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Silbar de boyero

Silbar de boyero is a Tango written by David Barberis and recorded by Osvaldo Pugliese in 1944. The Tango Silbar de boyero is written by David Barberis, Osvaldo Pugliese has recorded Silbar de boyero with the singer Roberto Chanel.
“Silbar de boyero,” which translates to “Whistle of the Herder” in English, evokes the haunting beauty of pastoral life. It captures the distant, soulful echoes of a herder’s whistle as it dances across wide, open fields, guiding both cattle and dreams. This melody sings of solitude and connection, a timeless ode to the gentle communion between man and nature.

Tango

Style

Osvaldo Pugliese

Orchestra

Roberto Chanel

Singer

José Barreiros Bazán

Author

David Barberis

Composer

1944/3/31

Date

Roberto Chanel
Roberto Chanel
Osvaldo Pugliese
Osvaldo Pugliese

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Lyrics Translation of the Tango Silbar de boyero

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

Letra del Tango Silbar de boyero

Silbar de boyero

Tristón,

Como el gemir del sauzal con el viento.

Canción sin palabras,

Dolor,

Que no logró expresar su emoción.

Porque será su silbido,

Mucho más triste que ayer.

Silbar de boyero,

Que va detrás de un querer.



Al cruzar la inmensidad,

Sólo siente tu ansiedad,

Sol y huella, pampa y cielo.

Pero nunca el corazón

Que causó tu desconsuelo.



Y al sentir el amargor

De ese eterno mal de amor

Que sangrando está en tu pecho.

Mientras vas con su recuerdo,

Que te sigue sin cesar,

Como el buey de paso lerdo,

Lento y triste tu silbar.



Coda:

Canción sin palabras,

Dolor…

Que no logró expresar su emoción.

English lyrics of the Tango "Silbar de boyero"

Whistling of a cattle herder

Gloomy,

Like the moaning of the willow trees in the wind.

Song without words,

Pain,

That failed to express its emotion.

Why could its whistling be,

Sadder than yesterday?

Whistling of a cattle herder,

Chasing after a love.

As you cross the vastness,

You only feel your anxiety,

Sun and track, field and sky.

But never the heart

That caused your grief.

And as you feel the bitterness

Of that eternal love sickness

That is bleeding in your chest.

While you go with its memory,

That ceaselessly follows you,

Like the oxen with slow steps,

Slow and sad is your whistling.

Coda:

Song without words,

Pain…

That failed to express its emotion.

Silbar de boyero by José Barreiros Bazán

Silbar de boyero is a Tango written by José Barreiros Bazán and composed by David Barberis.



Story behind the Tango Silbar de boyero

“Silbar de boyero” translates to “Oxherd’s Whistle” in English, capturing a profound sense of solitude and melancholy inherent in the life of a boyero (oxherd). The lyrics metaphorically relate the boyero’s desolate whistle to his internal emotional landscape, marked by a deep, unexpressed sorrow. As the oxherd traverses the vast plains, his whistle, filled with a poignant yearning for a lost love, serves both as his only expression of pain and a lingering connection to what once was. The repeating phrase “Canción sin palabras, Dolor” emphasizes the ineffable nature of his grief—too deep for words, yet profoundly present.



Symbolism of Silbar de boyero

Within “Silbar de boyero,” several elements dualistically symbolize both the physical environment and the internal emotional state of the oxherd. The “gemir del sauzal con el viento,” or the moaning of the willow trees with the wind, suggests a mourning nature, mirroring the oxherd’s own sorrow. The expansive “pampa y cielo” (plains and sky) and the relentless journeying alongside the ox further represent the infinite burden of his unrelieved heartache. His whistle, a poignant, symbolic and literal call, articulates a melancholy that words fail to capture. The physical journey through the landscape reflects his emotional pilgrimage—a slow, inexorable march burdened by memory and loss.



Silbar de boyero in Historic Context

Authored in 1944, “Silbar de boyero” emerged during a time when Argentina was deeply connected to its rural roots, yet was rapidly modernizing post-World War II. This tango captures a nostalgic reflection on the traditional gaucho (cowboy) lifestyle, which was becoming overshadowed by urbanization. The oxherd’s whistle symbolically resists the erasure of these rustic customs, embodying a haunting reminder of both personal and collective histories. The lament for lost love thus also mourns the fading past, preserving its essence through the emotive conduit of music.



José Barreiros Bazán

José Barreiros Bazán was an Argentine lyricist known for his rich, emotive compositions that often delved into themes of nostalgia, love, and sorrow.