Así fui yo

Times of my youth,
when I’d take the northern train
to see my partner,
in Gaboto and Paysandú.
With a cane and a top hat,
in my spats and my suspenders,
the old guys from the tenement
called me Bluebeard.

That’s how I was!
To live.
That’s how I was!
For love.
That’s how I was!
Always happy,
when I had and then lost it all.
That’s how I was!
To live.
Like a man, when a man
knows how to be.

I never liked to pull
the trigger on a gun,
nor did I ever use a knife
to earn respect.
And the times I had to
face off with a tough guy
it wasn’t for any petty thing
but for my dignity.