The restaurant where he worked as a young man, "La Sirena" was frequented by Andres Huesca, who heard some of his compositions of the then young singer, among which was "Cuando el Destino" and "Yo". Huesca immediately decided to record this and following this in 1948 for the first time on the radio station XEX-AM and months after the XEW-AM, which was catapulted to fame. He married Paloma Gálvez and had two children, José Alfredo and Paloma.
He had no musical training—according to the singer Miguel Aceves Mejía, Jiménez didn't play an instrument and didn't even know the Spanish terms for "waltz" and "key". Nonetheless he composed more than 1000 songs. Among the most famous are "Ella", "Media Vuelta", "El Rey", "El Jinete", "Si Nos Dejan", "Amanecí Entre Tus Brazos", "Cuando el Destino", "El Caballo Blanco", "Llegó Borracho el Borracho" and "Que Te Vaya Bonito", as well as "Camino de Guanajuato", where he sang about his home State of Guanajuato as well as his home town of Dolores Hidalgo Guanajuato.
In addition to his own hit recordings, many of his songs have been recorded successfully by recording artists around the Spanish-speaking world, most notably by Pedro Infante, Rocío Durcal, Javier Solís, Pedro Fernández, Jorge Negrete, Vikki Carr, Luis Miguel, Lola Beltrán, Lucha Villa, Vicente Fernández and by Spaniards Julio Iglesias, Joaquín Sabina and Manolo García.
Jiménez passed at a young age, like others of his contemporaries: Negrete, Infante and Solís, the so-called "Three Mexican Roosters", or Tres Gallos Mexicanos all died young. He was struck-down by hepatitis at age 47 and is regarded, along with Agustín Lara and Juan Gabriel, as one of the best songwriters that Mexico has ever produced. He was certainly one of the most prolific composers in the history of popular music, world-wide.
Shortly before his death, he wrote and recorded his last song, "Gracias", thanking the public for all of the affection they had shown him. His tomb has become a place of pilgrimage for serious music fans from around the Spanish-speaking world.
Camino de Guanajuato
José Alfredo Jiménez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No te rajes Guanajuato
Túpele
No vale nada la vida
La vida no vale nada
Comienza siempre llorando
Y así llorando se acaba
La vida no vale nada (claro que no)
Bonito León, Guanajuato
La feria con su jugada
Allí se apuesta la vida
Y se respeta al que gana
Allá en mi León, Guanajuato
La vida no vale nada
Camino de Guanajuato
Que pasas por tanto pueblo
No pases por Salamanca
Que allí me hiere el recuerdo
Vete rodeando veredas
No pases porque me muero
El Cristo de tu montaña
Del cerro del Cubilete
Consuelo de los que sufren
Adoración de la gente
El Cristo de tu montaña
Del cerro del Cubilete
Camino de Santa Rosa
La sierra de Guanajuato
Allí nomás tras lomita
Se ve Dolores Hidalgo
Yo allí me quedo, paisano
Allí es mi pueblo adorado (sí señor)
The song Camino de Guanajuato tells the story of the singer's journey through the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, and the various emotions and experiences he encounters along the way. The opening lines encourage the listener to "túpele con ganas," or push forward with determination, as they journey through the region. He then declares that "no vale nada la vida," or life is worth nothing, and that it begins and ends with tears. This sentiment is often echoed in Mexican culture, where a tough and sometimes fatalistic outlook is seen as a way to cope with life's difficulties.
The song then moves on to speak specifically about Guanajuato, describing its beauty and its reputation for being a place where people take risks and place bets on their lives. The singer notes the "feria con su jugada," or fair with its game, where people gamble and some come out on top. He also refers to the Cristo de tu montaña, or Christ of the Mountain, a statue on the Cerro del Cubilete that is a beloved symbol of consolation and hope for many Mexicans.
The final verses of the song mention specific locations along the road to Guanajuato, including Santa Rosa and Dolores Hidalgo, which the singer calls his "pueblo adorado," or beloved town. Overall, the song speaks to the struggle and resilience of the Mexican people and the beauty of the land they call home.
