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Por una Cabeza
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Wikipedia article
"'Por una Cabeza'" is a tango song written in 1935 with music by Carlos Gardel and lyrics by Alfredo Le Pera.
Composition and lyrics
The name is a Spanish horse-racing phrase meaning "by a head", which refers to a horse winning a race narrowly by just the length of its head. The lyrics speak of a compulsive horse-track gambler who compares his addiction for horses with his attraction to women.
Alfredo Le Pera was born in Brazil, son of Italian immigrants. Le Pera and Gardel died in an aeroplane crash in Medelln, on Monday, June 24, 1935.Clavell, M. (1996) (in Spanish), Biografa. In: 'Los Mejores Tangos de Carlos Gardel'. Alfred Publ. Van Nuys, California.
The song was originally composed in A major.. It was thereafter adapted to the violin and the piano sometimes in A major,Wikisource, 'Scores of Por una Cabeza (in A major)'.. sometimes in G major..
Notable uses
"Por Una Cabeza" is featured in a famous tango scene in Martin Brest's film 'Scent of a Woman' (1992), in the opening scene of Steven Spielberg's 'Schindler's List' (1993) and in James Cameron's 'True Lies' (1994).
An arrangement, without vocals, is performed by Nicola Benedetti on her 2012 album 'The Silver Violin'.
Lyrics in public domain
Por una cabeza
de un noble potrillo
que justo en la raya
afloja al llegar,
y que al regresar
parece decir:
No olvids, hermano,
vos sabs, no hay que jugar.
Por una cabeza,
metejn de un da
de aquella coqueta
y risuea mujer,
que al jurar sonriendo
el amor que est mintiendo,
quema en una hoguera
todo mi querer.
Por una cabeza,
todas las locuras.
Su boca que besa,
borra la tristeza,
calma la amargura.
Por una cabeza,
si ella me olvida
qu importa perderme
mil veces la vida,
para qu vivir.
Cuntos desengaos,
por una cabeza.
Yo jur mil veces,
no vuelvo a insistir.
Pero si un mirar
me hiere al pasar,
su boca de fuego
otra vez quiero besar.
Basta de carreras,
se acab la timba.
Un final reido
yo no vuelvo a ver!
Pero si algn pingo
llega a ser fija el domingo,
yo me juego entero.
Qu le voy a hacer..!
Por una cabeza,
todas las locuras.
Su boca que besa,
borra la tristeza,
calma la amargura.
Por una cabeza,
si ella me olvida
qu importa perderme
mil veces la vida,
para qu vivir.
See also
* Music of Argentina
* Music of Uruguay
* Public domain music
References
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