La cárcel de Cananea
La cárcel de Cananea (Spanish: "Cananea jail") is a corrido (Mexican ballad) written in 1917 commemorating the Cananea Strike that took place in the Mexican mining town of Cananea, Sonora, in June 1906.[1][2] It has been produced in numerous versions, including one by Linda Ronstadt[3] on her album Canciones de mi padre, released in 1987.
English translation
I am going to recount to you all what happened to me, (2x)
They've taken me prisoner for being an oft-played fighting cock. (2x)
I went to Agua Prieta to see who would recognize me, (2x)
And at eleven o'clock that night, the police apprehended me. (2x)
The officers* grabbed me in the gringo style, (2x)
Like a wanted fugitive, all of them with pistols in their hands. (2x)
The jail of Cananea is situated up on a mesa, (2x)
Where I was "processed" because of my careless blunder. (2x)
A farewell I do not give because I do not carry it here. (2x)
I leave it to the Holy Child and the Lord of Mapimí. (2x)
(*) In different versions of the song, the word "officers" is "gendarmes" or "sheriffes". In the previous verse, the word "police" is always "policía".
External links
- A short audio clip provided by the Smithsonian Institution can be heard here.
- A longer audio clip of the same track can be heard here