Santana has was an avenue named after him as well as a statue of a guitar in the city where he was born (born in Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, México) to honour him. The family moved from there to Tijuana In La Calonia Libertad, the city on Mexico's border with California, and then San Francisco, USA. Carlos stayed in Tijuana but joined his family in San Francisco later and graduated from James Lick Middle School and Mission High School there.
Most of his musical career has been spent with Santana, the band he formed in San Francisco in 1967. His music underwent large changes in 1973 when he was introduced to the spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy, by fellow guitarist "Mahavishnu" John McLaughlin. After this he adopted the title "Devadip" which he still uses. In 1998 he formed the Milagro Foundation along with his wife Deborah, which supports disadvantaged children. Later Carlos and Deborah divorced, but the Milagro Foundation is still alive and well.
Other huge influences of Carlos Santana are both Miles Davis (with whom he maintained a big personal connection), and John Coltrane, who unfortunately passed away in 1967.
Hold On
Carlos Santana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want to make this moment last
Slow down the pace, there's no hurry
I can't let another pass me by again
Let me be the one to say when I've had enough
Just let me close my eyes, memorize
The way things are this minute
If memory can hold within it what I'm feeling
Should time try fading or stealing something away
Hold on, nothing's the same
Tell me why I feel this way
Life wouldn't be worth living without you
All along I've been the pretender
But now that's gone forever
Nobody's ever loved me like you do
Nobody's broken through
Got to concentrate, file away
Every last detail
Don't want to lose what's going down
I want to remember everything I'm feeling
Should time try fading or stealing something away
Hold on, nothing's the same
Tell me why I feel this way
Life wouldn't be worth living without you
All along I've been the pretender
But now that's gone forever
Nobody's ever loved me like you do
Nobody's broken through
solo
Nobody's ever broken through
Nobody's broken through
Nobody's ever broken through
Nobody's ever broken through
Hold on, nothing's the same
Tell me why I feel this way
Life wouldn't be worth living without you
All along I've been the pretender
But now that's gone forever
Nobody's ever loved me like you do
Nobody's broken through
(Repeat 2x to fade)
The song "Hold On" by Carlos Santana is a ballad expressing the singer's desire to hold onto a moment with their loved one. The lyrics urge the person they are addressing to slow down and let them take in everything that is going on, to make sure they don't miss anything. The singer doesn't want to rush into anything and wants to be able to experience it all before it passes them by. They express the importance of remembering every detail, so that they can hold onto the memory even if time tries to fade or steal it away. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Hold on" as a plea to the person they are addressing to stay with them and not let go.
The song is a beautiful expression of the desire to hold onto a love that is special and unique, acknowledging that the person they love has broken through their guard and pretenses. The lyrics also emphasize the importance of being present in the moment and not rushing by things too quickly. The music that accompanies the lyrics is equally powerful, with a slow and melodic rhythm that sets the tone for the wistful and contemplative mood of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't rush me just this once
I want to take my time and savor this moment
I want to make this moment last
I don't want this moment to end, I want it to continue
Slow down the pace, there's no hurry
I don't want to be rushed or pressured, I want to enjoy the moment
I can't let another pass me by again
I don't want to miss out on another opportunity like this
Let me be the one to say when I've had enough
I want to control how much I experience and when I'm ready to move on
Just let me close my eyes, memorize
I want to take a mental snapshot of this moment and commit it to memory
The way things are this minute
I want to remember all the details of this moment exactly how they are right now
So when you're gone, I can go on
I want to remember this moment so I can hold onto the feeling after you are gone
If memory can hold within it what I'm feeling
I hope my memory is strong enough to keep this feeling alive
Should time try fading or stealing something away
If time takes away my memory of this moment or dulls the emotions, I want to hold on to it
Hold on, nothing's the same
This moment is special and nothing else will compare to it
Tell me why I feel this way
I want to understand why this moment is so important to me
Life wouldn't be worth living without you
You are the reason this moment is so meaningful to me and you make my life worth living
All along I've been the pretender
I've been acting like everything is fine when really I'm missing something
But now that's gone forever
Thanks to this moment, I can no longer pretend because I know what I've been missing
Nobody's ever loved me like you do
You are unique and special to me because of the love you show me
Nobody's broken through
You are the only person who has been able to make me feel this way
Got to concentrate, file away
I need to focus and remember every detail so it isn't lost
Every last detail
No detail is too small or insignificant to remember
Don't want to lose what's going down
I don't want to forget or lose the emotions of this moment
I want to remember everything I'm feeling
I want to capture and hold onto these emotions forever
solo
Instrumental break
Hold on, nothing's the same
This moment has forever changed me
Tell me why I feel this way
I want to explore and understand the depth of these emotions
Life wouldn't be worth living without you
You are essential to my happiness and well-being
All along I've been the pretender
I've been hiding my true feelings and now I finally see what I've been missing
But now that's gone forever
This moment has revealed my true feelings and they won't disappear
Nobody's ever loved me like you do
Your love is unique and irreplaceable
Nobody's broken through
You are the only one who has been able to reach me in this way
Contributed by Eli V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bodhi Marshall
Santana's songs always have a very positive vibe, and good vibes do change the world for the better.
Flon57
This was written by 🇨🇦 artist Ian Thomas
Jackie Childress
I wonder what the world would be like if, collectively, we all, as one, listened to good music. Would we finally live in peace with one another?
glenn Howlett
my wife and I dance to this song all the time now that she is gone i realize that she loved me so much she was the only one who knew me . she broke through rip Sharon
Abraham Kasumba
Rip
Rodney Sousa
Oh man. So sorry to hear that. May God comfort you!!
Sharky Vinface
i'm sorry for your loss
The Tourmaline Chamber
As long as you hold on to that feeling , you 're going to meet her again 💞
David Weaver
Just lost mine in March 2022, 32 years together, rip Shelby, it so hard being here without her.
This song was on the Greatest Hits CD she bought me, and Santana was the last concert we went to see. Thank you for sharing,
maha77
This song does something to my heart that I can't explain, I literally will loop this song for hours and savor that unnamable feeling it evokes in my heart