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.
Seis Tequilas
Joaquín Sabina Lyrics
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Me sobran seis tequilas
No ver para querer
Malditas sean las pilas
Que me hacen trasnochar
Echándonos de menos
Echándome de más
Almíbar y centeno
Me flata un corazón
Me sobran cinco estrellas
De hoteles de ocasión
Donde dejar mis huellas
Con nada que ocultar
Con todo por delante
Goliat era un patán
David era un gigante
Aunque en parte soy juez
De un nunca, de un tal vez
De un no sé, de un después, de un qué pronto
En asuntos de amor
Siempre pierde el mejor
No me tomes tontita por tonto
Me falta una verdad
Me sobran cien excusas
Qué borde es la ansiedad
Que pérfidas las musas
Que nimban a cualquier
Pelanas con su foco
Que cobran alquiler
Con tangas y a lo loco
Aunque en parte soy juez
De un nunca, de un tal vez
De un no sé, de un después, de un qué pronto
En asuntos de amor
Siempre pierde el mejor
No me tomes tontita por tonto
Ni zotal ni arrezú
Ni Luzbel ni Mambrú
Ni alfajor, ni duelo, ni quebranto
Dame un beso de más
Novia de Satanás
Jezabel que encanalla mi canto
Casanova es el rey
Maquiavelo la ley
Del jersey de la distancia
Deja, por compasión
Que entone la canción
Del chaval que espcapa de la infancia
En la estación de Francia
The song "Seis Tequilas" by Joaquín Sabina is essentially an account of the singer's failed attempts to find love, as he drowns his sorrows and frustrations in alcohol. In the opening verse, he laments the fact that he is lacking a woman in his life, but has an excess of tequila, which will ultimately be of no use to him in fulfilling that need. He then goes on to express his frustration with the unpredictability of love, personified by the "pilas" (batteries) that keep him awake at night, both missing what he doesn't have and longing for what he cannot attain.
The second verse shifts focus to the singer's feelings of inadequacy, as he wishes he had more to offer than just his transient experiences in cheap hotels with five-star ratings. He admits feeling like an underdog in the game of love, referencing the biblical story of David and Goliat, where the smallest and most insignificant character is the one who triumphs in the end. The chorus acts as a sort of disclaimer, where he concedes that he is only partly a judge of love, as there are many subjective and unknown factors at play in the game of love. He also urges his listener, most likely directed at a female, not to underestimate or take advantage of his vulnerability.
Line by Line Meaning
Me falta una mujer
I am missing a woman in my life
Me sobran seis tequilas
To cope with my loneliness, I have consumed six tequilas more than I need
No ver para querer
There are times when one does not need to see something to love it.
Malditas sean las pilas
The batteries in my devices are a curse, as they distract me and keep me awake
Que me hacen trasnochar
These batteries keep me up at night
Echándonos de menos
We are missing each other
Echándome de más
I am being too much for myself or another person
Almíbar y centeno
I am craving sugary and alcoholic substances
Me falta un corazón
I am missing a heart to love and be loved
Me sobran cinco estrellas
I have stayed at five-star hotels without needing to, as I have nothing meaningful to do there
De hoteles de ocasión
These are last minute or budget hotels, where I can leave my mark without feeling anything real
Donde dejar mis huellas
I stay in these hotels to leave my mark or influence behind, as if it matters
Con nada que ocultar
I have nothing to hide
Con todo por delante
I have everything ahead of me, but it feels like a burden
Goliat era un patán
Goliath was a brute or a bully
David era un gigante
David was stronger than expected
Aunque en parte soy juez
Although I am partially a judge
De un nunca, de un tal vez
Of a never, of a maybe
De un no sé, de un después, de un qué pronto
Of a don't know, of a later, of a how soon
En asuntos de amor
When it comes to love
Siempre pierde el mejor
The best person always loses
No me tomes tontita por tonto
Don't underestimate me
Me falta una verdad
I am searching for the truth
Me sobran cien excusas
I have too many excuses for why I haven't found it yet
Qué borde es la ansiedad
Anxiety is such a nuisance
Que pérfidas las musas
Muses can sometimes be deceitful
Que nimban a cualquier
They can seduce anyone
Pelanas con su foco
Even the poorest among us can be influenced by their power
Que cobran alquiler
They demand payment or a sacrifice
Con tangas y a lo loco
In a wild and crazy way
Ni zotal ni arrezú
Neither this nor that
Ni Luzbel ni Mambrú
Neither the Devil nor the hero
Ni alfajor, ni duelo, ni quebranto
Neither the sweetness, nor the pain, nor the hurt
Dame un beso de más
Give me an extra kiss
Novia de Satanás
A woman who is just as dangerous as Satan
Jezabel que encanalla mi canto
A villainous woman who spoils my music or inspiration
Casanova es el rey
Casanova is the king of seduction
Maquiavelo la ley
Maquiavelo is the authority on deceit and manipulation
Del jersey de la distancia
They take advantage of the distance between people
Deja, por compasión
Out of pity, let me sing my song
Que entone la canción
Let me sing this song
Del chaval que espcapa de la infancia
About a boy who is running away from his childhood at the station of France
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Antonio Perez Garcia De Diego, Francisco Jose Lopez Varona, Joaquin Ramon Sabina
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind