“Mezcalito” (A Little Mezcal) by Lila Downs, English translation of lyrics

“A Little Mezcal Drink” Lyrics
Album: Pecados y milagros (Sins and miracles), 2011
Style: Joyful party mariachi rock. Song about drinking mezcal, an alcoholic drink made from agave (“maguey“) plants in Mexico, including a specific subtype called espadín or dobiji. Mezcal Day is next week, October 21st. Enjoy and drink responsibly.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Lyrics Translation:

Brinda con el pensamiento,
Gotita lluvia de calor.
Mi culpa, Dobiji,
Es por mi culpa, señor.

Toast with your thoughts,
Little rain droplet of heat.
My fault, Dobiji,
It is my fault, sir.

Bebí de tu memoria,
Aroma a tierra, agave y sol.
Yo soy la que le gusta
Este castigo mejor.

I drank of your memory,
Aroma of earth, agave, and sun.
I am the one who prefers
This punishment instead.

Gota, gota, gota, gotita de mezcal,
Gota, gota, gota, gotita de mezcal,
Gota, gota, gota, gotita de mezcal,
Gota, gota, gota, gotita de mezcal.

Drop, drop, drop, droplet of mezcal,
Drop, drop, drop, droplet of mezcal,
Drop, drop, drop, droplet of mezcal,
Drop, drop, drop, droplet of mezcal.

Dicen que tomando pierdes la cabeza y el dinero (x2)
Pero a mí me crece el pecho con ese mezcal del bueno (x2)
Cómo toca la barrica de su cielo de Oaxaca (x2)
Cómo pita el mezcalito, gusanito de tu boca. (x2)

They say that drinking, you lose your head and your money (x2)
But for me, my chest swells with that good mezcal (x2)
How the barrel touches its Oaxacan sky (x2)
How the dear mezcal whistles, little worm for your mouth. (x2)

Cantaba, lloró (tanto mezcal),
Tanto llorar (tanto tomar),
Cantaba, lloró (tanto mezcal),
Tanto llorar (tanto tomar).

I sang, he cried (so much mezcal),
So much crying (so much drinking),
I sang, he cried (so much mezcal),
So much crying (so much drinking).

De pechuga, mezcalito, mezcalito de maguey,
Pa’ todo mal, mezcalito, para todo bien también.
De pechuga, mezcalito, mezcalito de maguey,
Pa todo mal, mezcalito, para todo bien también.

From the flesh, mezcalito, mezcalito from agave,
For everything bad, mezcalito, for everything good also.
From the flesh, mezcalito, mezcalito from agave,
For everything bad, mezcalito, for everything good also.

A la Virgen de los Remedios de Santiago Matatlán,
Y a Sola de Vega (ah-jai).

To Our Lady of Los Remedios from Santiago, Matatlán,
And to the town of Sola de Vega (ah-hai!).

La penca de ese maguey, su espina me está matando (x2),
Acércate, chaparrito, que esta lumbre está quemando (x2),
Barrica del palo santo del gusano de espadín (x2),
Son añejas tus gotitas del sabor que yo viví (x2).

The blade leaf of this agave, its thorn is killing me (x2),
Come closer, shorty, because this fire is burning (x2),
Barrel made of holy wood from the worm of espadin [agave] (x2),
They are aged, these little drops of flavor that I’ve lived (x2).

Cantaba, lloró (tanto mezcal),
Tanto llorar (tanto tomar),
Cantaba, lloró (tanto mezcal),
Tanto llorar (tanto tomar).

I sang, he cried (so much mezcal),
So much crying (so much drinking),
I sang, he cried (so much mezcal),
So much crying (so much drinking).

De pechuga, mezcalito, mezcalito de maguey,
Pa todo mal, mezcalito, para todo bien también.
De pechuga, mezcalito, mezcalito de maguey,
Pa todo mal, mezcalito, para todo bien también.

From the flesh, mezcalito, mezcalito from agave,
For everything bad, mezcalito, for everything good also.
From the flesh, mezcalito, mezcalito from agave,
For everything bad, mezcalito, for everything good also.

Cantaba, lloró (tanto mezcal),
Tanto llorar (tanto tomar).
(x4)

I sang, he cried (so much mezcal),
So much crying (so much drinking).
(x4)

Gota, gota, gota, gotita de mezcal. (x6)

Drop, drop, drop, droplet of mezcal. (x6)

Translation Notes:

Gotita lluvia de calor.
Mi culpa, Dobiji,
Es por mi culpa, señor.

Little rain droplet of heat.
My fault, Dobiji,
It is my fault, sir.

Per Lila Down’s Instagram post, Dobiji refers to “Maguey espadin“, an agave subtype used to make mezcal. Dobiji is the Zapotec word for espadin. She posted a photo on social media of the agave, with this caption:

Magueyes Dobiji (espadín en zapoteco)

Lila Downs, Instagram/Facebook, Oct 25, 2014

Magueyes is plural for maguey, or the more common Mexican Spanish word for agave.

