El café de Chinitas
From Andalusia, the southernmost province of Spain. This folkloric song was collected by Federico García Lorca in the 1920s.
El café de Chinitas
The Chinitas Café
Canción popular
Folk Song
(Spanish)
(English)
1
En el café de Chinitas
dijo Paquiro a su hermano:
En el café de Chinitas
dijo Paquiro a su hermano:
"Soy más valiente que tú,
más torero y más gitano".
"Soy más valiente que tú,
más torero y más gitano".
2
Sacó Paquiro el reló
y dijo de esta manera,
Sacó Paquiro el reló
y dijo de esta manera:
"Este toro ha de morir
antes de las cuatro y media".
"Este toro ha de morir
antes de las cuatro y media".
3
Al dar las cuatro en la calle
se salieron del café,
Al dar las cuatro en la calle
se salieron del café
Y era Paquiro en la calle
un torero de cartel,
y era Paquiro en la calle
un torero de cartel.
1.
In the Chinitas Café
Paquiro* said to his brother,
In the Chinitas Café
Paquiro said to his brother:
"I'm braver than you are,
A better bullfighter and a better gypsy."
"I'm braver than you are,
A better bullfighter and a better gypsy."
2.
Paquiro took out his watch
And put it this way,
Paquiro took out his watch
And put it this way:
"That bull will die
Before 4:30."
"That bull will die
Before 4:30."
3.
At 4 o'clock by the street clock
They left the café.
At 4 o'clock by the street clock
They left the café.
And in the street Paquiro was
A premiere bullfighter.
And in the street Paquiro was
A premiere bullfighter.
Notes
*Equivalent to "Frankie".
Comments
According to Francisco Bejarano Robles, it's called "El café de Chinitas" because a theater actor whose alias was 'El Chinitas' and famous at that time used to perform there. According to the flamencologist Gonzalo Rojo, his real name was Gabriel López."
Note: The "Café de Chinitas" was a small theater/"singing" café in Malaga between 1857 and 1937. It seems to owe its name to the small pebbles (chinitas) that covered its patio floor.
