Leonardo " Flaco" Jiménez began performing, at the age of seven, with his father, Santiago Jimenez, who was a pioneer of conjunto music and began recording at age fifteen as a member of Los Caporales. He played in the San Antonio area for several years, and then began working with Douglas Sahm in the 1960s. Sahm, better known as the founding member of the Sir Douglas Quintet, played with Jiménez for some time. Flaco then went on to New York City and worked with Dr. John, David Lindley, Peter Rowan, Ry Cooder and Bob Dylan. He appeared on Cooder's world music album Chicken Skin Music and on the Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge. This led to greater awareness of his music outside America and, after touring Europe with Ry Cooder, he returned to tour in America with his own band, and on a joint bill with Peter Rowan. Jiménez, Peter Rowan and Wally Drogos were the original members of a band called The Free Mexican Airforce.
Jiménez won a Grammy Award in 1986 for Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio, one of his father's songs. He was also a member of the Tejano fusion group Texas Tornados, with Augie Meyers, Doug Sahm and Freddy Fender. The Texas Tornados won a Grammy Award in 1990, and Jiménez earned one on his own in 1996, when his self-titled album Flaco Jiménez won the Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Performance. In 1999, Flaco earned another Grammy Award for Best Tejano Performance for Said and Done (released by Barbed Wire Records), and one for Best Mexican-American Performance as a part of supergroup Los Super Seven. Jiménez has also won a Best Video award at the Tejano Music Awards and earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from Billboard Latin Magazine for "Streets of Bakersfield" with Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens.
Jiménez appeared in the movie Picking Up the Pieces, with Woody Allen and Sharon Stone, and also featured on the soundtrack. His music has featured in the soundtrack for other movies such as Y Tu Mamá También, The Border, Tin Cup, and Striptease. The Hohner company collaborated with Jiménez to create the Flaco Jimenez Signature Series of accordions.
His brother, Santiago Jiménez, Jr., is also an accomplished accordionist who has recorded extensively.
Jiménez's latest CD, Ya Volvi De La Guerra, was issued in 2009 by Fiesta Records.
Que lo sepa el mundo
FLACO JIMENEZ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que ha sido de ti en tantos años...
Porque veo que el tiempo bien te ha asentado
Con quién has estado, todo este largo tiempo
Discúlpame de pronto, la nostalgia siento
Pero es que recuerdo algunas cosas no tan claras
Que por no se q razón hoy quisiera que explicaras
Que tengo yo guardado en la memoria
Yo era un desorden en las clases ¿recuerdas?,
Era de los que sacaban porque otros aprendieran,
Tu niña seria siempre con altas notas
Zapatos limpios yo con sucias botas.
Tú frente al maestro y yo en la contra esquina
Yo finta de un vago y tú la niña fina,
Un par de aprendices en el juego de la vida
Esas son de las cosas que no se olvidan.
Si lo sabes tú y lo sabe dios que lo sepa el mundo
Si alguna vez sentiste ese sentimiento absurdo
Que te arma de valor que en invierno da calor
Ese que hace que palpite rápido ese corazón.
Que te hace recordar aun después de tanto tiempo que la vida es ilógica
Y que sin ti no sopla el viento
Eso es lo que busco que respondas por favor
Si por mi sentiste alguna vez eso que llaman amor
El destino, tramposo como siempre jugaba,
Parece que una broma preparaba y no avisaba,
Que aquella ves que hicieron arreglos para evitar maldades
Juntaron niños serios con los que hacían desmadre.
Esa ves yo creía que tu a mi me ignorarías
Pero fuiste más simpática de lo que creía
Y algo en ti había que antes no veía
Yo hacia las bromas mientras tú te reías.
Por eso fue creciendo una amistad un tanto extraña
Y a ti se te notaba en los ojos no me engañas
Yo se que algo crecía pero yo no te lo diría
Porque el que tu te burlaras era lo que yo temía.
Decían mis hermanos polos no se dan la mano
Eso aquí no funciona creo que solo estás jugando
No hay remedios caseros para el amor verdadero
Por eso es que olvidar lo que no hubo no puedo (así que mejor no dije y hasta hoy permanecí
Callado)
Dime una cosa hoy... ya paso un buen tiempo,
Ya pasaron años ya pisamos otros suelos,
Yo se que conociste otras personas igual yo
Pero todavía en mi mente esa duda se quedó.
Esa espina que por un buen tiempo me quitaba el sueño
Si uno de tus besos yo pude ser dueño,
Si hubieras vivido junto a mí el primer amor,
Si lo hubiera preguntado fuera un sí o fuera un no
Si lo sabes tú y lo sabe dios que lo sepa el mundo
Si alguna vez sentiste ese sentimiento absurdo
Que te arma de valor que en invierno da calor
Ese que hace que palpite rápido ese corazón.
Que te hace recordar aun después de tanto tiempo que la vida es ilógico
Y que sin ti no sopla el viento
Eso es lo que busco que respondas por favor
Si por mi sentiste alguna vez eso que llaman amor
Dime tú que fue qué es lo que me ha pasado
Si alguna vez sentiste estar enamorados,
Si fuimos pasajeros de aquel loco autobús,
Si compartimos eso dime dímelo tu.
Si lo sabes tú y lo sabe dios que lo sepa el mundo
Si alguna vez sentiste ese sentimiento absurdo
Que te arma de valor que en invierno da calor
Ese que hace que palpite rápido ese corazón.
Que te hace recordar aun después de tanto tiempo que la vida es ilógico
Y que sin ti no sopla el viento
Eso es lo que busco que respondas por favor
Si por mi sentiste alguna vez eso que llaman amor.
The song "Que lo sepa el mundo" by Flaco Jiménez is a heartfelt conversation between two former classmates who haven't seen each other in years. The singer asks his former classmate how she has been and reminisces about their time in school together. He confesses his nostalgia and admits that he sometimes thinks about the past and wants to know if she ever felt the same way he did.
The lyrics take us back to their school days, where the two were very different but still managed to form an unlikely friendship. The singer was a troublemaker and underachiever, while his former classmate was a serious student with high grades. Despite their differences, they shared a bond that has stayed with the singer over the years.
The song explores the theme of lost love and the what-ifs of a relationship that never happened. The singer wonders if his former classmate ever had feelings for him and if they could have been more than just friends. He asks her to reveal if she ever felt that "absurd feeling" that makes you brave and warms you in the winter, the feeling that makes your heart beat faster.
Overall, "Que lo sepa el mundo" is a nostalgic and emotional song about missed opportunities and lost love. It's a reminder that sometimes we need to express our feelings and take chances, or we risk losing the chance to experience something special.
Line by Line Meaning
Dime, como te va
Asking how the person is doing
Que ha sido de ti en tantos años...
Asking about what happened in the person's life in the past few years
Porque veo que el tiempo bien te ha asentado
Noticing that time has treated the person well
Con quién has estado, todo este largo tiempo
Asking who the person has been with all these years
Discúlpame de pronto, la nostalgia siento
Apologizing for the sudden feeling of nostalgia
Pero es que recuerdo algunas cosas no tan claras
Explaining that some memories are not so clear
Que por no se q razón hoy quisiera que explicaras
Asking the person to explain some of those unclear memories
Tal vez tenga hoy que refrescar esa historia
Suggesting that it might be necessary to refresh an old story
Que tengo yo guardado en la memoria
Explaining that the story is still clear in the person's memory
Yo era un desorden en las clases ¿recuerdas?
Reminiscing about being a troublemaker in class
Era de los que sacaban porque otros aprendieran
Saying that the person used to learn by helping others
Tu niña seria siempre con altas notas
Remembering that the person was always a good student
Zapatos limpios yo con sucias botas.
