Rodriguez and Cadicamo’s Son cosas del bandoneón (Just Like A Bandoneon) illustrates just how central to tango bandoneons are. In this song, the bandoneon is not a mere instrument, it is personified and the poet gave him dark, sad emotions.

As with every song, there are endless ways to decode the lyrics, but here is our take on it…

One way to look at it is to say that the instrument conveys the poet’s own emotions, hence giving him the safety net of claiming he is independent from it all – it is merely a song about a bandoneon. As the poet defiantly claims ‘I have no sadness to hide, no pain to dig up’, we guess this is far from the truth.

Another interpretation is that the narrator, used to covering up his emotions, simply can’t hold them anymore when the distinctive bandoneon sound resonates at a milonga. The song is therefore directed at the bandoneon, pleading it to stop as it’s making it challenging to hide; the laughter and partying is proving hard enough already.

Last, the bandoneon could be interpreted as a person at the party, perhaps someone not managing to keep their emotions in check, hence making it harder for the narrator to carry on. The song’s response is a comfort to them, letting them know that they are not alone, “like you, I suffer too, brother bandoneon, don’t cry anymore”.

Son cosas del bandoneón has been translated by Tanguito, Argentine Tango Academy in London. If you feel differently to us or have other interpretations of the lyrics, please feel free to share your opinions, we’d love to hear what you think.