Joaquín Sabina, is the second son of Adela Sabina del Campo and Jerónimo Martinez Gallego, which was a policeman. He attended a Carmelite primary school and he started writing his firsts poems and composing music at 14 years old. He was part of a band called Merry Youngs which imitated singers such as Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry or Little Richard.
In 1968 he enrolled in the University of Granada, but went into exile in London, using a fake passport, to avoid Francisco Franco's persecution. In London, he collaborated with other young artists in theater and cultural events.
In 1975, he started composing songs and singing at local bars. When the dictatorship ended in 1977 he returned to Spain and enrolled in the military.
In 1978 his first album, Inventario (Inventory), debuted with the number-one hit single Pongamos que hablo de Madrid (Let's say I'm talking about Madrid).
Afterwards, he released Malas compañías (The Wrong Crowd) and a live album called La mandrágora (The Mandragora), which caused much controversy due to the racy content of its lyrics. Spain was just coming out of the dictatorship, and Sabina's favorite topics have always been deemed "morally inappropriate" by some: the homeless, prostitutes, drunks, and Robin Hood-styled thieves. He is very much anti-stablishment.
In 1983 he released Ruleta Rusa (Russian Roulette) and two years later, Juez y parte (Judge and Jury). His political views led him to take part in the anti-NATO movement. He later published Joaquín Sabina y Viceversa.
In 1987 he released Hotel, dulce hotel (Hotel, Sweet Hotel), which sold a large number of records in Spain. That success followed with his next album El hombre del traje gris (The Man in The Gray Suit), and followed with a successful tour of South America.
In 1990 he released Mentiras piadosas (White Lies) and two years later Física y química (Physics and Chemistry), which led to another successful tour of the Americas.
His later albums Esta boca es mía (These Lips are Mine), Yo, mi, me contigo (I, Me, With You) and 19 días y 500 noches (19 Days and 500 Nights), won him recognition and multiple platinum albums.
After recovering from a stroke, he returned to the stage in 2002 with Dímelo en la calle (Let's Take It Outside). He later released a double album called Diario de un peatón (Diary of A Pedestrian), which included both his previous album and 12 new songs, along with a book illustrated by him.
In 2005 his new record Alivio de luto (Mourning Relief), put him in track to being one of the biggest names in Spanish musical stardom. The album comes with a DVD that includes interviews, music videos, acoustic versions of the songs and some home-made recordings.
Me Pido Primer
Joaquín Sabina Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mi primera ventana se llamaba porqué
Mi primer laberinto se llamaba mujeres
Mi primer vino tinto se llamaba Noé
Mi primer fugitivo se llamaba extranjero
Mi primer cheque en blanco se llamaba real
Mi primer mandamiento se llamaba no quiero
Mi primer espejismo se llamaba verano
Mi primera fulana se llamaba por fin
Mi primer pasaporte se llamaba Mariano
Mi primer aeropuerto se llamaba París
Mi primer desconcierto se llamaba destino
Mi primer esperanto se llamaba español
Mi primer Al Capone se llamaba Al Pacino
Mi primera blasfemia se llamaba oración
Todos nacemos en cualquier lugar
Me pido primer para desertar
De la estrechez
De los que saben negociar
Tablas en el ajedrez
Que no te quiten la vez
Los que hablan sin respirar
Mi primer aguacate se llamaba pomelo
Mi primer crecepelo se llamaba champú
Mi primer disparate se llamaba consuelo
Mi primer desconsuelo se llamaba Moscú
Mi primer apellido se llamaba Martínez
Mi primer Borsalino se llamaba bombín
Mi primera manola fue en la cola de un cine
Mi primera frontera se llamaba Joaquín
Todos nacemos en cualquier lugar
Me pido primer para desertar
De la memez
De los que saben negociar
Tablas en el ajedrez
Que no te quiten la sed
Los que hablan sin respirar
Todos nacemos en cualquier lugar
Me pido primer para desertar
De la vejez
De los que saben negociar
Tablas en el ajedrez
Tú no me trates de usted
Ni me hables sin respirar
In Joaquín Sabina's song Me Pido Primer, the artist reminisces about his past experiences and firsts. He reflects on his firsts, such as his first apple (named "who are you"), his first window (named "why"), his first maze (named "women"), and his first red wine (named "Noah"). These firsts move onto bigger and more impactful firsts, such as his first fugitive being a foreigner, his first blank check being real, his first commandment being "I don't want to," and his first papamóvil being his father's car. He continues with firsts that represent his past love life, his travels, and his identity.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the desire to be first in order to escape the narrow-mindedness and conformity of people who know how to negotiate, particularly in the game of chess. Sabina sings about not losing one's turn or opportunity and asserts that he does not want to be spoken to like an elder and wants to be addressed informally.
