Lara Manzanares - El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez

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There are many versions of this song, but this is the one I grew up hearing in Northern New Mexico. The translation is my own— and I translated it as I heard it when I was a kid, on the radio. At that time I did not know that the saga took place in Karnes County, Texas, and what my ears erroneously heard was "Carmen" instead of "Karnes." I now know more about the song, of course, and it is necessary to note that the first line should be "In the county of Karnes" (Karnes, Texas), NOT "In the county of Carmen." Scroll down to read more about the fascinating true story behind this song.

Video and audio recorded by me (Lara Manzanares); video editing by Kathy Hargrave.

"The corrido tells the story of a vaquero, or cowboy, who is working on a ranch with his brother. This base story, as far as we know, is essentially true—Gregorio Cortez and his brother were real people who did suffer a run-in with the law in 1901, although, keeping with tradition, parts of the story are certainly embellished within the corrido.

The story goes that a sheriff and a couple of other law enforcement officials were on the hunt for a horse thief and were enquiring around at the ranch where Cortez and his brother were working. The sheriff did not speak Spanish, so he had an interpreter with him. Supposedly, the interpreter misunderstood some of the things that Cortez said to the sheriff, although it is unclear whether he actually misunderstood them or if he was trying to cause trouble. Either way, the sheriff became convinced that Cortez was being disingenuous as a result of this misinterpretation.

As the situation escalated, so did the consequences of the language barrier. Ultimately, Cortez’s brother was shot and wounded by one of the deputies. In what he perceived to be self-defense, Cortez drew a pistol, shot the sheriff, and fled. A manhunt involving hundreds of people ensued, and about a week later, Cortez was discovered and arrested in Texas.

“Gregorio Cortez” was supposedly written during the manhunt. At the time, it was journalistic—a way of spreading news. In the years that have followed, it has become a symbol of the ongoing conflict at the border between the United States and Mexico, both the visible, violent conflict that frequently results in loss of life, and the cultural conflict and language barriers between Mexican Americans and Anglo Americans in the borderlands region. As the Cortez event was unfolding, there was a lot of public concern that he would not receive a fair trial because of the injustice intrinsic to the United States legal system. These concerns further associate the song and its legacy with tension and distrust between the groups on opposite sides of the border. Because the manhunt was so dramatic and public, Cortez gained a lot of supporters and fans who began to idolize him and view him as a larger-than-life character. He was sentenced to life in prison, but won early release, which many of his supporters saw as a triumph over a legal system biased against Mexican Americans."

Lara Manzanares

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this song is a straight banger, i'm listening on repeat every day lmfao

notevenmyaccount

la raza de bronce con el corazon de oro y un valor sin limites saudos es una leyenda e historia y cultura verdadera

joseguerra

Felicidades por esta excelente interpretación y por compartirla, Lara! Ojalá puedas también cantar las hazañas de otros mexicanos justicieros, como Joaquín Murrieta y Juan Nepomuceno Cortina

partidoobrerorojocm

Viva Gregorio en El Camino Real! Beautifully performed. You make the ancestors proud.

jewellmedina

Este corrido es la version corta.
Igual de encantadora la cantante, bendiciones a esas benditas manos.

alexstarmtg

Chingoneria de corrido y preciosa que está LARA MANZANARES, muuuucho. talento

ricardoolivarria

Guauuu que bonito corrido..y que bonita canta esta mujer saludos

antonionunez

Excelente ejecución!! Mantengan el buen trabajo y genero de música Bella !! ❤️🎶✌️☮️

oborregos

Excelente interpretación :no se necesita de muchos instrumentos : el que tiene chispa no los necesita : aquí queda demostrado

eshmuelreyna

that was wonderful, loved this song for 40 years. bravo

ajciccar

Hermosa voz. Desde Chile, felicitaciones.

manuelarellano

Thank you for this video! I was born and raised in California and my Spanish is practically non-existent so it is very difficult for me to look back into my own families history and culture. Where can I learn to play in this true acoustic 1800s style? Even if it’s in Spanish I think I can manage to understand some. Every video tutorial I find online is about these “narcorridos” and other modern styles that I don’t listen to at all. I’d like to learn the original corridos.

Fantastic job again, would love to hear back from you.

malaquiasalfaro

Saludos! I was raised in Karnes County where this happened! I remember hearing old stories from my step father about how the sheriff would arrest you if you were caught playing this song!

BrotherJayJay