Juan Martha Lyrics in English by La Arrolladora Banda El Limon
Corrido is a special word that describes an entire genre of Mexican music. A corrido is a popular narrative ballad that tells a story, often about famous outlaws, heroes, or historical events.
This song is a classic corrido that recounts the legendary tale of Juan Martha. The final line even invites you to "sigan cantando el corrido de Juan Martha" (keep singing the corrido of Juan Martha), making it the perfect word to unlock this piece of Mexican musical culture.
This song is a corrido, a type of Mexican ballad that tells a story, and this one is about a legendary outlaw named Juan Martha. He's a classic larger-than-life figure. People said of him, "Decían que cargaba el Diablo" (They said he carried the Devil), but the song clarifies it was just "una pistola escuadra" (a pistol) at his waist. He was a tough guy, feared by the government and the rural police. The lyrics are very direct about his crimes: "Robaba y mataba gente / Porque así se divertía" (He robbed and killed people / Because that's how he had fun).
When he's finally caught, his mother offers to pay the 15,000-peso bounty on his head for his freedom. But Juan Martha is completely defiant. He tells her not to cry or offer them anything. He faces his death without fear, telling her, "de 100 vidas que debo / Con una la estoy pagando" (of the 100 lives I owe / I'm paying with just one). The song ends by explaining its own existence: it's the story Juan Martha left behind so people would keep singing his corrido.