Zapoteco is the native Mexican language of the Zapotec, who still maintain their language and culture today.

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De pechuga, mezcalito, mezcalito de maguey,
Pa’ todo mal, mezcalito, para todo bien también.

From the flesh, mezcalito, mezcalito from agave,
For everything bad, mezcalito, for everything good also.

The word (la) pechuga means “flesh” or “breast” or “chicken breast”, but also refers to a specific style of mezcal distilled with raw chicken breast hanging over it. The heat from distillation cooks the chicken and kills harmful bacteria. Meanwhile, the chicken drops its juices and fat into the mezcal and gives it a savory flavor. Learn more from these articles from Wine Enthusiast and Eater.com.

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A la Virgen de los Remedios de Santiago Matatlán,
Y a Sola de Vega (ah-jai).

To Our Lady of Los Remedios from Santiago, Matatlán,
And to the town of Sola de Vega (ah-hai!).

La Virgen de los Remedios = one of the many appearances and titles of the Virgin Mary, who in Catholic and Latin American tradition appears in many forms. This particular Virgin Mary comes from a story of the Noche Triste (Night of Sorrows) during the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs. One of the soldiers was carrying a small image of the Virgin Mary and hid her underneath or near an agave plant so he could retrieve her after the battles were over, if he survived. She is thus commonly depicted with agave plants behind her. She is celebrated as the patron saint of the town of Santiago, Matatlán. From a biographical history for Casa Cortes, a mezcal company:

The people of Matatlan are Catholic, and their faith is traced back to the Virgin de Remedies, patron saint of the town.  The Virgen de Remedios was the first religious image venerated, from the time of the Conquest of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. She was invoked as “patron saint of rains and storms”. As the youngest of seven, Rolando was the one who stayed home longest, growing up with his mother. Because she was so devout, out of his siblings, he feels he is the one most rooted in Catholic tradition. There is a big celebration that takes place on September 8th to celebrate the Virgen, so this first batch of pechuga was made for this event. This first batch was made in around 2012. Since then they have made a batch every September. In 2018 they began making a special pechuga for Semana Santa, and now they make a special edition Christmas Pechuga as well.  

There are many rituals that are still respected in Matatlan. These correspond to the Zapotec culture that was dominant before the Spanish conquest. For example the 7pm bell ringing is a signal that another day is over and to give thanks. If you are near another person you wish them well. If you enter a house in Matatlan it is a ritual to go directly to the altar and pay respects. This represents the merging of Zapotec and Spanish influence. “This is what culture is like. Different communities. They come and go.”

But what every community seems to enjoy is a fiesta, and the Casa Cortes family and community come together every year to celebrate and give thanks for their achievements.  

Mezcalistas, “The Casa Cortes story”, May 31, 2022

Sola de Vega is a town in Oaxaca, Mexico that is known for mezcal. From a tourist website:

Sola de Vega es conocida como la tierra del mezcal Tobalá, palabra que significa “maguey caliente o aromático”, el cual nace y crece de manera silvestre en los bosques del municipio. La música y la fiesta están presentes en este municipio con las chilenas, en las cuales los hombres cantan y las mujeres bailan al ritmo de una banda tradicional.

Oaxaca Mio, “Villa Sola de Vega | Caminos del Mezcal”

Translation:

Sola de Vega is known as the land of the Tobalá mezcal, the word Tobalá signifying “spicy or aromatic agave”, which comes from and grows wild in the forests of the municipality. Music and dance are present in this municipality with “las chilenas” (a traditional music style), where the men sing and the women dance to the rhythm of a traditional band.

Translation by Cairaguas, 10/2023, of the quote from “Villa Sola de Vega | Caminos del Mezcal”.

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La penca de ese maguey, su espina me está matando (x2)

The blade leaf of this agave, its thorn is killing me (x2)

La penca refers to the rigid, succulent leaf of the agave which has a woody thorn as a tip. In Spanish, it would be incorrect to call the agave leaves las hojas (the leaves) because hojas refers to thin leaves and not thick fibrous ones like those of agave.

By the way – those leaf tips are sharp! You can cut them with plant pruners so they don’t poke you. It doesn’t hurt the plant.

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Acércate, {chaparrito}, que esta lumbre está quemando (x2),
Barrica del palo santo del gusano de espadín (x2)

Come closer, {shorty}, because this fire is burning (x2),
Barrel made of holy wood from the worm of espadin [agave] (x2)

The words palo santo literally mean “holy wood” but also refer to the wood of a specific tree from South America, Bursera graveolens, which is burned therapeutically and for the spiritual Native American practice of smudging. Lila Downs is referring to the wood of the barrels, but I don’t know if she means it generally (whichever wood it is) or if she is specifically referring to barrels made of Bursera graveolens wood. I suspect she does mean the Bursera graveolens wood since it is sometimes used in distillations to add specific palo santo notes.

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Another thing: this isn’t music related but agave fibers are also used to make rope. This YouTube video [4:53] from Travelcraft Journal shows the rope-making process. In case you’re interested!