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Maldonado (2)

Maldonado (2) is a Tango written by Luis Visca and recorded by Osvaldo Fresedo in 1928. The Tango Maldonado (2) is written by Luis Visca, Osvaldo Fresedo has recorded Maldonado (2) with the singer Ernesto Famá.
“Maldonado (2)” translates to “Ill-favored (2)” in English. The piece evokes the melancholy of a love that has drifted into shadow, where each note weaves a tale of yearning and lost opportunities. It captures the soul’s longing to reconcile with the past, painting a poignant dance of regret and hope intertwined.

Tango

Style

Osvaldo Fresedo

Orchestra

Ernesto Famá

Singer

Luis Rubistein

Author

Luis Visca

Composer

1928/2/7

Date

Ernesto Famá
Ernesto Famá
Osvaldo Fresedo
Osvaldo Fresedo

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Maldonado (2) recorded by other Orchestras

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Lyrics Translation of the Tango Maldonado (2)

This is the translation of the Tango “Maldonado (2)” from Spanish to English. The English lyrics of the Tango “Maldonado (2)” have been done with AI.

Letra del Tango Maldonado (2)

¡Maldonado!
Viejo arroyo que guardás
Cien tragedias
Enredadas en el mal,
Y en tu libro de memorias
Cobijó su historia todo el arrabal.

¡Cuántas veces!…
Tu agua turbia se tiñó,
Con la sangre…
Del malevo que cayó.
Mientras, riendo, en la esquina
La mujer ladina, ni se conmovió.

Hondos dolores que nunca se supieron,
Tibios amores que pronto sucumbieron,
Larga es tu historia de odio y de guapeza
Forjada en la tristeza de todo el arrabal.

Cuando la noche de sombras se rodeaba
Como un fantoche tu charco sollozaba,
Mientras la luna brillando desde lejos
Mostraba en sus reflejos la vaina de un puñal.

Y el malevo
Cuántas veces revisó
En tu orilla,
La cartera que robó
Pa’ comprarle chucherías
A la que tosía… y que al fin murió.

¡Maldonado!
Menos mal que no podés,
Contar nunca
Las miserias que escondés,
Y será tu triste vida
La sangrienta herida, que no tuvo ley.

English lyrics of the Tango "Maldonado (2)"

Maldonado!
Old creek, you hold within
A hundred tragedies
Tangled in evil,
And in your book of memories
Sheltered the story of all the slums.

How often!…
Your murky waters stained,
With the blood…
Of the fallen thug.
Meanwhile, laughing, on the corner
The cunning woman, remained unmoved.

Deep sorrows never known,
Warm loves that quickly perished,
Your history is long, filled with hatred and boldness,
Forged in the sadness of all the slums.

When the night wrapped itself in shadows,
Like a puppet, your puddle sobbed,
While the moon, shining from afar,
Showed in its reflections the sheath of a dagger.

And the thug,
How often he checked
On your shore,
The wallet he stole
To buy trinkets
For the coughing woman… who finally died.

Maldonado!
It’s a good thing you cannot,
Ever tell
The miseries you hide,
And your sad life will be
The bloody wound, that knew no law.

Maldonado (2) by Luis Rubistein

Maldonado (2) is a Tango written by Luis Rubistein and composed by Luis Visca.



Story behind the Tango Maldonado (2)

The tango “Maldonado (2)” explores a vivid narrative set around the Maldonado stream in Buenos Aires. It represents a darker vista of life in the arrabal, or suburbs, conveying tales of crime, love, and despair. The lyrical content is a poignant recount of the numerous tragedies that the stream, portrayed almost as a silent witness and keeper of sordid secrets, has observed. These include fights leading to death, unrequited and expired loves, and other facets of a harsh life in lower socioeconomic surroundings.



Symbolism of Maldonado (2)

The Maldonado stream itself is symbolic, embodying the flow of life and untold tales in the suburbs. The repeated exclamation “¡Maldonado!” at the beginning of verses highlights both an invocation and a lamentation. The imagery of the “agua turbia” (turbid water) stained with blood symbolizes the stream’s silent testimony to violent acts. Phrases like “En tu libro de memorias cobijó su historia todo el arrabal” (In your book of memories, the whole suburbs took shelter in its story) suggest that Maldonado has become a repository for collective memory of the community’s suffering and resilience.



Maldonado (2) in Historic Context

Created in 1928, Argentina was experiencing a period of significant change, following the Infamous Decade noted for its corruption and national reformation attempts. This piece reflects the socioeconomic disparities and the harsh realities of life in the margins of Buenos Aires. The tango serves as an artistic expression and critique of the societal conditions of the time, encapsulating the struggles of the arrabals which were often neglected in the grand narratives of the city’s history.



Luis Rubistein

Luis Rubistein was an Argentinian lyricist known for capturing the spirit and struggles of urban life in Buenos Aires through his tangos.