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Pudo ser una vida

Pudo ser una vida is a Tango written by Elías Randal and recorded by Miguel Caló in 1945. The Tango Pudo ser una vida is written by Elías Randal, Miguel Caló has recorded Pudo ser una vida with the singer Roberto Arrieta.
“Pudo ser una vida,” which translates to “It Could Have Been a Life,” evokes a dance through the shadows of missed opportunities. The tango’s haunting melody sways with the weight of unspoken dreams and paths left unexplored. Each note trembles like a heartbeat, weaving tales of lives imagined but never lived, capturing the melancholic beauty of choices that remain only in the realm of what might have been.

Tango

Style

Miguel Caló

Orchestra

Roberto Arrieta

Singer

Carlos Bahr

Author

Elías Randal

Composer

1945/12/27

Date

Roberto Arrieta
Roberto Arrieta
Miguel Caló
Miguel Caló

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Pudo ser una vida recorded by other Orchestras

Pudo ser una vida recorded by other Orchestras

Lyrics Translation of the Tango Pudo ser una vida

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

Letra del Tango Pudo ser una vida

Los años cumpliría por diciembre,

Tal vez cuando festejan Navidad.

Creciendo, lo verían de repente,

Sobrar el escritorio del papá.

Tendría un trajecito marinero,

Después, para el colegio, un delantal,

Y luego cuando ya cumpliera el sexto,

Habría que ir pensando en algo más.



Pudo ser una vida…

Y es dolor de una madre que suspira,

Por la cuna que siempre está vacía

Por el sueño que nunca pudo ser.

Pudo ser una vida…

Y es silencio de angustia en un hogar,

Y una cuna en que sólo han de mecer

El fantasma de un niño que no fue.



Los años cumpliría por diciembre,

Tal vez cuando festejan Navidad.

Sería un mozo bueno y diligente,

Orgullo del papá y de mamá.

Después andando el tiempo llegaría

Tal vez a ser doctor o capitán.

O acaso un soñador que viviría

Rodando por el mundo sin parar.

English lyrics of the Tango "Pudo ser una vida"

He would have his birthday by December,
Perhaps when they celebrate Christmas.
Growing up, they would suddenly see,
He’s outgrown dad’s desk.

He would have a little sailor suit,
Then, for school, a smock,
And later, when he turned six,
It would be time to think about more.

It could have been a life…
And it’s the pain of a mother who sighs
For the crib that’s always empty
For the dream that could never be.

It could have been a life…
And it’s the silence of anguish in a home,
And a crib where only
The ghost of a child that never was can rock.

He would have his birthday by December,
Perhaps when they celebrate Christmas.
He would be a good and diligent young man,
The pride of mom and dad.

Then as time went on, he might
Become a doctor or a captain.
Or perhaps a dreamer who would live
Traveling the world without stopping.

Pudo ser una vida by Carlos Bahr

Pudo ser una vida is a Tango written by Carlos Bahr and composed by Elías Randal.



Story behind the Tango “Pudo ser una vida”

The tango “Pudo ser una vida” encapsulates a poignant narrative of loss and unfulfilled promise, particularly focusing on the heartache of a childless existence. The lyrics poignantly detail the life stages and milestones of a child who never came to be, occurring around significant events such as Christmas. Each line draws a heartbreaking small story of the child growing up—from wearing a little sailor suit to potentially achieving roles like a doctor or a captain, which all remain as unfulfilled potentials. The emotional depth here is intense, where each verse confronts the listener with the grieving process embedded in the what-could-have-been.



Symbolism of “Pudo ser una vida”

The tango uses the imagery of empty celebrations and milestones to symbolize missed opportunities and the perpetual emptiness of parental yearning. Key phrases such as “Por la cuna que siempre está vacía” (For the crib that is always empty) and “El fantasma de un niño que no fue” (The ghost of a child who never was) evoke visceral feelings of absence and loss. Such language choices enhance the poem’s emotional weight by laying bare the unhealed wounds of the childless. The recurring motif of the crib emphasizes continuing life’s hollow sections, vividly painting the emotional and psychological impact on the family.



“Pudo ser una vida” in Historical Context

“Pudo ser una vida,” recorded in late 1945, reflects Argentina’s societal postwar atmosphere, where loss and renewal were in everyone’s consciousness. The song was created in a period of significant global upheaval, and this context may have intensified the public resonance with themes of grief and lost futures. Culturally, tango often is a medium to explore deep, sometimes dark emotions, and in this instance, it might have served as a solace or a means to address personal experiences with loss during turbulent times.



Carlos Bahr

Carlos Bahr was a renowned Argentine poet and tango lyricist whose work often delved deeply into themes of love, sorrow, and the human condition, leaving a lasting impact on the musical landscape of Argentina.