Las Tres Llamadas – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Los Cuates De Sinaloa

Lyrics & Translation

[Spanish]

[English]

¡Quieto, quieto, no te muevas!

Quiet, quiet, don't move!

...

...

Me amarraron, me vendaron, me encañonaron

They tied me up, blindfolded me, pointed a gun at me

Varios vestidos de negro, encapuchados

Several dressed in black, hooded faces

Forzaron la chapa, patearon la puerta

Forced open the lock, kicked down the door

Lloró mi familia, ahora venía la mía

My family cried, now my family was coming

Fierros largos, siglas en chalecos blindados

Long irons, badge initials on armored vests

Traíban botas militares, porte de soldados

Wearing military boots, soldier-like bearing

Fue gente corriente que me la mandaron

It was ordinary people who sent them after me

Ya sé quién fue el bueno, ya está sentenciado

I already know who was the good guy, he's sentenced now

...

...

Pero se dio cuenta el jefe

But the boss found out

Se ofendió mucho mi gente

My people got really offended

Se levantaron en armas

They rose up in arms

Tres llamadas necesarias

Three calls were needed

Bastó con la voz del Mayo, del Nacho, del Chapo

All it took was the voice of Mayo, Nacho, or Chapo

Pa que me soltaran

To set me free

...

...

¡Ahí nomás!, ¡puro Culiacán, compa!

Right there! Just Culiacán, buddy!

"¿Quieren más o les guiso un huevo, en torta o ranchero?"

“Want more or should I cook you an egg, in a torta or ranch style?”

Les dije antes de venirme, pero no entendieron

I told them before I left, but they didn’t understand

Me vieron, se rieron, también me golpearon

They saw me, laughed, and also hit me

Por cada chingazo tres decapitados

For each punch, three decapitations

Cuentas claras, las amistades siguen grandes y largas

Clear accounts, friendships still big and strong

Mi gente ya es el pariente, mi prima, la Parca

My people are now kin, my cousin, La Parca

Pasa y me saluda, le brindo mi ayuda

She passes by and greets me, I offer her my help

Hacemos equipo y también travesuras

We make a team and also get into trouble

...

...

No permito ni una ofensa

I don’t allow any offense

Y menos a mi familia

Especially not to my family

Mi trabajo es garantía, pero eso no lo sabían

My work is guaranteed, but they didn't know that

Tres vozarronas que pesan salvaron mi vida

Three heavy voices saved my life

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
amarraron /amaˈraron/ B1	verb - tied up (they)
vendaron /benˈdaɾon/ B1	verb - blindfolded (they)
encañonaron /eŋkaɲoˈnaɾon/ B2	verb - held at gunpoint (they)
familia /faˈmilja/ A1	noun - family
siglas /ˈsiɣlas/ B2	noun - acronyms
chalecos /t͡ʃaˈlekos/ B1	noun - vests
blindados /blinˈdados/ B2	adjective - armored
botas /ˈbotas/ A2	noun - boots
militares /miliˈtaɾes/ B1	adjective - military
jefe /ˈxefe/ A2	noun - boss
gente /ˈxente/ A1	noun - people
armas /ˈarmas/ B1	noun - weapons
voz /bos/ A2	noun - voice
golpearon /ɡolpeˈaɾon/ B1	verb - hit (they)
amistades /amisˈtaðes/ B1	noun - friendships
pariente /paˈɾjente/ A2	noun - relative

Key Grammar Structures

• Me amarraron, me vendaron, me encañonaron

  ➔ Use of reflexive pronouns with verbs indicating an action done *to* the subject.

  ➔ The pronoun "me" indicates that the actions of tying, blinding, and pointing a gun are being done *to* the speaker. It's a shortened form of "A mí me amarraron", etc.

• Forzaron la chapa, patearon la puerta

  ➔ Preterite tense to describe completed actions in the past.

  ➔ "Forzaron" and "patearon" are in the preterite, indicating that the lock was forced and the door was kicked down at a specific point in the past.

• Fue gente corriente que me la mandaron

  ➔ Relative clause using "que" to introduce a clause that modifies the noun phrase "gente corriente". Indirect object pronouns: me, la

  ➔ "que me la mandaron" modifies "gente corriente," meaning "they were common people *who were sent to do it to me*." "Me" is an indirect object pronoun (to me) and "la" is also an indirect object pronoun referring to the harm being done. (i.e. me hicieron esto)

• Pero se dio cuenta el jefe

  ➔ Use of "se" as an accidental reflexive or impersonal construction. Word order inversion (verb before subject).

  ➔ "Se dio cuenta" can be interpreted as "the boss realized" where the realization happened spontaneously or unexpectedly. The typical word order is "El jefe se dio cuenta", but the inversion is common in Spanish, especially in narrative contexts.

• Bastó con la voz del Mayo, del Nacho, del Chapo Pa que me soltaran

  ➔ "Bastar con" + noun: To be enough with something. Use of "pa" instead of "para" (common in informal speech). Subjunctive mood after "para que" (although "pa" is used here), expressing purpose or result.

  ➔ "Bastó con la voz... pa que me soltaran" means "The voice... was enough *so that* they released me." The subjunctive "soltaran" is used because it expresses the *purpose* or *result* of the voices having spoken.

• ¿Quieren más o les guiso un huevo, en torta o ranchero?

  ➔ Use of the present subjunctive "guiso". Question formation with alternatives.

  ➔ The subjunctive "guiso" is used here because it's part of offering an alternative. The speaker is asking if the listener wants more trouble, *or* if they want him to cook them an egg. The cooking is presented as a hypothetical.