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.
Un Mundo Raro
Chavela Vargas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Y de ilusiones
Y te ofrezcan un sol
Y un cielo entero
Si te acuerdas de mí
No me menciones
Porque vas a sentir
Amor del bueno
Y si quieren saber
De tu pasado
Es preciso decir una mentira
Dí que vienes de allá
De un mundo raro
Que no sabes llorar
Que no entiendes de amor
Y que nunca has amado
Porque yo a donde voy
Hablaré de tu amor
Como un sueño dorado
Y olvidando el rencor
No diré que tu adiós
Me volvió desgraciado
Y si quieren saber
De mi pasado
Es preciso decir otra mentira
Les diré que llegué
De un mundo raro
Que no sé del dolor
Que triunfé en el amor
Y que nunca he llorado
Yo, nunca he llorado
The song "Un Mundo Raro" by Chavela Vargas speaks of love, illusions, and promises of a better future, but warns that mentioning the singer's name will result in experiencing true love. The singer then advises the listener to lie about their past and say they come from a strange world where they do not understand love and have never been in love. They further instruct the listener to say that they do not know how to cry, making it clear that the singer is in pain from a lost love but is letting go of any resentment and bitterness toward their departure.
The overall theme of the song is that love can be complicated, and sometimes it is better to move on than hold onto the pain. The song evokes feelings of sadness, heartbreak, and longing, making it a song for those who have experienced the complexities of romantic love. It is a powerful and emotional song that touches the hearts of many.
Line by Line Meaning
Cuando te hablen de amor
When someone talks to you about love
Y de ilusiones
And of illusions
Y te ofrezcan un sol
And they offer you a sun
Y un cielo entero
And an entire sky
Si te acuerdas de mí
If you remember me
No me menciones
Don't mention me
Porque vas a sentir
Because you'll feel
Amor del bueno
Good love
Y si quieren saber
And If they want to know
De tu pasado
About your past
Es preciso decir una mentira
It's necessary to tell a lie
Dí que vienes de allá
Say that you come from there
De un mundo raro
From a strange world
Que no sabes llorar
That you don't know how to cry
Que no entiendes de amor
That you don't understand love
Y que nunca has amado
And that you've never loved
Porque yo a donde voy
Because where I go
Hablaré de tu amor
I'll talk about your love
Como un sueño dorado
Like a golden dream
Y olvidando el rencor
Forgetting the resentment
No diré que tu adiós
I won't say that your goodbye
Me volvió desgraciado
Made me miserable
Y si quieren saber
And if they want to know
De mi pasado
About my past
Es preciso decir otra mentira
It's necessary to tell another lie
Les diré que llegué
I'll tell them that I arrived
De un mundo raro
From a strange world
Que no sé del dolor
That I don't know about pain
Que triunfé en el amor
That I triumphed in love
Y que nunca he llorado
And that I've never cried
Yo, nunca he llorado
I have never cried
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Jose Alfredo Jimenez Sandoval
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mitia39
Este soneto es para vos, Chavela. Un vaso de ron y tu voz me lo dictaron. Desde Argentina, brindo a tu salud, y por tu México, Guadalajara, donde pasé días increíbles, bajo su sol y entre sus aromas.
"Chavela, tu última copa "
Cuando a Chavela se le quiebra el canto,
Su corazón de a trinos se derrama.
Verso a verso se va urdiendo la trama
De su voz como tejida por un llanto.
Va creciendo su hermoso desencanto
Con cada verso que su voz declama:
Un gorrión crucificado en la rama,
Astillándose quebranto tras quebranto.
Su copla dolorosa se deshila,
Su himno desolado se levanta,
Su corazón en trinos se destila…
Nada. Silencio. Chavela ya no canta.
Las sombras, en un vaso de tequila,
Quebraron el gorrión de su garganta.
@juanramirez5505
When they talk to you about love and illusions
And offer you a sun and a whole sky
If you remember me, don't mention me
Because you're going to feel good love
And if they want to know about your past
It is necessary to tell a lie
Say you come from there, from a strange world
That you don't know how to cry, that you don't understand love
And that you have never loved
Because where am I going
I will talk about your love
Like a golden dream
And forgetting the resentment
I won't say your goodbye
Made me miserable
And if you want to know about my past
It is necessary to tell another lie
I will tell you that I came from a strange world
That I do not know about pain, that I triumphed in love
And that I have never cried
@janeth8696
Cuando te hablen de amor
Y de ilusiones
Y te ofrezcan un sol
Y un cielo entero
Si te acuerdas de mí
No me menciones
Porque vas a sentir
Amor del bueno
Y si quieren saber
De tu pasado
Es preciso decir una mentira,
Dí que vienes de allá
De un mundo raro,
Que no sabes llorar,
Que no entiendes de amor
Y que nunca has amado.
Porque yo a donde voy,
Hablaré de tu amor
Como un sueño dorado
Y olvidando el rencor
No diré que tu adiós
Me volvio desgraciado.
Y si quieren saber
De mi pasado,
Es preciso decir otra mentira,
Les diré que llegué
De un mundo raro,
Que no sé del dolor,
Que triunfé en el amor
Y que nunca he llorado
Yo, nunca he llorado.
@sophiapereira6919
Soy Mexicana pero nací donde se me dio la rechingada gana: VENEZUELA.
@carloscarrasco1317
Soy Mejicano pero naci donde me dió la rechingada gana . Naci en Brasil.
@armandomartinez4152
no sheto papash
@nancygonzalez8642
Soy Mexicana nacida en Colombia
@soniamariahernandez5076
😅 a lo mero mero, ¡No te rajes!
@mariogonzalez1236
Ssssssiii.....!!!!!
@alonso59v22
Eso mijooooo y no se rajee!! 🍾
@tadeomijangos7598
Soy mexicano nacido en ecuador
Porque los mexicanos nacemos dónde se nos da la chingada gana
Tengo diez años viviendo en México
Mis hijas y esposa son mexicanas
@BaladasDelRecuerdo2023
Ya soy un viejo de 50 años, y esta canción en la voz de Chavela me arrancó del fondo del corazón los recuerdos de un gran amor y los puso a flote, no puedo evitar las lágrimas y pienso dónde estará, con quién estará, qué hará, no puedo menos que recordarla y volver a amarla.
@carmenbaez6459
Hola, soy Canaria, pero desde chiquita me he sentido mejicana, porque los mejicanos nacemos donde nos da la rechipingada gana. Viva Méjico