The overall message of the song is the importance of individuality, experiences, and choices in life in order to escape the monotony of conformity.
Line by Line Meaning
Mi primera manzana se llamaba quién eres
My first apple was called who are you
Mi primera ventana se llamaba porqué
My first window was called why
Mi primer laberinto se llamaba mujeres
My first labyrinth was called women
Mi primer vino tinto se llamaba Noé
My first red wine was called Noah
Mi primer fugitivo se llamaba extranjero
My first fugitive was called foreigner
Mi primer cheque en blanco se llamaba real
My first blank check was called royal
Mi primer mandamiento se llamaba no quiero
My first commandment was called I don't want to
Mi primer papamóvil se llamaba papá
My first popemobile was called daddy
Mi primer espejismo se llamaba verano
My first mirage was called summer
Mi primera fulana se llamaba por fin
My first woman was called finally
Mi primer pasaporte se llamaba Mariano
My first passport was called Mariano
Mi primer aeropuerto se llamaba París
My first airport was called Paris
Mi primer desconcierto se llamaba destino
My first confusion was called destiny
Mi primer esperanto se llamaba español
My first Esperanto was called Spanish
Mi primer Al Capone se llamaba Al Pacino
My first Al Capone was called Al Pacino
Mi primera blasfemia se llamaba oración
My first blasphemy was called prayer
Todos nacemos en cualquier lugar
We're all born anywhere
Me pido primer para desertar
I request to be first to desert
De la estrechez
From narrow-mindedness
De los que saben negociar
From those who know how to negotiate
Tablas en el ajedrez
Drawing in chess
Que no te quiten la vez
Don't let them take your turn
Los que hablan sin respirar
Those who speak without taking a breath
Mi primer aguacate se llamaba pomelo
My first avocado was called grapefruit
Mi primer crecepelo se llamaba champú
My first hair growth product was called shampoo
Mi primer disparate se llamaba consuelo
My first nonsense was called comfort
Mi primer desconsuelo se llamaba Moscú
My first grief was called Moscow
Mi primer apellido se llamaba Martínez
My first surname was called Martinez
Mi primer Borsalino se llamaba bombín
My first Borsalino hat was called bowler
Mi primera manola fue en la cola de un cine
My first Manolete-inspired cape was in line at a cinema
Mi primera frontera se llamaba Joaquín
My first border was called Joaquin
De la memez
From silliness
De los que saben negociar
From those who know how to negotiate
Que no te quiten la sed
Don't let them take your thirst
Todos nacemos en cualquier lugar
We're all born anywhere
De la vejez
From old age
De los que saben negociar
From those who know how to negotiate
Tablas en el ajedrez
Drawing in chess
Tú no me trates de usted
Don't address me with formal pronouns
Ni me hables sin respirar
Nor speak to me without taking a breath
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANTONIO PEREZ GARCIA DE DIEGO, FRANCISCO JOSE LOPEZ VARONA, JOAQUIN RAMON SABINA, JOAQUIN RAMON MARTINEZ SABINA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind