El barrio rezonga... ha muerto el malevo
que triste y callado quedó el arrabal,
la noche parece vestirse de duelo
y tiembla la sangre que enluta un puñal.
Pensar que un mocoso, de puro atrevido
buscó madrugarlo p'hacerse cartel
y en cuanto el malevo tanteaba el cuchillo
tenía hasta el mango clavado el de él.

Lo vieron plantado, guapear sin alardes,
jugarse una carta de frente a un rival,
copando el cariño de dos ojos negros
manojos de celos del viejo arrabal.
La Tierra del Fuego no pudo domarle,
diez años de cárcel su hombrada pagó,
su pobre viejita, de tanto llorarlo,
mordiendo su angustia, de pena murió.

La cortada lloró sangre y apretándose la herida
fue boqueando en su agonía por el viejo callejón.
Ni una mano, ni un amigo le llegó a cerrar los ojos,
ni unos tibios labios rojos le rezaron un ¡adiós!
Pobre guapo lo achuraron como a res de matadero
y hoy a cada conventillo llega un cacho de emoción.
En la ronda de un boliche va entonándose un garguero
mientras cuenta alguna hazaña del malevo que murió.

English translation

The neighborhood is grumbling... the malevo is dead
how sad and silent the suburb has become,
the night seems to dress in mourning
and the blood that mourns a dagger trembles.
To think that a brat, in his pure daring
tried to get him up early to become a poster boy
and as soon as the young man was fumbling with the knife
he had his own knife up to the handle.

They saw him standing up, wielding his knife without boasting,
playing a card in front of a rival,
copying the affection of two black eyes
bunches of jealousy of the old suburb.
Tierra del Fuego could not tame him,
ten years in jail he paid for his deed,
his poor old lady, from so much weeping,
biting her anguish, died of grief.

The cut one cried blood and squeezing the wound
She went gasping in her agony through the old alley.
Neither a hand, nor a friend came to close his eyes,
nor warm red lips prayed him a goodbye!
Poor handsome man, they shriveled him up like a slaughterhouse carcass
and today a piece of emotion arrives in every tenement.
In the round of a bowling alley a garguero is intoning himself
while he tells some feat of the malevo who died.