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.
Tan Joven Y Tan Viejo
Joaquín Sabina Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
En el álbum de cromos de la resignación
Pegábamos los niños que odía ban los espejos
Guantes de Rita Hayworth, calles de Nueva York
Apenas vi que un ojo me guiñaba la vida
Le pedí que a su antojo dispusiera de mí,
Ella me dio las llaves de la ciudad prohibida
Así crecí volando y volé tan deprisa
Que hasta mi propia sombra de vista me perdió,
Para borrar mis huellas destrocé mi camisa,
Confundí con estrellas las luces de neón
Hice trampas al póker, defraudé a mis amigos,
Sobre el banco de un parque dormí como un lirón;
Por decir lo que pienso sin pensar lo que digo
Más de un beso me dieron (y más de un bofetón)
Lo que sé del olvido lo aprendí de la luna,
Lo que sé del pecado lo tuve que buscar
Como un ladrón debajo de la falda de alguna
De cuyo nombre ahora no me quiero acordar
Así que, de momento, nada de adiós muchachos,
Me duermo en los entierros de mi generación;
Cada noche me invento, todavía me emborracho;
Tan joven y tan viejo, like a rolling stone
The lyrics of Tan joven y tan viejo by Joaquín Sabina describe the singer's life journey from his early desires to escape, to his reckless youth, and his current state of being both young and old. The first stanza describes his early desire to leave and his childhood memories of collecting cards of things he despised, including images of Rita Hayworth’s gloves and the streets of New York. The second stanza describes his awakening to life when he realized an opportunity was presenting itself to him. The personification of life winking at him suggests that he has come to a point of realization where he takes control of his own destiny. The singer then admits to living life fast with his shadow as the only companion. He has left no memories or trails behind, and even his clothes are torn from his fast-paced life.
The third and fourth stanzas describe his reckless youth where he cheated on poker and lost his friends' trust, and where he slept in parks like a hibernating animal. He admits to speaking his mind without thinking and receives both kisses and slaps for his carelessness. In the fifth stanza, the singer reveals the lessons he learned from sin and forgetfulness, which he had to find out for himself. The last line of the stanza is particularly intriguing, as it implies a sexual conquest that he would rather forget. The final stanza suggests that despite the singer's turbulent life, he is not yet ready to say goodbye to this world, and he continues to invent new memories and even gets drunk. The closing line, "tan joven y tan viejo, like a rolling stone" suggests that despite all the life that he has lived, he still feels like a young and restless spirit, captured in the 60s rock song by Bob Dylan.
Line by Line Meaning
Lo primero que quise fue marcharme bien lejos;
At first, all I wanted was to get far away;
En el álbum de cromos de la resignación
I spent my time wallowing in despair;
Pegábamos los niños que odía ban los espejos
I found solace in things that reflect my hopelessness;
Guantes de Rita Hayworth, calles de Nueva York
From glamorous actresses to bustling city streets, I searched for distractions;
Apenas vi que un ojo me guiñaba la vida
But just when I thought it was all hopeless, life gave me a wink;
Le pedí que a su antojo dispusiera de mí,
I asked life to take control, to guide me down a path;
Ella me dio las llaves de la ciudad prohibida
And life gave me the secrets to some of the most hidden corners;
Yo, todo lo que tengo, que es nada, se lo di
So I offered up everything I had, which was nothing;
Así crecí volando y volé tan deprisa
And that's how I found myself soaring, flying faster than I could keep up with;
Que hasta mi propia sombra de vista me perdió,
I moved so quickly my own shadow became a blur;
Para borrar mis huellas destrocé mi camisa,
I had to destroy parts of myself to fully embrace this journey;
Confundí con estrellas las luces de neón
And I mixed up the bright lights of the city with the stars above;
Hice trampas al póker, defraudé a mis amigos,
I cheated at poker, betrayed the trust of those closest to me;
Sobre el banco de un parque dormí como un lirón;
I slept on park benches, tired from the endless journey;
Por decir lo que pienso sin pensar lo que digo
Sometimes my honesty got me into trouble, because I spoke before thinking;
Más de un beso me dieron (y más de un bofetón)
I received both kisses and slaps in response to what I said;
Lo que sé del olvido lo aprendí de la luna,
I learned about forgetting from the moon, with its ever-changing phases;
Lo que sé del pecado lo tuve que buscar
And about sin, I had to seek out the darkness to even recognize it;
Como un ladrón debajo de la falda de alguna
Like a thief sneaking under the skirt of temptation;
De cuyo nombre ahora no me quiero acordar
I don't even want to remember the name of the one who tempted me;
Así que, de momento, nada de adiós muchachos,
So for now, there's no goodbye, no farewell to my generation;
Me duermo en los entierros de mi generación;
I'm the one who falls asleep at the funerals of my peers;
Cada noche me invento, todavía me emborracho;
Every night, I create a new version of myself, still drinking and living on the edge;
Tan joven y tan viejo, like a rolling stone
I'm young and old at the same time, just like a rolling stone
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CARLOS VICTORIANO VARELA CEREZO, JOAQUIN RAMON SABINA, JOAQUIN RAMON MARTINEZ SABINA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind