Jimenez won a Grammy Award in 1986 for "Ay Te Dejo En San Antonio", a song of his father's. He was also a member of the supergroup Texas Tornados, with Augie Meyers, Doug Sahm and Freddy Fender. The Texas Tornados earned a Grammy Award in 1990, and Jimenez earned one on his own in 1996, when his Flaco Jimenez won the Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Performance. In 1999, Flaco earned another Grammy Award for Best Tejano Performance (Said and Done, Barb Wire Records), and one for Best Mexican-American Performance as a part of supergroup Los Super Seven. Jimenez 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.
Carta Jugada
Flaco Jiménez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hoy no maldigo a tu amor
Solo maldigo tu vida
Por que me sobra el valor
Para sacarme una espina
Que me ah clavado tu amor
Seguir contigo es inutil
Me voy por otros senderos
Pa' ver si puedo encontrar
Los brazos de otras mujeres
Para poderte olvidar
Te di mi amor y mi vida
Sin que pudiera pensar
Que fueras carta jugada
Que no se debia apostar
Por eso cuando ganaste
Te fuiste sin regresar
Por eso ya que te marchas
No pienses en regresar
Que no te sigo adorando
Ya me canse de llorar
Voy a tirarme a los vicios
Para poderte olvidar
Te di mi amor y mi vida
Sin que pudiera pensar
Que fueras carta jugada
Que no se debia apostar
Por eso cuando ganaste
Te fuiste sin regresar
In Carta Jugada, Flaco Jiménez expresses his bitterness towards an ex-lover who he believes has taken advantage of his love and devotion. He begins by saying that he does not curse his luck or her love anymore, but instead curses her life because he has the courage to finally remove the thorn that her love had embedded in him. He asserts that continuing the relationship is useless because she never knew how to love him, and therefore decides to walk on different paths in hopes of finding the embrace of other women to help him forget her. He gave his love and life to her without considering that she was like a card game where one's luck can change at any moment and one can lose everything.
Flaco Jiménez's frustration is evident when he says that even though he thought their love was genuine, it turned out to be a card that should never have been played. She treated him as if their relationship held no value, and when she won, she left without looking back. Knowing that the relationship was a lost cause, he warns her not to come back because he is tired of crying over her. He is determined to indulge in sinful pleasures to help him forget her while hoping that she does not return.
Overall, Carta Jugada is a heartwrenching song that beautifully captures the pain one feels when love is not reciprocated.
Line by Line Meaning
Hoy no maldigo a mi suerte
Today I am not cursing my luck
Hoy no maldigo a tu amor
Today, I am not cursing your love
Solo maldigo tu vida
I only curse your life
Porque me sobra el valor
Because I have enough courage
Para sacarme una espina
To remove the thorn lodged in me
Que me ha clavado tu amor
That your love has driven deep into me
Seguir contigo es inútil
Staying with you is pointless
Tú no me supiste amar
You didn't know how to love me
Me voy por otros senderos
I am going down other paths
Pa' ver si puedo encontrar
To see if I can find
Los brazos de otras mujeres
The arms of other women
Para poderte olvidar
To forget about you
Te di mi amor y mi vida
I gave you my love and my life
Sin que pudiera pensar
Without thinking
Que fueras carta jugada
That you were a played card
Que no se debía apostar
That should not have been bet on
Por eso cuando ganaste
That's why when you won
Te fuiste sin regresar
You left without returning
Por eso ya que te marchas
That's why as you leave
No pienses en regresar
Don't think about coming back
Que no te sigo adorando
That I am no longer worshiping you
Ya me cansé de llorar
I am tired of crying
Voy a tirarme a los vicios
I am going to indulge in vices
Para poderte olvidar
To forget about you
Por eso cuando ganaste
That's why when you won
Te fuiste sin regresar
You left without returning
Contributed by Alice V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
J. JESUS LEMUS
Los felicito. Bonita la canción y bonitas las cantantes. El "Flaco" Jiménez una leyenda en la música.
Laura García
Muchas Gracias, al señor Flaco Jiménez"
por tocar el acordeón espectacular
y Max, Baca y los Cenzontles Sus Voces
también hermosisimas todo les quedo
perfecto.mil felicidades para ustedes
y que siempre sigan cosechando muchos
éxitos. les mando un saludo cordial desde
Bakersfield California.👍🏼🌹♥️🎼
Mario Stoia
LOS CENZONTLES MUY LINDA Y HERMOSA , DUETO DE NUESTRA GRANDE LINDA , LIBRE I HERMOSA MEXICANA , 🇦🇩 VIVA , LA BUENA SUERTE MY HERMANOS GRANDE MEXICANOS , SALUDOS DESDE UNION EUROPEAS 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
The Juan and only.
Ese flaquito es un genio de la acordeón Dios lo guarde muchos años más.
Jorge Rodriguez
Acabo de descubrirlas y ya tengo mas d 5 cansiones y sty impresionado con esta musica mexica 100% y viva mexico. Saludos desde tijuana mexico.
Joaquin Gonzales
Tu sonrisa, tus ojos, tus labios, pero sobretodo tu grácil figura y forma de cantar; me pierdo en el tiempo y en el espacio al verte y escucharte con tal grácil interpretación cada canción. Saludos con toda mi admiración y afecto desde Santiago Ttco. De México mi estado.
Angel Hdez Herrera
Me encanta cómo cantan éstas chicas les deceo lo mejor muchas bendiciendo un fuerte abrazo
Bucknuts
God haven't seen Flaco in a few years great to watch him play again with awesome singers and great band
maria alcala
Chicas pongan un disco completo las tengo que estar buscando, suerte muchachas y el grupo cantan y tocan hermoso, saludos desde Alaska, viva Mx!!!!!
Orik Leal
Saludos y felicitaciones al grupo desde la Sultana del Norte, Monterrey NL...
¡¡Sí siñor!!...