Gallo De Pelea Lyrics in English by Neto Peña, Santa Fe Klan, Akwid
Aterrizada literally means “landing,” from aterrizar (“to land”). In the song, “fue un camino largo y fue dura la aterrizada” uses it metaphorically to describe a painful return to reality after a long, difficult journey, making the word vivid and memorable.
“Gallo De Pelea” presents a tough, determined voice that refuses to give up. A gallo de pelea means a fighting rooster, so the image is someone ready to defend what he believes in, even at great personal cost: “Soy un gallo de pelea” [I am a fighting rooster]. The singer says he would die for his flag and leave this world with only “una cruz y una caja de madera” [a cross and a wooden box]. That blunt image is balanced by hope: “Un día saldrá el Sol a pesar de las tormentas” [One day the sun will come out despite the storms]. He remembers working until dark, making mistakes, losing sleep, and carrying scars from a difficult journey. Chambeando means working, especially working hard, while “la aterrizada” [the landing] describes the painful fall back to reality after a long, difficult road.
The song is also a proud declaration of Mexican identity. The singer honors his roots, his mother’s effort, the Virgin tattooed on his body, and the people who fought for independence. He compares himself to Emiliano Zapata, a Mexican revolutionary named in the lyrics, “batallando” [battling] through struggle. The Mexican flag becomes personal: green carries hope, white reflects purity, and red holds his inherited history. “Soy águila en nopal, comiéndome culebras” [I am an eagle on a cactus, eating snakes] refers to the image on Mexico’s flag, while turning it into a fierce self-portrait. Even after falling, learning from mistakes, and facing the certainty of death, he chooses to keep working, laughing, crying, and following his chosen path. It is proud, bruised, and sometimes wonderfully over-the-top, like a speech shouted from the heart.
