Y está despertando el negro

Carlos Puebla

Originale	Traduzione inglese di Laura Engler Perez dal libretto che accompagna il disco.
Y ESTÁ DESPERTANDO EL NEGRO	NOW THE BLACK MAN IS AWAKENING
Y el negro está despertando,	The black man is waking up.
ya está contestando el negro	Now he is answering
a palo con palo.	clubs with clubs
a fuego con fuego.	and fire with fire.
El negro quiere en la tierra	The black man only asks on this earth
su pedacito de cielo	far his little piece of sky,
y le contestan con palos,	but he is answered with police clubs,
con cadenas y con perros.	with chains, and with dogs.
Y mientras el negro es manso	As long as the black man is quiet.
y se está tranquilo el negro,	as long as he keeps in his place,
el rico lo califica	the rich man classyies him
como pobre negro bueno.	as a "good, poor nigger."
Ycomo el rico es el dueño	And because the rich man is the owner
del negocio y del dinero,	Of the businesses and the money,
para que se los defienda	he tries to protect his investment
alista y entrena al negro.	by enlisting and training the black man.
Y ahí va la carne barata,	And there goes the "cheap meat",
la blanda carne del negro	the tender flesh of the black man,
que para vivir es malo,	that while alive is "bad"
que para morir sí es bueno.	but in dying becomes "good."
Pero ya el negro se alza	But now the black man is rising
con su pasión y su fuego.	with all his passion and fire.
ya va cambiando la cosa,	And things are changing,
ya está despertando el negro.	now that the black man has awakened.