A La Una Yo Naci

Traditional

Joaquin diaz

Judeo-spanish Lyrics

A la una yo naci
A las dos m'engrandeci
A las tres tomi amante
A las cuatro me cazi
Me cazi con un amor

Dime nina donde vienes
Que te quero conocer
Si tu no tienes amante
Yo te hare defender
Alma vida y corason

Yendome para laguerra
Dos bezos al aire di
El uno es para mi madre
Y el otro para ti

Translation

At one I was born
At two I grew up
At three I took a lover
At four I married
I married a lover.

Tell me little girl where do you come from
That I want to get acquianted
If you have no lover
I will defend you
Soul, life, and heart

Going off to war
I threw two kisses into the air
One is for my mother
The other is for you

clip here from Judy Frankel's recording Tresoros Sephardis Sung by Joaquin Diaz in "Canciones sefardies". This is an old ballad that has travelled a great deal. Before the Inquisition chased out the marranos (the jews converted in 1478) the second line of the romance was changed to "A los dos me baptisaron". Only when the jews found peace in Holland or the Ottoman Emire, did the second line recover its original phrasing [from the booklet to a CD by Francoise Atlan].

Media

Added December 12th, 1999