Cri-Cri is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic cricket, created by Fr… Read Full Bio ↴Cri-Cri is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic cricket, created by Francisco Gabilondo Soler in 1934 while broadcasting his own musical radio show on Mexico's station XEW.
Cri-Cri is known as the "grillito cantor" or "the singing cricket". He is a character created by Francisco Gabilondo Soler in his childhood and may even be considered "his inner personality"
The character became so famous and gave its author such renown, that it became a second name for Gabilondo. In the mid part of the 20th century he became the most recognizable singer of children's songs in Spanish. Gabilondo's dedication to this segment of the population has been greatly admired, comparable to Walt Disney in his honest approach to making life fun for those who are getting started in life.

El Ratón Vaquero -
Cri-Cri Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

En la ratonera
ha caído un ratón,
con sus dos pistolas
y su traje de cowboy.

Ha de ser gringuito
porque siempre habla inglés,
a más de ser güerito

y tener grandes los pies.

El ratón vaquero
sacó sus pistolas,
se inclinó el sombrero
y me dijo a solas:

-What the heck
is this house
for a manly
cowboy mouse?

Hello you
let me out
and don´t catch me
like a trout!

–¿Con que sí?
Ya se ve
que no estás
a gusto ahí,
y aunque hables inglés
no te dejaré salir.

Tras las fuertes rejas
que resguardan la prisión,
mueve las orejas
implorando compasión.

Dijo el muy ladino
que se va a reformar,
y aunque me hable en chino
pues ni así lo he de soltar.

El ratón vaquero
tiró dos balazos,
se chupó las balas
y cruzó los brazos.

-What the heck
is this house
for a manly
cowboy mouse?

Hello you
let me out
and don´t catch me
like a trout!

–¿Con que sí?
Ya se ve
que no estás
a gusto ahí,

y aunque hables inglés
no te dejaré salir.

Overall Meaning

The song "El Ratón Vaquero" by Cri-Cri tells the story of a cowboy mouse who has accidentally been caught in a mousetrap. The mouse is described as being a "gringuito" because he speaks English and has big feet. The mouse tries to appeal to the person who trapped him to let him out, but they refuse, even though the mouse promises to reform his ways.

The cowboy mouse then takes matters into his own hands and pulls out his two guns. He shoots them, sucks on the bullets, and then crosses his arms in defiance. The mouse then repeats his plea to be let out of the mousetrap, but the person still refuses. The song ends with the mouse still trapped and pleading for mercy.

This song can be interpreted in different ways, but one possible interpretation is that it represents society's tendency to judge and punish those who are different or who don't fit in, even if they are not doing anything wrong. The cowboy mouse is not evil or malicious, he simply happens to speak a different language and have bigger feet, yet he is still trapped and denied his freedom.

Line by Line Meaning

En la ratonera
In the mouse trap

ha caído un ratón,
a mouse has fallen,

con sus dos pistolas
with his two pistols

y su traje de cowboy.
and his cowboy suit.

Ha de ser gringuito
He must be a little American

porque siempre habla inglés,
because he always speaks English,

a más de ser güerito
in addition of being blonde

y tener grandes los pies.
and having big feet.

El ratón vaquero
The cowboy mouse

sacó sus pistolas,
drew his pistols,

se inclinó el sombrero
tipped his hat