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Moneda de cobre

Moneda de cobre is a Tango written by Carlos Viván and recorded by Héctor Varela in 1953. The Tango Moneda de cobre is written by Carlos Viván, Héctor Varela has recorded Moneda de cobre with the singer Argentino Ledesma.
“Moneda de cobre,” translated as “Copper Coin,” evokes the modest beauty of life’s simplest treasures. This piece, like the humble coin, shines with stories of hands it has passed through and the traces of time it bears. In its melody, one hears whispers of resilience and the enduring worth found in the seemingly ordinary.

Tango

Style

Héctor Varela

Orchestra

Argentino Ledesma

Singer

Horacio Sanguinetti

Author

Carlos Viván

Composer

1953/6/16

Date

Argentino Ledesma
Argentino Ledesma
Héctor Varela
Héctor Varela

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Moneda de cobre recorded by other Orchestras

Moneda de cobre recorded by other Orchestras

1953/6/16 – Igual que dos palomas – Hector Varela
1953/6/16 – La taba – Hector Varela
1953/6/16 – Mi dolor – Hector Varela
1953/6/16 – Murio el malevo – Hector Varela
1953/6/16 – Volve mi negra – Hector Varela
Moneda de cobre – 1943/4/1 – Lucio Demare – Raul Beron
Moneda de cobre – 1942/12/4 – Ricardo Tanturi – Alberto Castillo
Moneda de cobre – 1953/6/16 – Hector Varela – Argentino Ledesma

Lyrics Translation of the Tango Moneda de cobre

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

Letra del Tango Moneda de cobre

Tu padre era rubio, borracho y malevo,

tu madre era negra con labios malvón.

Mulata naciste con ojos de cielo

y mota en el pelo de negro carbón.

Creciste entre el lodo de un barrio muy pobre,

cumpliste veinte años en un cabaret.

Y ahora te llaman moneda de cobre

porque vieja y triste muy poco valés.



Moneda de cobre,

yo sé que ayer fuiste hermosa;

yo con tus alas de rosa

te vi volar mariposa

y después te vi caer…

Moneda de fango,

¡Qué bien bailabas el tango!…

Qué linda estabas entonces,

como una reina de bronce,

allá en el ‘Folies Berger’.



Aquel barrio triste de barro y de latas

igual que tu vida desapareció…

Pasaron veinte años, querida mulata,

no existen tus padres, no existe el farol.

Quizás en la esquina te quedes perdida

buscando la casa que te vio nacer;

seguí, no te pares, no muestres la herida…

No llores mulata, total, ¡para qué!

English lyrics of the Tango "Moneda de cobre"

Your father was blond, drunk, and a tough,
your mother was black, with lips bright red.
A mulatta born with eyes of sky blue
and hair like black charcoal flecked.

You grew up amongst the mud of a poor district,
hit twenty years in a cabaret.
And now they call you a copper penny
because old and sad, you are worth so little.

Copper penny,
I know yesterday you were beautiful;
with your rose-like wings
I saw you fly, a butterfly
and then I saw you fall…
Penny of mud,
How well you danced the tango!…
How lovely you were back then,
like a queen of bronze,
there at the ‘Folies Berger’.

That sad neighborhood of mud and tin
like your life, has disappeared…
Twenty years have gone by, dear mulatta,
your parents are gone, the streetlamp too.
Maybe on the corner you’ll stay lost
searching for the house where you were born;
keep going, don’t stop, don’t show the wound…
Don’t cry, mulatta, after all, why should you!

Moneda de cobre by Horacio Sanguinetti

Moneda de cobre is a Tango written by Horacio Sanguinetti and composed by Carlos Viván.



Story behind the Tango Moneda de cobre

“Moneda de cobre,” meaning “Copper Coin” in English, tells the heart-wrenching story of a woman of mixed heritage whose early promise and beauty deteriorate into a life marked by sadness and destitution. The story reflects the harsh societal standards and the impact of heritage and upbringing on one’s life trajectory. It particularly focuses on the protagonist who transitions from a hopeful youth with beautiful aspirations, symbolized by her butterfly-like nature, into a “copper coin,” a term used to signify her diminished value in society’s eyes as she ages.



Symbolism of Moneda de cobre

The song uses potent symbols like the transformation of the protagonist, initially depicted as a butterfly, to convey the pain of falling from grace. Furthermore, the term “Moneda de cobre” itself is symbolic, communicating how the woman, once shiny and valuable, is perceived as of little worth due to her age and life’s hardships. The tango poignantly highlights her vibrancy in youth at the ‘Folies Berger’—a place symbolically representing her peak moment, akin to a “bronze queen,” contrasted with her later life, likened derogatorily to muddy, worthless currency.



Moneda de cobre in historic Context

Created in Argentina in 1953, Moneda de cobre emerges during a period marked by political and social upheaval. The story encapsulated within the lyrics mirrors the societal attitudes of the time, particularly towards race, gender, and poverty. The evolution from a hopeful past to a bleak present could also parallel the national sentiment post-Perón’s fall from power shortly before the song’s creation, reflecting a collective memory of better times and the harshness of the times that followed. The disappearance of her old neighborhood, described as fading away just like her life, can also be seen metaphorically as representing the disappearance of old, perhaps better, ways amidst the changing tides of Argentine history.



Horacio Sanguinetti

Horacio Sanguinetti was a renowned lyricist and writer, known for his contributions to the genre of Tango, which often explored complex emotional and social issues within Argentine society.