Mandria: A Gaucho Leaves His Mark (1939)

Mandria (Worthless)
Tango, composed 1926
Music: Juan Rodríguez
Words: Francisco Brancatti & Juan Velich

This high-intensity tango never fails to energize the dancers at a milonga, especially in the version recorded by Juan D'Arienzo with Alberto Echagüe in 1939. Part of that effect is produced by the lyrics, which are laced with 100% pure, gaucho testosterone--for better or for worse. We present here a face-to-face Spanish and English-language version of the complete lyrics with notes and commentary. (Lyrics sung in the D'Arienzo/Echagüe recording of 1939 are in bold type.) We welcome your comments.

Original lyrics taken from the sheet music as seen on TodoTango.com. English-language version and notes by Michael Krugman and María Rosa Braile for Tango Decoder. For our subtitled video of this song, please see our next post.

Tome mi poncho... No se aflija... ¡Si hasta el cuchillo se lo presto! Cite, que en la cancha que usté elija he de dir y en fija no pondré mal gesto. Yo con el cabo de mi rebenque tengo de sobra pa' cobrarme... Nunca he sido un maula, ¡se lo juro! y en ningún apuro me sabré achicar. Por la mujer, creamé, no lo busqué... Es la acción que le viché al varón que en mi rancho cobijé... Es su maldad la que hoy me hace sufrir: Pa' matar pa' morir vine a pelear y el hombre ha de cumplir. Pa' los sotretas de su laya tengo güen brazo y estoy listo... Tome... Abaraje! si es de agaya, que el varón que taya debe estar previsto. Esta es mi marca y me asujeto. ¡Pa' qué pelear a un hombre mandria! Váyase con ella, la cobarde... Dígale que es tarde pero me cobré.

Take my poncho...Don’t worry... Why, I’ll even lend you my knife! Just tell me when, and in the field you choose, I’ll be there, and that's for sure, I won't object.* With the butt of my horsewhip,* I’ve got more than enough to avenge myself. I’ve never been cowardly—I promise you that! You’ll never see me shrink from a tight spot. As for the woman, believe me, I wasn't looking for her. It’s the deed I spied you doing, the man I sheltered in my shack. It’s your evil deed that galls me: I come to fight, To kill or be killed, and the man needs to do his part. For bums like you I’ve got a good arm and I’m ready. Take that... Counter it, if you’ve got guts!** because the worthy man* has to be prepared. This is my mark and I’m holding back.* Why bother fighting a worthless weakling! Go with her, the coward... Tell her it’s late, but I’ve had my revenge.

NOTES:

* I won't object: no pondré mal gesto. Poner mal gesto is an idiomatic expression meaning to make a rude gesture, to frown, to object to something by non-verbal means.

* horsewhip: rebenque. A short leather whip with a long, rigid handle, typically used by gauchos. (See photo, right)

* Take that... Counter it: Tome... Abaraje!  The protagonist lunges with his knife (Take that!) and defies his opponent to parry, to deflect the blow, and to counter it with another.

* if you've got guts: agayas, oak apples, are a spongy spherical gall that forms on oak trees in response to the developing larvae of a gall wasp. Possibly for that reason, men who are de agaya are men who have "guts." (See photo, right)

* the worthy man: el varón que taya. Taya (or talla) is moral stature or standing. Un hombre que taya is a man who is brave, worthy, or of high moral standing. One who "measures up."

* my mark... holding back: me asujeto (regional var. of sujetar). Most duels among gauchos were not fought to the death. Once one of the combatants was wounded, usually on the face, he was considered dishonored and the fight ended there. In keeping with that tradition, the song's protagonist has left his mark on his opponent, and refrains from further combat, deeming his opponent an hombre mandria, a worthless, wretched weakling. An urban variant of this theme is described in Pintín Castellanos' milonga El Cicatríz:

De matón tenés la fama ya no te queda ni la sombra del que has sido en el barrio de la Aguada tu furor ya se acabó. Conformate a balconearla, que ya en la cara te dejaron como muestra, con el filo de un facón la cicatriz como un recuerdo te quedó.

You've got a bad-ass reputation, but not a shadow of your former self remains; in the barrio of La Aguada you're no longer all the rage. Be satisfied with watching from a balcony 'cos with the blade of a dagger, they left on your face as proof the scar like a memory that never fades.