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Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya)

Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya) is a Tango written by Sebastián Piana and recorded by Osvaldo Fresedo in 1968. The Tango Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya) is written by Sebastián Piana, Osvaldo Fresedo has recorded Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya) with the singer Osvaldo Arana.
“Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya)” translates to “On the Whim (An Alley in Pompeya)” in English. This evocative tango captures the fleeting moments and spontaneous decisions made in the dim, mysterious alleys of the Pompeya neighborhood. It speaks to the dance of life, where every step taken in the narrow streets echoes with the promise of unexpected adventure.

Tango

Style

Osvaldo Fresedo

Orchestra

Osvaldo Arana

Singer

José González Castillo

Author

Sebastián Piana

Composer

1968/1/1

Date

Osvaldo Arana
Osvaldo Arana
Osvaldo Fresedo
Osvaldo Fresedo

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Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya) recorded by other Orchestras

Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya) recorded by other Orchestras

Lyrics Translation of the Tango Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya)

This is the translation of the Tango “Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya)” from Spanish to English. The English lyrics of the Tango “Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya)” have been done with AI.

Letra del Tango Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya)

Un callejón de Pompeya
y un farolito plateando el fango
y allí un malevo que fuma,
y un organito moliendo un tango;
y al son de aquella milonga,
más que su vida mistonga,
meditando, aquel malevo
recordó la canción de su dolor.

Yo soy aquel que, en Corrales,
-los carnavales
de mis amores-
hizo brillar tus bellezas
con las lindezas
de sus primores;
pero tu inconstancia loca
me arrebató de tu boca,
como pucho que se tira
cuando ya
ni sabor ni aroma da.

Tango querido
que ya pa’siempre pasó,
como pucho consumió
las delicias de mi vida
que hoy cenizas sólo son.
Tango querido
que ya pa’siempre calló,
¿quién entonces me diría
que vos te llevarías
mi única ilusión?

English lyrics of the Tango "Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya)"

A backstreet in Pompeya
and a small light reflecting off the mud,
and there a tough man smoking,
and a little organ grinding out a tango;
and to the sound of that milonga,
more than his tawdry life,
pondering, that tough man
recalled the song of his pain.

I am the one who, in Corrales,
-during the carnivals
of my loves-
made your beauties shine
with the charms
of my affections;
but your crazy fickleness
snatched from your lips
like a stub tossed away
when it
gives neither flavor nor scent.

Beloved tango
that has now forever gone,
like a burnt-out cigarette consumed
the delights of my life
that are now only ashes.
Beloved tango
that has now forever silenced,
who then would tell me
that you would take away
my only illusion?

Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya) by José González Castillo

Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya) is a Tango written by José González Castillo and composed by Sebastián Piana.


Story behind the Tango Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya)

Set within a dimly lit alleyway in Pompeya, “Sobre el pucho” paints a vivid scene of a solitary figure, possibly a “malevo” or tough man, standing under a street lamp amidst the reflective muddiness, smoking and listening to the melancholic grind of an organito playing a tango. Amidst this setting, the malevo reflects deeply on a past love, the music triggering poignant memories of lost love and the passage of time. The image of smoking ‘sobre el pucho,’ referring to smoking a cigarette down to the stub, metaphorically parallels his lingering contemplation over what now only burns as a trace of its former self.


Symbolism of Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya)

The symbolism in “Sobre el pucho” is rich and tied closely to the cigarette mentioned in the lyrics. In this tango, the cigarette, smoked down to the stub, embodies the fleeting nature of emotions and experiences, serving both as a physical representation of time’s erosion of sentiment and pleasure. The analogy continues as he compares his former lover’s inconstancy to the act of discarding a flavorless cigarette stub, highlighting the residues of a once passionate affair now faded into paltry remnants. Additionally, the organito grinding out a tango in the backdrop not only sets a soundscape but serves as a conduit for his emotions, the repetitive and mechanical nature of the music mirroring his intransigent rumination on the past. The metaphorical darkness illuminated by the “farolito” or small street lamp may signify hope or enlightenment as he processes his sorrow.


Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya) in historic Context

This tango, created in the turbulent times of 1968 in Argentina, resonates with the feelings of change and nostalgia. During this period, the country was undergoing significant social and political transformations, which are subtly mirrored in the song’s themes of loss and remembrance. Pompeya, a neighborhood in Buenos Aires, is emblematic of the Argentine working class, hardened by their surroundings yet deeply cultural; thus, the setting itself adds a layer of authenticity and grit to the narrative. The dialogue about lost love can be seen as a metaphor for the general sense of change and melancholy experienced by society at that time.


José González Castillo

José González Castillo was a prominent Argentine playwright, poet, and tango lyricist, well-known for his contributions to the Argentine cultural landscape during the early to mid-20th century.