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Por una muñeca

Por una muñeca is a Tango written by Emilio Balcarce and recorded by Alfredo Gobbi in 1955. The Tango Por una muñeca is written by Emilio Balcarce, Alfredo Gobbi has recorded Por una muñeca with the singer Alfredo del Rio.
The piece of music “Por una muñeca” translates to “For a Doll” in English. This evocative title captures the bittersweet allure and the fragile beauty of a cherished love or memory, likened to the charm of a porcelain doll. In its haunting melodies, one feels the yearning and passion to preserve something delicate and enchanting, despite the passage of time.

Tango

Style

Alfredo Gobbi

Orchestra

Alfredo del Rio

Singer

Manuel Barros

Author

Emilio Balcarce

Composer

1955/3/28

Date

Alfredo del Rio
Alfredo del Rio
Alfredo Gobbi
Alfredo Gobbi

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Alfredo De Angelis – El taladro – 1946/9/25
Pedro Laurenz – Garúa – 1943/8/6
Pedro Laurenz – Todo – 1943/12/9
Pedro Laurenz – Orgullo criollo – 1941/9/5
Pedro Laurenz – Enamorado – 1968/12/1
Pedro Laurenz – Firuletear de bandoneon – 1942/12/2
Horacio Salgán – Malevaje – 1954/1/1
Horacio Salgán – El choclo – 1963/1/1
Horacio Salgán – Pedacito de cielo – 1969/1/1
Horacio Salgán – Vieja recova – 1951/8/2
Horacio Salgán – Una carta – 1952/6/25
Anibal Troilo – Volver – 1970/8/13
Anibal Troilo – El motivo (Pobre paica) – 1970/8/13

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These Tangos, Valses, and Milongas were recorded around the same time. Take a look to discover what else this orchestra—or others—may have recorded during the same week or even on the exact same day.

Por una muñeca recorded by other Orchestras

Por una muñeca recorded by other Orchestras

1955/3/28 – A mis manos – Alfredo Gobbi
1955/3/29 – Trovador mazorquero – Hector Varela
1955/3/25 – Fue mi salvacion – Edgardo Donato
1955/3/25 – Has llegado – Edgardo Donato
1955/3/17 – Un remordimiento – Hector Varela
Por una muneca – 1954/10/29 – Osvaldo Pugliese – Miguel Montero
Por una muneca – 1955/3/28 – Alfredo Gobbi – Alfredo del Rio
Por una muneca – 1955/3/2 – Francini-Pontier – Roberto Florio

Lyrics Translation of the Tango Por una muñeca

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

Letra del Tango Por una muñeca

(Recitado)

Su nombre: Trinidad

Su vida: Breve

Su historia: Una muñeca de color,

desnuda en un agosto que aún me llueve

como en la tarde gris del sinsabor.



Vestida de blanco, como una azucena,

después de las clases, volvía al hogar,

Trinidad… la niña más rubia

y más buena, más blanca y más pura

que he visto en mi andar.

Siete años tenía su reino en la tierra,

la tarde que un auto su cuerpo arrolló

cuando en sus manos blancas,

una muñeca negra, abandonada y triste,

del suelo recogió.



Mojó su sangre las piedras,

de la calleja fatal,

por una muñeca negra

que su amor quiso salvar.

Y aún me lastima su voz,

cuando agónica decía:

“¡No me la quiten que es mía!…

¡no me la lleven, por Dios!”



Llevaba en sus manos color azucena,

la triste muñeca de tinte carbón,

Trinidad… la niña más rubia

y más buena, princesa del verbo

más bello de amor.

Mil madres heridas por la misma pena,

sobre sus manitas pusieron cual flor,

la muñequita negra, de la mirada buena

que alguien abanonara, tal vez por su color.

English lyrics of the Tango "Por una muñeca"

(Recited)

Her name: Trinidad

Her life: Brief

Her story: A doll of color,

naked in an August that still rains down on me

like in the gray afternoon of discontent.

Dressed in white, like a lily,

after classes, she returned home,

Trinidad… the fairest and kindest blonde girl,

whiter and purer than any I’ve met.

At seven, her reign on earth,

the afternoon a car struck her body,

while in her white hands,

a black doll, abandoned and sad,

she picked up from the ground.

Her blood wet the stones

of the fatal alley,

for a black doll

she tried to save with love.

And still her voice hurts me,

when agonizingly she said:

“Don’t take it, it’s mine!…

don’t take it away, for God’s sake!”

In her hands, white as a lily,

the sad doll of charcoal hue,

Trinidad… the fairest and kindest blonde girl,

princess of the most beautiful verb of love.

A thousand mothers wounded by the same sorrow,

placed over her tiny hands like a flower,

the little black doll with the kind gaze

that someone abandoned, perhaps for its color.

Por una muñeca by Manuel Barros

Por una muñeca is a Tango written by Manuel Barros and composed by Emilio Balcarce.



Story behind the Tango Por una muñeca

The lyrics tell the tragic story of Trinidad, a young girl whose brief and innocent life ends abruptly in a poignant moment as she picks up a neglected black doll from the street, only to be hit by a car. The title “Por una muñeca,” which translates to “For a Doll,” signifies the tragic reason behind the young girl’s heartbreaking fate. This tango narrates the profound impact of a simple, compassionate act, reflecting themes of innocence, racial undertones, and the profound sadness of premature loss.



Symbolism of Por una muñeca

The doll, described distinctly as black in contrast to the fair-skinned Trinidad, symbolizes innocence and societal neglect—perhaps an allusion to racial issues. Notably, Trinidad’s determination to rescue the doll amid societal indifference carries a powerful message on innocence and purity transcending societal biases. The image of her white hands covered in her own blood painfully emphasizes the tragic outcome of her innocent act. Additionally, the recurrent color imagery – her white dress and the black doll – enhances the stark contrasts within the narrative.



Por una muñeca in historic Context

Recorded in 1955, during a period of significant social and cultural changes in Argentina, “Por una muñeca” can also be seen as a reflection on societal attitudes towards race and innocence. Argentina, predominantly European in demographic, was also grappling with its own identity and the treatment of its non-European minorities. The setting in a local, possibly recognizable street, underscores the universality of the story’s themes—innocence, tragedy, social bias—within the fabric of Argentine society.



Manuel Barros

Manuel Barros was a prolific lyricist in the Tango genre, often weaving complex emotional and social narratives into his compositions.