''La cárcel de Cananea'' (
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
: "''
Cananea jail
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cr ...
''") is a
corrido
The corrido (Spanish pronunciation: Help:IPA/Spanish, oˈriðo is a famous narrative metrical tale and poetry that forms a Ballad (music), ballad. The songs often feature topics such as oppression, history, daily life for criminals, the vaqu ...
(Mexican ballad) written in 1917 commemorating the
Cananea Strike that took place in the
Mexican mining town of
Cananea,
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...
, in June 1906. It has been produced in numerous versions, including one by
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music.
Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...
Title: La cárcel de Cananea, Composer/Artist: Linda Ronstadt
on her album '' Canciones de mi padre'', released in 1987.
English translation
''I am going to recount to you all what happened to me,'' (2x)
''They've taken me prisoner for being an oft-played fighting cock
Cockfighting is a blood sport involving domesticated roosters as the combatants. The first documented use of the word gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or entertainment, was recorded in 1634, after the term ...
.'' (2x)
''I went to Agua Prieta
Agua Prieta ("dark water") is a town in the Agua Prieta Municipality in the northeastern corner of the Mexican state of Sonora. It stands on the Mexico–U.S. border, adjacent to the town of Douglas, Arizona, Douglas, Arizona. The municipality c ...
to see who would recognize me,'' (2x)
''And at eleven o'clock that night, the police apprehended me.'' (2x)
''The officers* grabbed me in the gringo style,'' (2x)
''Like a wanted fugitive, all of them with pistols in their hands.'' (2x)
''The jail of Cananea is situated up on a mesa
A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge, or hill, bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and standing distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks, such as shales, capped by a ...
,'' (2x)
''Where I was "processed" because of my careless blunder.'' (2x)
''A farewell I do not give because I do not carry it here.'' (2x)
''I leave it to the Holy Child and the Lord of Mapimí.'' (2x)
(*) In different versions of the song, the word "officers" is "''gendarmes''" or "''sheriffes''".
In the previous verse, the word "police" is always "''policía''".
External links
*A short audio clip provided by the Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
can be hear
here
*A longer audio clip of the same track can be hear
References
Mexican songs
Songs in Spanish
1917 songs
Songs with unknown songwriters
{{1910s-song-stub