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Cambalache

Cambalache is a Tango written by Enrique Santos Discepolo and recorded by Miguel Caló in 1947. The Tango Cambalache is written by Enrique Santos Discepolo, Miguel Caló has recorded Cambalache with the singer Roberto Arrieta.
“**Cambalache**, meaning ‘**swap**’ or ‘**hodgepodge**’ in English, is a vibrant musical tapestry woven with irony and wisdom. It reflects a world where values are tossed into a blender, creating a chaotic mix of virtue and vice, justice and folly. In its melody, one hears the dance of life’s unpredictability, a poignant reminder of the blurred lines between right and wrong.”

Tango

Style

Miguel Caló

Orchestra

Roberto Arrieta

Singer

Enrique Santos Discepolo

Author

Enrique Santos Discepolo

Composer

1947/4/25

Date

Roberto Arrieta
Roberto Arrieta
Miguel Caló
Miguel Caló

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Cambalache recorded by other Orchestras

Cambalache recorded by other Orchestras

Lyrics Translation of the Tango Cambalache

This is the translation of the Tango “Cambalache” from Spanish to English. The English lyrics of the Tango “Cambalache” have been done with AI.

Letra del Tango Cambalache

Que el mundo fue y será una porquería

ya lo sé…

(¡En el quinientos seis

y en el dos mil también!).

Que siempre ha habido chorros,

maquiavelos y estafaos,

contentos y amargaos,

valores y dublé…

Pero que el siglo veinte

es un despliegue

de maldá insolente,

ya no hay quien lo niegue.

Vivimos revolcaos

en un merengue

y en un mismo lodo

todos manoseaos…



¡Hoy resulta que es lo mismo

ser derecho que traidor!…

¡Ignorante, sabio o chorro,

generoso o estafador!

¡Todo es igual!

¡Nada es mejor!

¡Lo mismo un burro

que un gran profesor!

No hay aplazaos

ni escalafón,

los inmorales

nos han igualao.

Si uno vive en la impostura

y otro roba en su ambición,

¡da lo mismo que sea cura,

colchonero, rey de bastos,

caradura o polizón!…



¡Qué falta de respeto, qué atropello

a la razón!

¡Cualquiera es un señor!

¡Cualquiera es un ladrón!

Mezclao con Stavisky va Don Bosco

y ‘La Mignón’,

Don Chicho y Napoleón,

Carnera y San Martín…

Igual que en la vidriera irrespetuosa

de los cambalaches

se ha mezclao la vida,

y herida por un sable sin remaches

ves llorar la Biblia

contra un calefón…



¡Siglo veinte, cambalache

problemático y febril!…

El que no llora no mama

y el que no afana es un gil!

¡Dale nomás!

¡Dale que va!

¡Que allá en el horno

nos vamo a encontrar!

¡No pienses más,

sentate a un lao,

que a nadie importa

si naciste honrao!

Es lo mismo el que labura

noche y día como un buey,

que el que vive de los otros,

que el que mata, que el que cura

o está fuera de la ley…

English lyrics of the Tango "Cambalache"

The world has been, and will be a cesspool,
I know it well…
(In 506
and in 2000 too!).
There have always been thieves,
schemers and cheated,
joyful and bitter,
values and counterfeit…

But the twentieth century
is a display
of insolent evil,
no one can deny it.
We live tangled up
in a meringue
and in the same mud
all of us tainted…

Today it turns out, it’s the same
to be honest or a traitor!…
Ignorant, wise or thief,
generous or swindler!
Everything is equal!
Nothing is better!
The same a donkey
as a great professor!
There are no delays
or rankings,
the immoral
have leveled us.
If one lives in deceit
and another steals in their ambition,
it’s the same whether he’s a priest,
mattress maker, king of clubs,
cheeky or stowaway!…

What disrespect, what a trample
on reason!
Anyone is a gentleman!
Anyone is a thief!
Mixed up with Stavisky goes Don Bosco
and ‘La Mignon’,
Don Chicho and Napoleon,
Carnera and San Martin…
Just like in the disrespectful showcase
of the swap meets
life has been mixed,
and wounded by a saber without rivets
you see the Bible crying
against a water heater…

Twentieth century, a problematic and feverish swap meet!…
He who doesn’t cry, doesn’t breastfeed
and he who doesn’t steal is a fool!
Go ahead then!
Keep it going!
Because there in the oven
we are going to meet!
Don’t think anymore,
sit aside,
nobody cares
if you were born honorable!
It’s the same the one who works
night and day like an ox,
as the one who lives off others,
the one who kills, the one who heals
or is outside the law…

Cambalache by Enrique Santos Discepolo

Cambalache is a Tango written by Enrique Santos Discepolo and composed by Enrique Santos Discepolo.



Story behind the Tango Cambalache

“Cambalache” which translates to “junk shop” or “bargain” in English, is a tango filled with critical views on societal decay and moral decline. Written in 1934, its lyrics reflect despair and disillusionment about society’s ethics and values during a tumultuous period in Argentina. The song suggests that chaos has become normal and ethics interchangeable, challenging listeners to reconsider their own moral standing in a world of general upheaval.



Symbolism of Cambalache

The song uses a mix of everyday characters and historical figures to symbolize the breakdown of traditional values and the rise of moral ambiguity. Phrases like “Que el mundo fue y será una porquería” (The world has been and will always be rubbish) establish a bleak worldview. Its reference to a “cambalache,” a place where items, valuable or worthless, are indistinguishably mixed, starkly symbolizes a society where moral distinctions are no longer clear. Discepolo paints a picture where saints and sinners, the educated and the ignorant are all jumbled together, diluting individual responsibility and virtues.



Cambalache in historic Context

“Cambalache” was written during the Infamous Decade, a period in Argentine history characterized by fraud, corruption, and the rise of authoritarianism following the 1930 coup. The lyrics’ mention of being born either honest or otherwise having no relevance reflects the pervasive feelings of disenfranchisement among people witnessing rampant corruption and societal disarray. The global reference to years “quinientos seis” (506) and “dos mil” (2000) hints at the timeless and universal nature of these issues, implicating a never-ending cycle of moral degradation.



Enrique Santos Discepolo

An Argentine musician, playwright, and composer, Enrique Santos Discepolo is renowned for his poignant contributions to the tango genre, often infusing his works with deep social and political commentary.