I’ll publish any song about shoes! This is a fun milonga. I’ll admit I didn’t know all the lunfardo (slang) right away, but I feel that this song is so universal. This milonga is basically about getting all dressed up, and showing up and showing off. It talks about the clothing styles that porteños had back then, but more importantly, that sense of putting on your fancy clothes, and killing it on the dance floor!

With this in mind, I’ve taken certain liberties with words that don’t have direct translations. The lyrics speak of a man with “pantalón bombilla, sin bajos y con trencilla,” which I believe describes some pants that are wide, but tapered towards the ankles, without a hem, (which I’m not sure about,) and a little braid, which I imagine is a cord down the end. Then a jacket, “very short and round,” with a jacket tail. I did the best I could, with having a limited sewing vocabulary, in both Spanish or English.

On the one hand, I think the point of the song is that dressing up and showing off feeling, which is universal. But I don’t want to brush over the cultural specificity of the song. These lyrics describe a certain rogue-ish, golden age of tango figure; dashing, cocky, and a good tanguero. A relatable, but uniquely tango moment.

Shoes of satin
to dance the milonga
satin shoes
with a French heel…

Super short little skirt
with a slit up the side
of a very black silk
with a very white leg
marking the beat.

Zapatitos de raso
pa’ bailar la milonga,
zapatitos de raso
con taquito francés...

Pollerita cortona
con un tajo al costado
de una seda muy negra
y una pierna muy blanca
marcando su compás.

Gentleman,
with your elegant pants with the cord up the side
Come to milonga the night away
with your short jacket and tails,
Coming to show off

Galán, galán
pantalón bombilla,
sin bajos y con trencilla,
pa’ milonguear... pa’ milonguear...
Con el saquito cortito
con tajo y bien redondito
pa’ compadrear... pa’ compadrear.

Classy girl
going to dance the milonga
a beast of tango
queen of high heels

Shoes of satin
when they mark the beat
with their canyengue rhythm
and with the best of Merengue
marking its beat.

Muchachita de rango
pa’ bailar la milonga,
una fiera en el tango
reina del taconear...

Zapatitos de raso
cuando marcan el paso
con su ritmo canyengue
y en un flor de merengue
marcando su compás.

Another translation note, they mention canyengue, which is considered to be the precursor to the milonga, and they also mention merengue. While that has multiple translations, I think here, they are referring to another musical and dance style here. Lyrics such as these laud the dancers, saying they are the best, or at the height, of something, with the word “flor.” While literally meaning “flower,” it connotes the height of something.

I hope you enjoyed my translation, as always, I enjoy discussion and comments. I recommend listening to the following recordings, to begin to get an idea of the different styles of orchestras

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OegATDD52_8
ZAPATITOS DE RASO Angel Vargas con Orquesta 31-8-1956

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccCkMq_8NFo
Juan D’Arienzo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V4fUs06iGc
ARGENTINO LEDESMA - ZAPATITOS DE RASO - MILONGA con JORGE DRAGONE