Derrick Del Pilar

Born and raised in Chicago, I came to the tango while studying at the Universidad de Belgrano in Buenos Aires in 2006. In 2008 I earned my B.A. with majors in Creative Writing and Spanish & Portuguese from the University of Arizona, and in 2009 I earned an M.A. in Latin American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. My specialty is the history & literature of early 20th century Argentina.

Derrick Del Pilar has written 149 posts for Poesía de gotán: The Poetry of the Tango

Yo te bendigo (1925)

Posted by Derrick Del Pilar ⋅ 02.18.2016 ⋅ 1 Comment

I Wish You Well [1] lyrics by Juan Andrés Bruno music by Juan de Dios Filiberto The rooster crowed the wake-up call, a distant dog barked in response and as the arrabal began to stir to greet the new day, far off, a car went on its way… And like a sentinel’s end-of-watch signal, the … Continue reading →

Maleza (1945)

Posted by Derrick Del Pilar ⋅ 02.06.2016 ⋅ 4 Comments

Garden Weeds lyrics by Cátulo Castillo music by Enrique Munné Since absence has locked the door on me, with bolts of oblivion… Since the seductive door knocker stays silent, I don’t even know why I’ve come… The garden weeds and the ruins of the balcony wound me with their gloom… Since her hand is not … Continue reading →

Me quedé mirandola (1945)

Posted by Derrick Del Pilar ⋅ 02.02.2016 ⋅ 2 Comments

I Just Stood There Watching Her lyrics by Roberto Miró music by Vicente Spina After a terrible year of being alone we met again by accident and at once the memories of better days— when I used to sing and laugh— marched right through my mind. My lips began to babble with fear, my eyes … Continue reading →

Sombras, nada más (1944)

Posted by Derrick Del Pilar ⋅ 12.03.2015 ⋅ 1 Comment

Shadows, Nothing More lyrics by José María Contursi music by Francisco Lomuto I want to slowly open my veins, to shed every drop of my blood at your feet… so I can prove to you that I could not love you more and then…so I can die. Yet still your blue eyes– as blue as … Continue reading →

Demasiado tarde (1941)

Posted by Derrick Del Pilar ⋅ 07.18.2015 ⋅ 3 Comments

Too Late lyrics by Agustín Horacio Delamónica music by Francisco Troppoli It’s all the same, nothing has changed: the same patio, the same sun, the same ivy, which like my hope kept growing in my absence staying green as ever… It’s just me who’s come back changed, carrying all my life’s suffering. I feel the stab of … Continue reading →

Poesía de gotán: The Poetry of the Tango

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