The West Pacific

Abel Ivroud - Por mi Tropilla (for my group of horses)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj1vYI6p4B8

One mild morning, I went out to the fields to roam,
For I loved to watch the herd frolicking about.
Following the shortcut and looking on with suspicion,
I saw—to my dismay—a sight that left me bewildered:
The wire-fence tensioners open, the wire lying on the ground.
I stood up in my stirrups, scanning the vast expanse,
And realized with sinking heart: not a single horse was left—
Save for one dark-coated mount I kept for night duty.
And as dawn broke, I cursed my wretched luck;
I pressed my ear to the earth, but heard not a single hoofbeat.
I mounted my horse right then and, following the tracks,
Ventured into the plowed land—a farm owned by some foreigners.
I reckon even the devil himself was cursing that Sunday,
For the tracks imprinted upon the path
Led straight to a slaughterhouse run by rustlers.
When I reached the gate, tucked away amidst the brush,
I entered; at the sound of the knocker, a countryman stepped out.
Upon seeing me in his lair—or perhaps realizing he was found out—
The rustler—whose hands and feet were well-practiced at the trade—
Began turning over the hides, exposing the flesh side.
As I approached the man, he slowly rose to his feet,
And, fearful, the wretch came forward to shake my hand.
I offered it reluctantly, for—judging by what I saw—
My herd was right there; seeing my look of suspicion,
He asked what I sought: "My horses," I replied.
"So, you think, lad, that these hides are your horses?
I’ll tell you this: I don't slaughter livestock on Sundays.
But all the same, you rascal, I’ll make you pay for the insult;
You’ll have to kneel and beg my forgiveness,
For I am no thief, and I never intended to rob you."
He lunged at me, and I stood my ground with my *facón* in hand;
The man tried to close in on me, but... I stopped him with my poncho
With my boot, I kicked up a hide from the side
And seeing it was my dun horse, I knew him by his coat
Filled with rage and grit, I hauled him upright roughly
At the first charge, he crumpled like an accordion
And I saw he was clumsy at defending his life
Like a wild beast in its lair, the rustler struggled
But he got tangled in the hide, and in a massive stumble
He drove his own blade into his heart as he fell
Poor thing, my dun horse—he didn't forsake me even in death
For his hide had tangled the boots of that wretch
I whistled for my dark horse grazing on the grass
Then, simply, I rolled the rustler's body aside
And turning the hides over, I wept for my herd

Note: This is a recitation from the Argentine countryside; it may contain rural dialects and local vernacular, though I am sharing an approximate translation here. Some words should not necessarily be taken literally. As in English, one often needs to look at the context of a sentence to interpret a specific word.

Tedeschi Trucks Band on Clapton's "Presence of the Lord"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gmqlkWLaas&list=RD1gmqlkWLaas&start_radio=1

I have finally found a way to live
Just like I never could before
I know that I do not have much to give
But I can open any door

[Chorus]
Everybody knows the secret
Everybody knows the score
I have finally found a way to live
In the color of the Lord

I have finally found a place to live
Just like I never could before
And I know I do not have much to give
But soon I will open any door

[Chorus]

I have finally found a way to live
Just like I never could before
And I know I do not have much to give
But I can open any door

[Chorus]

Tangled Up in Blue, Bob Dylan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKcNyMBw818

Early one morning, the sun was shining
I was laying in bed
Wondering if she'd changed it all
If her hair was still red

Her folks, they said our lives together
Sure was gonna be rough
They never did like mama's homemade dress
Papa's bankbook wasn't big enough

And I was standing on the side of the road
Rain falling on my shoes
Heading out for the east coast
Lord knows I've paid some dues getting through

Tangled up in blue

She was married when we first met
Soon to be divorced
I helped her out of a jam, I guess
But I used a little too much force
We drove that car as far as we could
Abandoned it out west

Split up on a dark, sad night
Both agreeing it was best
She turned around to look at me
As I was walking away
I heard her say over my shoulder
"We'll meet again someday on the avenue"

