Matadero
La Mississipi
Slaughterhouse
The skinny guy walks in like always
To the slaughterhouse at ten,
And all day he cuts meat,
Bone and half a cow.
And while he takes a break, he starts to think,
This job ain't for me,
How the hell did I end up here?
A big family doesn’t leave you a choice,
And the slaughterhouse is just an excuse to get by.
Eating is something that can’t wait;
He loads the meat onto the truck,
And feels the boss's gaze.
It's the truth that you can't serve two masters,
No way.
If it’s not with God, it’s with the devil
That you gotta live.
One takes away, and the other gives;
The devil pays from one to ten,
And may God help you at the end of the month.
Tomorrow the skinny guy takes a bus
That’ll take him to the sea.
No more slaughterhouse,
No more working the kill,
No more slave, finally free;
(But that night, he dreams again
That he’s shouldering half a cow).
