Al pasar la barca,
me dijo el barquero:
las niñas bonitas
no pagan dinero.
Al volver la barca
me volvió a decir:
las niñas bonitas
no pagan aquí.
Yo no soy bonita
ni lo quiero ser.
Las niñas bonitas
se echan a perder.
Como soy tan fea
yo lo pagaré.
Arriba la barca
de Santa Isabel.
When I stepped on board,
The Ferryman said to me:
Pretty girls
Don't pay.
On returning to the boat,
He said to me again:
Pretty girls
Don't pay here.
I'm not pretty
I don't even want to be,
Pretty girls
Go bad.
Since I'm so ugly
I'll pay it.
Long live the boat
of St. Isabel!
Notes
Monique wrote: "The second to last line 'arriba la barca' means 'long live the boat' or 'up with the boat'. There's another version that goes 'arriba la barca, abajo el barquero' (up with the boat, down with the boatman)."
You can hear another version of this song sung here.
Game Instructions
Two children join hands and put their arms up to make an arch, the others go in a line and pass under the arch while the song is sung. At the end of the song, the two forming the arch lower their arms and catch the kid who's passing under it at that very moment.
Photos & Illustrations
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Carlos Arturo Casas Mendoza for contributing this song. Translated by Lisa Yannucci and Monique Palomares. Thanks to Lila Pomerantz for the drawing!
Thanks to Monique Palomares for singing Al pasar la barca for us!
¡Muchas gracias!
