Born in New York City where he has always lived.
Father: Puerto Rican
Mother: Italian-American
Children: Henry Fiol is the father of three children. Orlando, the oldest, is a pianist/arranger/percussionist who sometimes performs with his father.
Education: Graduated from Hunter College where he studied art and received his bachelor’s degree, BFA.
Work Experience: Before beginning his career in music, he worked as an art teacher in the Catholic schools of New York, and then as a counselor for students with behavior problems for the NYC Board of Education.
Artist: During the era of the LP, he painted the cover illustrations for all of his albums---in 1978 he won Latin New York magazine’s award for best album cover of the year for the cover of his first album with Saoco, “Siempre Seré Guajiro”---but ever since the format for recordings was reduced down to the size of a CD, he has forsaken the use of his original art in favor of photography instead.
Composer: Over the years, the majority of the songs recorded by Henry Fiol have been of his own composition, and although he doesn’t read or write music, he has always been actively involved in the preparation of his arrangements as well.
Writer: In the late nineties, he dedicated himself to the writing of his first book, a novel in English, entitled, The Short End of the Stick. Although finished, it remains unpublished.
Musical Career: Began all most forty years ago, initially as a conga player/coro singer.
1974-1978: Co-founder, co-leader, conga player, and lead singer of Saoco, where he composed most of the group’s material and recorded two LP’s.
1980-1982: Recorded two LP’s with SAR Records as a soloist, and was fortunate enough to score several number-one hits in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Dominican Republic. He subsequently toured Latin-America, doing numerous concerts and television appearances.
1983-1987: Formed his own band, “Corazón”, and introduced his signature brass instrumentation of trumpet with tenor sax.
1984-1987: Founded his own record company, Corazón Records, and began using the characteristic red-and-black stage clothing with the symbol of the heart. During this period, he recorded three albums on the Corazón label.
1987-1991: Returned to working as a soloist, and in 1989 he recorded a solo album with his son, Orlando. A year later, he re-organized his band---this time augmenting his horn section to two trumpets and a tenor sax---and, with his new instrumentation, he continued to travel and do live performances.
1991-2002: In 1991, Earthworks/Virgin released a compilation album worldwide. Also, in this period, two additional albums were recorded (one in New York and the other in Colombia), and another compilation album, entitled “Lo Máximo”, was released.
2002-present: In 2002, the album "Guapería" was recorded and produced by Henry Fiol for his own production company, Corazón Productions. It Contains seven original Fiol compositions and three adaptations of old Cuban favorites. In 2008, Henry Fiol Produced and Recorded the album "De Cachete" in Cali,Colombia with the help of some excellent Colombian musicians. This recording, on Fiol's own label, Corazón Records, contains nine original Fiol Compositions and is available to be downloaded free from his website.
To this day, Henry Fiol continues to travel and perform on an international level, particularly in Latin America and Europe, where, over the years, he has acheived the status of being considered a "classic artist" and a perennial favorite.
Travels: USA, Canada, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Spain, etc.
Picoteando por ahí
Henry Fiol Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me levanto por la madrugá y no hay nada en la nevera
No hay jugo, no hay pan
No hay leche tan siquiera.
Pero la busco (picoteando por ahí)
Y me defiendo (picoteando por ahí)
Yo me la busco (picoteando por ahí)
Y me despierto (picoteando por ahí).
Pero sí esta gente comen el jamón y a mí me toca el hueso
Como si yo fuera un ratón, me dejan un tanto de queso.
Me la busco (picoteando por ahí)
Y me despierto (picoteando por ahí)
Yo me la busco (picoteando por ahí)
Y me despierto (picoteando por ahí).
Yo me la busco (picoteando por ahí)
Y me defiendo (picoteando por ahí).
Me levanto por la madrugada y no hay nada en la nevera
Pero la busco (picoteando por ahí)
Y me defiendo (picoteando por ahí).
No hay jugo no hay pan, no hay leche tan siquiera
Pero la busco (picoteando por ahí)
Y me defiendo (picoteando por ahí).
