Malena
Malena is the title of a tango written by Homero Manzi in 1941. The music was composed by Lucio Demare.
Lyrics writer(s):
The poet speaks of Malena, moved by her interpretation of tangos. Her voice reveals the pain in her life and her heart.
Recordings
At the moment, there are no recordings for this song stored in the TangoWiki. If you have sources, add a new recording.
Lyrics
Malena canta el tango como ninguna
y en cada verso pone su corazón.
A yuyo del suburbio su voz perfuma,
Malena tiene pena de bandoneón.
Tal vez allá en la infancia su voz de alondra
tomó ese tono triste de la canción,
o acaso aquel romance que sólo nombra
cuando se pone triste con el alcohol.
Malena canta el tango con voz de sombra,
Malena tiene pena de bandoneón.
Tu canción
tiene el frío del último encuentro.
Tu canción
se hace amarga en la sal del recuerdo.
Yo no sé
si tu voz es la flor de una pena,
sólo sé que al rumor de tus tangos, Malena,
te siento más buena,
más buena que yo.
Tus ojos son oscuros como el olvido,
tus labios apretados como el rencor,
tus manos dos palomas que sienten frío,
tus venas tienen sangre de bandoneón.
Tus tangos son criaturas abandonadas
que cruzan sobre el barro del callejón,
cuando todas las puertas están cerradas
y ladran los fantasmas de la canción.
Malena canta el tango con voz quebrada,
Malena tiene pena de bandoneón.
Malena sings the tango like no other
and in every verse she pours her heart.
Her voice gives out the scent of weeds from the suburbs,
Malena has the sadness of a bandoneon.
Maybe, back in her childhood, her lark voice
took that sad tone of the song,
or perhaps it was that romance she only talks about
when she gets sad with alcohol.
Malena sings the tango with a shadow-like voice,
Malena has the sorrow of a bandoneon.
Your song
has the cold of the last encounter.
Your song
becomes bitter with the salt of memory.
I don’t know
if your voice is a sorrow’s flower,
I just know that by the murmur of your tangos, Malena,
I feel you’re better,
much better than me.
Your eyes are dark like oblivion,
your lips, tight like rancour,
your hands, two doves that feel cold,
your veins have bandoneon blood.
Your tangos are abandoned creatures
that walk across the mud of a back alley,
when all the doors are locked
and the ghosts of song bark.
Malena sings the tango with a broken voice,
Malena has the sorrow of a bandoneon.
References
Further links
- Malena on tango.info
- Malena on todotango.com
- Malena on poesiadegotan.com
- Translation on letrasdetango.wordpress.com
- Translation on tangoDC.com