El Consorcio is a Spanish vocal band created in the early '90s by former me… Read Full Bio ↴El Consorcio is a Spanish vocal band created in the early '90s by former members of Mocedades, including Iñaki Uranga, Sergio y Estibaliz and Amaya, who sang lead on Mocedades' biggest hit, "Eres Tu."

The band started out as a project to cover radio songs from the '30s, '40s and '50s and have released more than a half-dozen records since then.

Pancho López
El Consorcio Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Nació en [Chihuahua] 906
en un petate bajo un ciprés
a los dos años hablaba inglés
mató a dos hombres a la edad de tres.

Pancho, Pancho López,
chiquito pero matón.

A los cuatro años sabía montar
la carabina sabía apuntar
a treinta yardas [le] vi apagar
un ojo a un mosquito y sin apuntar.

Pancho, Pancho López,
valiente como un león.

A los cinco años sabía cantar
tocar guitarra y hasta bailar
y su papá [le] dejaba fumar
y se emborrachaba con puro mescal.

Pancho, Pancho López,
a Alaska se fue a parar.

A los seis años se enamoró
luego a los siete fue y se casó
lo que tenía que pasar pasó
y a los ocho años papá resultó.

Pancho, Pancho López,
se fue a la revolución.

Aquí la historia se terminó
porque a los nueve Pancho murió
y el consejo de la historia es:
¡no vivas la vida con tanta rapidez!

Pancho, Pancho López,
chiquito pero matón.

Pancho, Pancho López,
viviste como un ciclón.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to El Consorcio's song Pancho López tell the story of a young boy named Pancho who was born in Chihuahua in 1906, and who quickly proved himself to be a tough and fearless individual. The first verse describes Pancho's early development: by the age of two he was already speaking English, and by the age of three he had already killed two men. The chorus praises Pancho's toughness, calling him "chiquito pero matón" (small but tough).

The subsequent verses detail more of Pancho's extraordinary skills and experiences. By the age of four he was already an expert marksman, capable of hitting a mosquito from thirty yards away without even aiming. By five he was a talented musician and dancer, and was allowed to smoke and drink mescal by his father. At six he fell in love and got married, and by seven his father had passed away. Finally, at the age of nine, Pancho died, and the song ends with a warning to live life at a more measured pace.

The song is notable for its humorous and playful tone, which contrasts with the somewhat grim subject matter. There are also several interesting historical details that are worth noting, such as Pancho's ability to speak English (which was uncommon for a child growing up in rural Mexico at the time) and his involvement in the Mexican Revolution.

Line by Line Meaning

Nació en [Chihuahua] 906 en un petate bajo un ciprés
Pancho López was born in 1906 in Chihuahua, Mexico, in a humble home beneath a cypress tree.

a los dos años hablaba inglés mató a dos hombres a la edad de tres.
Pancho was a prodigy, learning English at the age of 2 and committing murder at the age of 3.

Pancho, Pancho López, chiquito pero matón.
Despite his small stature, Pancho López was a dangerous and feared outlaw.

A los cuatro años sabía montar la carabina sabía apuntar a treinta yardas [le] vi apagar un ojo a un mosquito y sin apuntar.
At 4 years old, Pancho was already skilled in shooting, demonstrating his prowess by killing a mosquito from 30 yards away without aiming.

Pancho, Pancho López, valiente como un león.
Pancho López was known for his bravery and courage, comparable to that of a lion.

A los cinco años sabía cantar tocar guitarra y hasta bailar y su papá [le] dejaba fumar y se emborrachaba con puro mescal.
By the age of 5, Pancho was already a talented musician and even smoked and drank alcohol with his father.

Pancho, Pancho López, a Alaska se fue a parar.
Pancho López eventually left Mexico and went all the way to Alaska.

A los seis años se enamoró luego a los siete fue y se casó lo que tenía que pasar pasó y a los ocho años papá resultó.
Pancho fell in love at 6 years old, got married at 7, and by 8, his father had passed away.

Pancho, Pancho López, se fue a la revolución.
At some point, Pancho López joined the Mexican Revolution.

Aquí la historia se terminó porque a los nueve Pancho murió y el consejo de la historia es: ¡no vivas la vida con tanta rapidez!
Sadly, the story comes to an end when Pancho died at the age of 9. The moral of his story is to not live life too fast.

Pancho, Pancho López, viviste como un ciclón.
Despite his short life, Pancho López lived with a fierce intensity.

Contributed by Landon R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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