Pues yo de hambre no voy a quedar, me la busco a mi manera
Y me la busco (picoteando por ahí)
Eeeh, y me defiendo (picoteando por ahí)
Inventando por ahí, picoteando por ahí.
Yo me la busco (picoteando por ahí)
Y me defiendo (picoteando por ahí)
Si esta gente comen el jamón y a mí me tiran el hueso.
Y Me la busco (picoteando por ahí)
Y me defiendo (picoteando por ahí)
Como si yo fuera un ratón me dejan un tanto de queso.
Me la busco (picoteando por ahí)
Y me defiendo (picoteando por ahí).
Pero yo no soy ningún ratón, yo nunca he servido pa' eso.
Me la busco (picoteando por ahí)
Y me defiendo (picoteando por ahí)
Inventando por ahí
Picoteando por ahí.
(Picoteando por ahí) llámalo, llámalo
(Picoteando por ahí x7)
Me la busco (picoteando por ahí)
Con mil trucos (picoteando por ahí)×2
Me la busco (picoteando por ahí)
Me despierto (picoteando por ahí)
Y me la aguanto (picoteando por ahí)
Inventando (picoteando por ahí)
Picoteando por ahí.
The lyrics of Henry Fiol's "Picoteando por ahí" depict the struggles of a person who wakes up hungry in the middle of the night and finds nothing in the refrigerator. This person is left with no juice, no bread, and not even milk to satisfy their hunger. The lyrics highlight the unfairness of life where some people enjoy the luxuries of ham and cheese, while others are left with nothing but the bone and some cheese. The singer of the song, however, refuses to give up and succumb to their hunger, instead opting to scavenge for food wherever they can find it, and to resort to their own methods to survive. They will not be a mouse, subservient to those who throw them scraps, but will take control and fight for their own sustenance.
The lyrics are relatable to many listeners who may have had similar experiences or struggled with poverty and hunger. The message of the song is one of resilience and determination, with the singer using their ingenuity and resourcefulness to find food despite the odds. The use of the metaphor of a bird "pecking" for food, represents the singer's determination and persistence in finding food, rather than giving up and starving.
Line by Line Meaning
Me levanto por la madrugá y no hay nada en la nevera
I wake up early and find nothing in the fridge
No hay jugo, no hay pan
There's no juice, no bread
No hay leche tan siquiera.
Not even milk is there.
Pero la busco (picoteando por ahí)
But I start searching (picking at things)
Y me defiendo (picoteando por ahí)
And I defend myself (picking at things)
Yo me la busco (picoteando por ahí)
I fend for myself (picking at things)
Y me despierto (picoteando por ahí).
And I awaken (picking at things)
Sí esta gente comen el jamón y a mí me tiran el hueso
If these people eat the ham and throw me the bone
Pero sí esta gente comen el jamón y a mí me toca el hueso
But if these people eat the ham, I get the bone
Como si yo fuera un ratón, me dejan un tanto de queso.
As if I were a mouse, they leave me a little bit of cheese.
Pues yo de hambre no voy a quedar, me la busco a mi manera
Well, I'm not going to stay hungry, I'll find my way
Eeeh, y me defiendo (picoteando por ahí)
And I defend myself (picking at things)
Inventando por ahí, picoteando por ahí.
Inventing ways, picking at things.
Pero yo no soy ningún ratón, yo nunca he servido pa' eso.
But I'm not a mouse, I've never been good at that.
(Picoteando por ahí) llámalo, llámalo
(Picking at things) call it, call it
(Picoteando por ahí x7)
(Picking at things x7)
Con mil trucos (picoteando por ahí)×2
With a thousand tricks (picking at things) x2
Me la busco (picoteando por ahí)
I fend for myself (picking at things)
Me despierto (picoteando por ahí)
I awaken (picking at things)
Y me la aguanto (picoteando por ahí)
And I endure it (picking at things)
Inventando (picoteando por ahí)
Inventing (picking at things)
Picoteando por ahí.
Picking at things.
Writer(s): brenda holly freund
Contributed by Connor J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.