Rio Bamba (Riobamba)

Rio Bamba (Riobamba) is a Tango written by Francisco Lomuto and recorded by Juan D’Arienzo in 1975. Juan D’Arienzo has recorded Rio Bamba (Riobamba) as an instrumental Tango.

“Rio Bamba (Riobamba)” translates to “Bamba River” in English. The name evokes the rhythmic flow of life’s currents, where every note dances like water rushing through rocky paths. As the melodies rise and fall, vibrant and alive, they echo the stories of a place where passion and history meet, intertwined like a river’s endless journey.

Tango

Style

Juan D'Arienzo

Orchestra

Instrumental

Singer

José Rótulo

Author

Francisco Lomuto

Composer

1975/1/30

Date

Instrumental

Juan D’Arienzo

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Lucio Demare – Ribereña – 1942/3/13
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Quinteto Real (Horacio Salgán) – A la gran muñeca – 1964/1/1
Quinteto Real (Horacio Salgán) – Ya no cantas chingolo (Chingolito) – 1960/1/1
Quinteto Real (Horacio Salgán) – Corralera – 1960/1/1
Quinteto Real (Horacio Salgán) – Tango del eco – 1964/1/1
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Rodolfo Biagi – A la luz del candil – 1943/3/3
Rodolfo Biagi – Pueblito de provincia – 1943/1/15
Rodolfo Biagi – Levanta tu corazón – 1946/4/17
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Un día más,

un año más,

que estoy perdido en la neblina…

En esa niebla de la noche parisina

que te alejaste para nunca retornar.

Yo te llamé,

Mimí Pinsón,

porque tu afán de ser coqueta

te fue arrastrando al igual que la Griseta,

y el mismo mal, y su final

te castigó.

Mimí Pinsón,

yo te soñé en la novela de Musset

y te encontré después en mi destino…

¡Qué cortos fueron los caminos de los sueños

y qué vanos los empeños,

por salvarte de la muerte!

Sigue la nieve castigando el ventanal,

y yo con esta soledad…

Mimí Pinsón,

aún te busco por las calles de París…

Igual que ayer te veo y te presiento;

pero es inútil, no vienes a mi encuentro,

Mimí Pinsón…

Un año más

que tú no estás,

y nuevamente la neblina

trae recuerdos de mis noches parisinas,

y en el recuerdo, nuevamente, vuelves tú…

Estás en mí,

te vuelvo a ver…

Y en mis delirios de poeta

beso tus manos y el manojo de violetas…

¡Igual que ayer, igual que hoy

y siempre igual!

English lyrics of the Tango "Rio Bamba (Riobamba)"

One more day,

one more year,

that I am lost in the fog…

In that haze of the Parisian night

when you walked away to never return.

I called you,

Mimí Pinsón,

because your desire to be coquettish

dragged you along like Grisette,

and the same illness and its end

punished you.

Mimí Pinsón,

I dreamed of you in Musset’s novel

and then I found you in my destiny…

How short the paths of dreams were,

and how futile the efforts,

to save you from death!

The snow continues to beat against the windowpane,

and me with this loneliness…

Mimí Pinsón,

I still look for you in the streets of Paris…

Like yesterday, I see and sense you;

but it’s useless, you don’t come to meet me,

Mimí Pinsón…

One more year

that you are not here,

and again the fog

brings memories of my Parisian nights,

and in memory, you return again…

You are in me,

I see you again…

And in my delirium as a poet

I kiss your hands and the bunch of violets…

Just like yesterday, just like today

always the same!

Rio Bamba (Riobamba) by José Rótulo

Rio Bamba (Riobamba) is a Tango written by José Rótulo and composed by Francisco Lomuto.

Story behind the Tango Rio Bamba (Riobamba)

The lyrics of “Rio Bamba (Riobamba)” narrate the haunting and melancholic tale of lost love and memory, heavily influenced by Parisian settings. The narrator reflects on a lost lover, Mimí Pinsón, a character inspired by the bohemian figures often seen in 19th-century French literature. Much like the tragic figures in these novels, Mimí is portrayed as beautiful and coquettish, yet ultimately succumbing to a dire fate. The reiteration of years passing (“Un día más, un año más”) suggests a deep and abiding nostalgia as well as a sense of resignation over the persistence of longing.

Symbolism of Rio Bamba (Riobamba)

The symbolism in the song is rich, utilizing the ‘neblina’ (fog or mist) and ‘la nieve’ (snow) casting against the ‘ventanal’ (large window), to symbolize the blur and chilling coldness of the past intruding into the present. Mimí Pinsón, whom the narrator desperately calls out to, symbolizes an unattainable ideal, forever ingrained in the cityscapes of Paris yet always out of grasp. The “manojo de violetas” (bundle of violets) is a poignant symbol of remembrance and lost love, traditionally associated with subtlety and delicacy in the language of flowers.