Comparing the person's clean shoes to the singer's dirty boots
Tú frente al maestro y yo en la contra esquina
Describing how the person was always in front of the teacher while the singer was in the opposite corner
Yo finta de un vago y tú la niña fina
Contrasting the person's good behavior with the singer's slacker attitude
Un par de aprendices en el juego de la vida
Comparing the person and the artist to apprentices in the game of life
Esas son de las cosas que no se olvidan.
Stating that these memories are unforgettable
Si lo sabes tú y lo sabe dios que lo sepa el mundo
Asking the person to let the world know if they feel the same way as the singer
Si alguna vez sentiste ese sentimiento absurdo
Referring to a past emotion that may seem illogical now
Que te arma de valor que en invierno da calor
Explaining how this emotion can provide courage and warmth, even in the cold of winter
Ese que hace que palpite rápido ese corazón.
Describing how this emotion can make the heart beat quickly
Que te hace recordar aun después de tanto tiempo que la vida es ilógica
Reflecting on how this emotion can remind one that life is illogical, even after a long time
Y que sin ti no sopla el viento
Suggesting that the person is essential to the singer's life, like the wind
Eso es lo que busco que respondas por favor
Asking the person to answer honestly
Si por mi sentiste alguna vez eso que llaman amor
Asking if the person has ever felt love for the singer
El destino, tramposo como siempre jugaba,
Reflecting on how fate can be deceptive
Parece que una broma preparaba y no avisaba,
Suggesting that fate played a joke that was not foreseen
Que aquella ves que hicieron arreglos para evitar maldades
Recalling a time when precautions were taken to avoid trouble
Juntaron niños serios con los que hacían desmadre.
Explaining how serious children were mixed with chaotic ones
Esa ves yo creía que tu a mi me ignorarías
Thinking that the person would ignore the singer that day
Pero fuiste más simpática de lo que creía
Realizing that the person was nicer than expected
Y algo en ti había que antes no veía
Noticing something different in the person
Yo hacia las bromas mientras tú te reías.
Describing how the artist made jokes and the person laughed
Por eso fue creciendo una amistad un tanto extraña
Explaining how their friendship was a bit unusual
Y a ti se te notaba en los ojos no me engañas
Knowing that the person couldn't hide their feelings
Yo se que algo crecía pero yo no te lo diría
Knowing that the artist had feelings but was afraid to confess them
Porque el que tu te burlaras era lo que yo temía.
Being afraid of being laughed at if the feelings were revealed
Decían mis hermanos polos no se dan la mano
Stating the idea that opposites don't mix
Eso aquí no funciona creo que solo estás jugando
Believing that the idea doesn't apply and is just a game
No hay remedios caseros para el amor verdadero
Realizing that there are no remedies for true love
Por eso es que olvidar lo que no hubo no puedo (así que mejor no dije y hasta hoy permanecí Callado)
Admitting that the artist couldn't forget what could have been and kept silent until now
Dime una cosa hoy... ya paso un buen tiempo,
Asking again after some time has passed
Ya pasaron años ya pisamos otros suelos,
Reminding how much time has passed and how much has changed
Yo se que conociste otras personas igual yo
Acknowledging that the person has met many people, just like the artist
Pero todavía en mi mente esa duda se quedó.
Saying that the doubt still remains in the artist's mind
Esa espina que por un buen tiempo me quitaba el sueño
Describing how the doubt has bothered the artist for a long time
Si uno de tus besos yo pude ser dueño,
Imagining how it would feel to have received a kiss from the person
Si hubieras vivido junto a mí el primer amor,
Imagining how it would have been if the person was the artist's first love
Si lo hubiera preguntado fuera un sí o fuera un no
Wondering if the answer would have been yes or no if the question was asked before
Dime tú que fue qué es lo que me ha pasado
Asking the person to explain the singer's feelings
Si alguna vez sentiste estar enamorados,
Asking if the person has ever been in love
Si fuimos pasajeros de aquel loco autobús,
Asking if they were just temporary passengers on the same bus
Si compartimos eso dime dímelo tu.
Asking the person to tell the artist if they shared the same feelings
Writer(s): Salome Gutierrez Renteria
Contributed by Thomas R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.