Mariachi Lyrics Archive
La Martina
A horse in the corral that shouldn't be there. A wife with answers too perfect to believe. Martina is a corrido told with the cold economy of folk justice — three shots, no editorializing, and a lover who never came back for his saddle.
About the Song
Martina is a traditional Mexican corrido — the storytelling ballad form that has served as Mexico's folk newspaper for centuries, chronicling love, betrayal, violence, and justice across the countryside. Corridos emerged in their modern form during the 19th century, drawing from Spanish romance traditions and indigenous oral storytelling, and reached their peak during the Mexican Revolution as a way to spread news and legend in equal measure. This particular corrido follows the classic structure: a domestic betrayal discovered, a confrontation loaded with coded language, and a violent resolution delivered without ceremony. The detail of the horse whinnying in the corral — the evidence that undoes everything — is a masterstroke of folk narrative economy. Songs like Martina were performed at cantinas and fiestas, their moral universe clear and unsparing, their endings accepted as the natural consequence of broken trust.
Meaning of the Song
Martina is a corrido that knows exactly what it is doing and wastes no words doing it. The husband arrives home and the evidence is everywhere — a pistol, a watch, a horse that shouldn't be there. Martina's answers are perfectly constructed, plausible, almost convincing. Almost. The husband doesn't rage. He thinks. He delivers her back to her father with the formality of a legal transaction, and the father — equally cold — sends her right back. What follows is three shots, on her knees, and a lover who never returns for his saddle. The corrido doesn't editorialize. It simply reports. And that restraint is what makes it devastating — a story told the way the countryside told all its hardest truths: plainly, completely, and without looking away.
Watch the Song
Lyrics / Letra
Quince años tenía Martina
Cuando su amor me entregó
A los 16 cumplidos
Una traición me jugó
Y estaban en la conquista
Cuando el marido llegó
Qué estás haciendo, Martina
Que no estás en tu color
Aquí me he estado sentada
No me he podido dormir
Si me tienes desconfianza
No te separes de mí
De quién es esa pistola
De quién es ese reloj
De quién es ese caballo
Que en mi corral relinchó
Ese caballo es muy tuyo
Tu padre te lo mandó
Pa' que fueras a la boda
De tu hermana, la mayor
Yo pa' qué quero caballos
Si caballos tengo yo
Lo que quiero es que me digas
Quién, en mi cama, durmió
En tu cama nadie duerme
Cuando tú no estás aquí
Si me tienes desconfianza
No te separes de mí
La tome de la mano
Y a su padre la entregue
Suegro, aquí está Martina
Que una traición me jugó
Llévatela tú, mi yerno
La Iglesia te la entregó
Y, si ella te ha traicionado
La culpa no tengo yo
Hincadita de rodillas
Nomás tres tiros le dio
Y el amigo del caballo
Ni por la silla volvió
Cuando su amor me entregó
A los 16 cumplidos
Una traición me jugó
Y estaban en la conquista
Cuando el marido llegó
Qué estás haciendo, Martina
Que no estás en tu color
Aquí me he estado sentada
No me he podido dormir
Si me tienes desconfianza
No te separes de mí
De quién es esa pistola
De quién es ese reloj
De quién es ese caballo
Que en mi corral relinchó
Ese caballo es muy tuyo
Tu padre te lo mandó
Pa' que fueras a la boda
De tu hermana, la mayor
Yo pa' qué quero caballos
Si caballos tengo yo
Lo que quiero es que me digas
Quién, en mi cama, durmió
En tu cama nadie duerme
Cuando tú no estás aquí
Si me tienes desconfianza
No te separes de mí
La tome de la mano
Y a su padre la entregue
Suegro, aquí está Martina
Que una traición me jugó
Llévatela tú, mi yerno
La Iglesia te la entregó
Y, si ella te ha traicionado
La culpa no tengo yo
Hincadita de rodillas
Nomás tres tiros le dio
Y el amigo del caballo
Ni por la silla volvió
English Translation
Martina was fifteen
When she gave me her love
At sixteen exactly
She played me a betrayal
And they were in the middle of it
When the husband arrived
What are you doing, Martina
You've lost all your color
I've just been sitting here
I haven't been able to sleep
If you don't trust me
Don't leave my side
Whose pistol is that
Whose watch is that
Whose horse is that
That whinnied in my corral
That horse is very much yours
Your father sent it to you
So you could go to the wedding
Of your oldest sister
What do I want horses for
If I already have horses
What I want is for you to tell me
Who slept in my bed
Nobody sleeps in your bed
When you are not here
If you don't trust me
Don't leave my side
I took her by the hand
And delivered her to her father
Father-in-law, here is Martina
Who played me a betrayal
Take her back, son-in-law
The Church gave her to you
And if she has betrayed you
The fault is not mine
On her knees
He fired just three shots
And the friend with the horse
Never even came back for the saddle
When she gave me her love
At sixteen exactly
She played me a betrayal
And they were in the middle of it
When the husband arrived
What are you doing, Martina
You've lost all your color
I've just been sitting here
I haven't been able to sleep
If you don't trust me
Don't leave my side
Whose pistol is that
Whose watch is that
Whose horse is that
That whinnied in my corral
That horse is very much yours
Your father sent it to you
So you could go to the wedding
Of your oldest sister
What do I want horses for
If I already have horses
What I want is for you to tell me
Who slept in my bed
Nobody sleeps in your bed
When you are not here
If you don't trust me
Don't leave my side
I took her by the hand
And delivered her to her father
Father-in-law, here is Martina
Who played me a betrayal
Take her back, son-in-law
The Church gave her to you
And if she has betrayed you
The fault is not mine
On her knees
He fired just three shots
And the friend with the horse
Never even came back for the saddle
Meet Mariachi Los Muertos™
Mariachi Los Muertos™ transforms classic mariachi songs into a collection of vivid characters. Each character in the Mariachi Los Muertos™ group has been developed to embody the spirit of traditional Mexican mariachi songs.
Inspired by the titles and themes of beloved songs, these characters bring to life the rich cultural tapestry of Mexico in a colorful and imaginative way.
Meet La Martina
Birthplace: Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
Band Position: Flute
Favorite Food: Tacos de Lengua
Horoscope: Pisces
Band Position: Flute
Favorite Food: Tacos de Lengua
Horoscope: Pisces
Meet "La Martina," the stunning flute player from Cuernavaca, Morelos, México! As a Pisces, she’s dreamy, mysterious, and known for her irresistible charm. Her favorite dish? Tacos de lengua—rich and flavorful, just like her music.
"La Martina" brings an extra allure to the stage. Vain and easily bored, she’s always on the lookout for something new, but when she plays, her flute melodies are truly enchanting.
With her beauty, charm, and a touch of mischief, "La Martina" adds elegance and drama to Mariachi Los Muertos. Just don’t be surprised if she’s more interested in her reflection—after all, it’s hard to ignore when you’re as captivating as "La Martina"!
"La Martina" brings an extra allure to the stage. Vain and easily bored, she’s always on the lookout for something new, but when she plays, her flute melodies are truly enchanting.
With her beauty, charm, and a touch of mischief, "La Martina" adds elegance and drama to Mariachi Los Muertos. Just don’t be surprised if she’s more interested in her reflection—after all, it’s hard to ignore when you’re as captivating as "La Martina"!
