside.

It reminds me of the first stanza of SOY MUCHACHO DE LA GUARDIA:

I belong to the old guard!
I'm not afraid to dance on the cobblestones...
With my style and my reputation,
and my slouch hat cocked to one side,
I spin like a top
when I step on a polished floor.
I belong to the old guard!
Forgive me if I've stepped out of line.

Soy muchacho de la guardia! 
No me asusta el empedrao... 
Con mi estampa y mi cartel
Y el chambergo requintao, 
Me hago ovillo y carretel
Cuando piso el encerao. 
Soy muchacho de la guardia! 
Disculpen si me he bandeao.

Empedrao, requintao, hacerse ovillo y carretel, encerao, bandeao. Good vocabulary, especially if you want to speak 1920s hipster castellano....

Full lyrics, translation, notes and commentary...

 

Comments

[Michael Lavocah]

Michael you really capture the spirit of the lyric in this translation. Thanks too for this nice souvenir of our meeting.