Isabel Vargas Lizano (born 17 April 1919, died August 5, 2012) was a Costa … Read Full Bio ↴Isabel Vargas Lizano (born 17 April 1919, died August 5, 2012) was a Costa Rican-born Mexican singer. She is especially known for her rendition of Mexican rancheras genre - a folkloric musical genre widely popular in Mexico - but she is also recognized for her contribution to other popular Latin American song genres. She has been an influential interpreter in the Americas and Europe, muse to figures such as Pedro Almodóvar, hailed for her haunting performances, and called "la voz áspera de la ternura", the rough voice of tenderness.

Isabel Vargas Lizano was born in San Joaquín de Flores, Costa Rica. She goes by Chavela, which is a nickname for Isabel. At only 14, she fled her native country due to lack of musical career opportunities, seeking refuge in Mexico, where an entertainment industry was burgeoning. For many years she sang on the streets but in her thirties she became a professional singer. In her youth, she dressed as a man, smoked cigars, drank heavily, carried a gun and was known for her characteristic red jorongo, which she still dons in performances.

Her first album, Noche de Bohemia (Bohemian Night), was released in 1961 with the professional support of José Alfredo Jiménez, one of the foremost singer/songwriters of the Mexican cancion ranchera. Vargas has recorded over eighty albums thereafter. She was hugely successful during the 1950s, 1960s and the first half of the 70s, touring in Mexico, the United States, France and Spain and was close to many prominent artists and intellectuals of the time, including Juan Rulfo, Agustín Lara, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Dolores Olmedo and José Alfredo Jiménez. She partly retired in the late 1970s due to a 15 year-long battle with alcoholism, which she has described in her autobiography (Y si quieres saber de mi pasado [And if you want to know about my past], published in 2002) as "my 15 years in hell" At 81 years old, she publicly declared that she was a lesbian.

Vargas returned to the stage in 1991, performing at the venue "El Habito" in Coyoacan, Mexico City.She debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2003 at the age of 83 at the behest and promotion of Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, a long-time admirer and personal friend of Vargas.

In April 2012 she released her latest album "Luna Grande" a tribute to Spanish poet Federico García Lorca.

Amanecí en Tus Brazos
Chavela Vargas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Amanecí otra vez
Entre tus brazos

Y desperté llorando
De alegría

Me cobijé la cara
Con tus manos

Para seguirte amando

Todo el día
Te despertaste tú
Casi dormida

Me querías decir no sé que cosa
Pero callé tu boca
Con mis besos
Y así pasaron muchas
Muchas horas

Cuando cayó la noche
Apareció la luna
Y entró por la ventana
Qué cosa más bonita
Cuando la luz del cielo
Iluminó tu cara

Yo me volví a meter
Entre tus brazos
Tú me querías decir
No sé que cosa
Pero callé tu boca
Con mis besos
Y así pasaron muchas

Pero muchas horas

Overall Meaning

The song "Amanecí en Tus Brazos" by Chavela Vargas is a beautiful tribute to the power of love and intimacy. The lyrics speak of waking up in the arms of a lover and feeling overwhelmed with joy and emotion. The opening line, "Amanecí otra vez entre tus brazos" ("I woke up again in your arms"), sets the tone for the entire song. The singer is expressing their deep love and commitment to their partner, and their desire to stay wrapped in their embrace for as long as possible.

The second verse is particularly poignant, as the singer reflects on how they cried tears of joy upon waking up next to their lover. They describe how they covered their face with their partner's hands to continue loving them all day long. The third verse shifts the focus to the night, with the appearance of the moon casting a beautiful light on the lover's face. The singer once again finds solace in their partner's arms and shares in intimate moments, interrupted only by the need to silence their partner with kisses.

Overall, "Amanecí en Tus Brazos" is a powerful tribute to the beauty and strength of love. It celebrates the intimate moments shared between two people, and the comfort and joy that can be found in each other's arms. The song's emotional depth and raw vulnerability make it a timeless classic that continues to resonate with audiences today.

Line by Line Meaning

Amanecí otra vez
I woke up again

Entre tus brazos
In your arms

Y desperté llorando
And I woke up crying

De alegría
Out of joy

Me cobijé la cara
I covered my face

Con tus manos
With your hands

Para seguirte amando
To keep loving you

Todo el día
All day long

Te despertaste tú
You woke up

Casi dormida
Almost asleep

Me querías decir no sé que cosa
You wanted to tell me something, I don't know what

Pero callé tu boca
But I silenced your mouth

Con mis besos
With my kisses

Y así pasaron muchas
And so many passed

Muchas horas
Many hours

Cuando cayó la noche
When night fell

Apareció la luna
The moon appeared

Y entró por la ventana
And came in through the window

Qué cosa más bonita
What a beautiful thing

Cuando la luz del cielo
When the light from the sky

Iluminó tu cara
Lit up your face

Yo me volví a meter
I entered back in

Entre tus brazos
Into your arms

Tú me querías decir
You wanted to tell me

No sé que cosa
I don't know what

Pero callé tu boca
But I silenced your mouth

Con mis besos
With my kisses

Y así pasaron muchas
And so many passed

Pero muchas horas
But many hours

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jose Alfredo Jimenez Sandoval

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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