Tangled up in blue

I had a job in the great north woods
Working as a cook for a spell
But I never did like it all that much
And one day the axe just fell
So I drifted down to New Orleans
Where I's lucky for to be employed
Working for a while on a fishing boat
Right outside of Delacroix
But all the while I was alone
The past was close behind
I seen a lot of women

But she never escaped my mind and I just grew
Tangled up in blue

She was working in a topless place
And I stopped in for a beer
I just kept looking at the sight of her face
In the spotlight so clear

And later on when the crowd thinned out
I's just about to do the same
She was standing there in back of my chair
Said, "Tell me, don't I know your name?"
I muttered something underneath my breath
She studied the lines on my face

I must admit I felt a little uneasy
When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe
Tangled up in blue

She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe
"I thought you'd never say hello, " she said
"You look like the silent type"
Then she opened up a book of poems
And handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet
From the thirteenth century
And every one of them words rang true

And glowed like burning coal
Pouring off of every page
Like it was written in my soul from me to you
Tangled up in blue

I lived with them on Montagüe Street
In a basement down the stairs
There was music in the cafés at night
And revolution in the air

Then he started into dealing with slaves
And something inside of him died
She had to sell everything she owned
And froze up inside

And when finally the bottom fell out
I became withdrawn
The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keeping on like a bird that flew
Tangled up in blue

So now I'm going back again
I got to get her somehow
All the people we used to know
They're an illusion to me now
Some are mathematicians
Some are carpenter's wives
Don't know how it all got started
I don't what they do with their lives
But me, I'm still on the road
Heading for another joint
We always did feel the same
We just saw it from a different point of view
Tangled up in blue

Blood on the Ground
-Incubus

I don't want to talk to you anymore
I'm afraid of what I might say
I bite my tongue everytime you come around
Cause blood in my mouth beats blood on the ground

Hand over my heart I swear I've tried everything I could
Within all my power two weeks and one hour
I slaved and now I've got nothing to show
Oh if only you'd grow taller than a brick wall

From now on I'm gonna start holding my breath
When you come around and you flex that fake grin
Cause something inside of me has said more than twice
That breathing less air beats breathing you in

I don't want to talk to you anymore
I'm afraid of what I might say
I bite my tongue everytime you come around
Cause blood in my mouth beats blood on the ground

Hand over my mouth I'm earning the right to my silence
In quiet discerning between ego and timing
Good judgement is once again proving to me that it's
Still worth it's weight in gold

So from now on I'm gonna be so much more wary
When you start to speak and my warm blood starts to boil
That seeing you is like pulling teeth
And hearing your voice is like chewing tin foil

I don't want to talk to you anymore
I'm afraid of what I might say
I bite my tongue everytime you come around
Cause blood in my mouth beats blood on the ground

High fives to a better judgement
By saying less today, I will gain more
Low twos to you my fickle friend
Who brought the art of silent war

I don't want to talk to you anymore
I'm afraid of what I might say
I bite my tongue everytime you come around
Cause blood in my mouth beats blood on the ground

https://youtu.be/jfYe3DM0ixQ?si=i7Mp-lYmjYBRrC6M

Shocking Blue - Venus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LhkyyCvUHk&list=RDMM&index=48

A goddess on a mountain top
Was burning like a silver flame
The summit of beauty and love
And Venus was her name

She's got it
Yeah baby, she's got it
Well, I'm your Venus
I'm your fire
At your desire
Well, I'm your Venus
I'm your fire
At your desire

Her weapons were her crystal eyes
Making every man mad
Black as the dark night she was
Got what no one else had

She's got it
Yeah baby, she's got it
Well, I'm your Venus
I'm your fire
At your desire
Well, I'm your Venus
I'm your fire
At your desire

She's got it
Yeah baby, she's got it
Well, I'm your Venus
I'm your fire
At your desire
Well, I'm your Venus
I'm your fire
At your desire