Chacumbele

De facto, it is supposed that Chacumbele was a man who was a womanizer, who lived in Havana at the beginning of the twentieth century, and it is said that a woman fell madly in love with him.

Chacumbele used to run around with other ladies, and the said madly-in-love-woman had a fit and followed him through the streets of Havana, until she found him with his new lover, and proceeded to carve him up with a knife.

From that story a song was born, that I believe was created by Miguelito Valdés, and the famous phrase “he killed himself like Chacumbele” entered into Cuban mythology and history. That phrase implies that sometimes a person meets death by his own actions.

CHACUMBELE
Author: Alejandro Mustelier
(Courtey of Pepito Sánchez Boudy)

Como la mujer de fuego
Oh mujer de cabaret
Vas en busca de tu amante
Que ayer noche se te fue.

Yo no puedo detenerte
Por qué llamar la atención
Tengo ganas de prenderte
Sin poner mi corazón

Parrandiando por las calles
De La Habana noche y día
No te acuerdas caramba
Refunfuñando que ayer noche se mató

Chacumbele que ya estaba aburrido de sufrir
El mismito se mató

Pobrecito Chacumbele él mismito se mató
Él mismito se mató.


Translation by JG.

Like a woman on fire,
Oh, woman of the cabaret
You go looking for your lover
Who last night ran away

I can not stop you
Why should I attract attention
I want to catch you
Without putting my heart into it

Partying through the streets
Of Havana nights and days
Don’t you remember oh, my!
Grouchily he killed himself last night

Chacumbele, who was tired of suffering,
Killed himself

Poor Chacumbele he killed himself
He killed himself.