Mariachi Lyrics Archive
Tragos Amargos (Contestada Con Mariachi)
He drank to forget her. She answers: I wasn't waiting at the bottom of that glass. The contestada tradition at its most clarifying.
About the Song
Tragos Amargos (Contestada) is Mariachi Hijas De Jalisco's response song to the classic Tragos Amargos — a beloved corrido and ranchera theme about drinking to forget a lost love. The 'contestada' (answer song) tradition has roots in the centuries-old Mexican décima and copla traditions, where songs were composed in direct dialogue with each other. By giving voice to the woman who was supposedly forgotten over tequila, Mariachi Hijas De Jalisco reclaims the narrative: she wasn't waiting at the bottom of that glass. She moved on.
Meaning of the Song
Tragos Amargos (Contestada) flips one of ranchera's most beloved self-pity anthems on its head. While he's drowning his sorrows, she's already breathing. The mariachi tradition has always had its share of men weeping into their tequila — Mariachi Hijas De Jalisco arrives to say: she wasn't sitting still while that was happening. This is not a cruel song. It's a clarifying one. Some bitter drinks need a response.
Lyrics / Letra
Clavado te vi en el rincón
Como tú clavaste a mi corazón
Por los tragos el corazón
Sufre una tristeza, lloró tu traición
Es cierto, me fui, sabes bien
yo a ti si te quería
y también te adoraba
Mas ya nunca, nunca volveré
no me vuelvas a buscar
No me esperes jamás
Tragos amargos de licor
Que me causaron dolor
Y hoy me siento toda una reina
y hasta deje de llorar
Es cierto, me fui, sabes bien
yo a ti si te quería
y también te adoraba
Mas ya nunca, nunca volveré
no me vuelvas a buscar
No me esperes jamás
Tragos amargos de licor
Que me causaron dolor
Y hoy me siento toda una reina
y hasta deje de llorar
Como tú clavaste a mi corazón
Por los tragos el corazón
Sufre una tristeza, lloró tu traición
Es cierto, me fui, sabes bien
yo a ti si te quería
y también te adoraba
Mas ya nunca, nunca volveré
no me vuelvas a buscar
No me esperes jamás
Tragos amargos de licor
Que me causaron dolor
Y hoy me siento toda una reina
y hasta deje de llorar
Es cierto, me fui, sabes bien
yo a ti si te quería
y también te adoraba
Mas ya nunca, nunca volveré
no me vuelvas a buscar
No me esperes jamás
Tragos amargos de licor
Que me causaron dolor
Y hoy me siento toda una reina
y hasta deje de llorar
English Translation
She answers the bitter drinks
with her own bitter truth
you drank to forget me
but I moved on without you
Your bitter drinks won't bring me back
your tequila won't erase what you did
I'm not waiting at the bottom of that glass
I left a long time ago
Drink your bitter drinks
cry your bitter tears
but know that while you're drowning
I've already learned to breathe
with her own bitter truth
you drank to forget me
but I moved on without you
Your bitter drinks won't bring me back
your tequila won't erase what you did
I'm not waiting at the bottom of that glass
I left a long time ago
Drink your bitter drinks
cry your bitter tears
but know that while you're drowning
I've already learned to breathe