Line by Line Meaning
José Alfredo, túpele con ganas
Encourage Jose Alfredo to keep going with enthusiasm
No te rajes Guanajuato
Don't give up or lose hope, Guanajuato
Túpele
Keep pushing and striving for success
No vale nada la vida
Life is worth nothing
La vida no vale nada
Life is worth nothing
Comienza siempre llorando
Life always starts with tears
Y así llorando se acaba
And it ends just the same
Por eso es que en este mundo
That's why in this world
La vida no vale nada (Claro que no)
Life is worth nothing (Of course not)
Bonito León, Guanajuato
Beautiful León, Guanajuato
La feria con su jugada
The fair with its gambling
Allí se apuesta la vida
There, life is gambled
Y se respeta al que gana
And those who win are respected
Allá en mi León, Guanajuato
Over there in my León, Guanajuato
La vida no vale nada
Life is worth nothing
Camino de Guanajuato
Road to Guanajuato
Que pasas por tanto pueblo
Passing through so many towns
No pases por Salamanca
Don't go through Salamanca
Que allí me hiere el recuerdo
That memory hurts me there
Vete rodeando veredas
Take the winding paths
No pases porque me muero
Don't pass by or I'll die
El Cristo de tu montaña
The Christ on your mountain
Del cerro del Cubilete
On the peak of Cubilete
Consuelo de los que sufren
Comfort for those who suffer
Adoración de la gente
Worshipped by the people
Camino de Santa Rosa
Road to Santa Rosa
La sierra de Guanajuato
The mountains of Guanajuato
Allí nomás tras lomita
Just beyond that little hill
Se ve Dolores Hidalgo
You can see Dolores Hidalgo
Yo allí me quedo, paisano
I'll stay there, fellow countryman
Allí es mi pueblo adorado (Sí señor)
There is my beloved hometown (Yes sir)
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Jose Alfredo Jimenez Sandoval
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MexicoAdventurer
Walked past the José Alfredo Jiminez monument today on my way to a friend's funeral further inside the Dolores Hidalgo cemetery. As I walked past the monument, about 30 locals were there, and I had this song playing on YouTube in my pocket as I walked by.
Everyone stopped to listen and smile, and stare at me, because, honestly, I look fully "Gringo." 😂
The sadness in this song gets me every time. Losing his beloved brother in Salamanca was a horrible loss. This is a song that shows how much we love our family members and how hard it is to cope with their deaths.
And... a song by a Dolorense about my area of Mexico.
Rest in peace, José Alfredo.
@peterperezgalicia6086
José Alfredo, túpele con ganas
No te rajes Guanajuato
Túpele
No vale nada la vida
La vida no vale nada
Comienza siempre llorando
Y así llorando se acaba
Por eso es que en este mundo
La vida no vale nada (Claro que no)
Bonito León, Guanajuato
La feria con su jugada
Allí se apuesta la vida
Y se respeta al que gana
Allá en mi León, Guanajuato
La vida no vale nada
Camino de Guanajuato
Que pasas por tanto pueblo
No pases por Salamanca
Que allí me hiere el recuerdo
Vete rodeando veredas
No pases porque me muero
El Cristo de tu montaña
Del cerro del Cubilete
Consuelo de los que sufren
Adoración de la gente
El Cristo de tu montaña
Del cerro del Cubilete
Camino de Santa Rosa
La sierra de Guanajuato
Allí nomás tras lomita
Se ve Dolores Hidalgo
Yo allí me quedo, paisano
Allí es mi pueblo adorado (Sí señor)
@RancherasMexicanasmix
"México el país que más amo ! Soy de Colombia ,pero me gusta México , su gente y su cultura , que viva Colombia y que viva México"
@manuellopez6529
POS ya estuvieras aca😊
@adriancure2966
Soy Colombiano y creo que mi vida pasada fuy mexicano. Gracias a mis hermanos mexicanos que me ayudaron mucho cuando anduve por Usa. Que viva Mexico.
@tonyjaguar
VIVA GUANAJUATO CUNA DE LA INDEPENDENCIA DE MÉXICO, VIVA MÉXICO 🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽
@ludwinggarciaochoa3127
El mejor filósofo existencialista
@MexicoAdventurer
Walked past the José Alfredo Jiminez monument today on my way to a friend's funeral further inside the Dolores Hidalgo cemetery. As I walked past the monument, about 30 locals were there, and I had this song playing on YouTube in my pocket as I walked by.
Everyone stopped to listen and smile, and stare at me, because, honestly, I look fully "Gringo." 😂
The sadness in this song gets me every time. Losing his beloved brother in Salamanca was a horrible loss. This is a song that shows how much we love our family members and how hard it is to cope with their deaths.
And... a song by a Dolorense about my area of Mexico.
Rest in peace, José Alfredo.
@veronicaguzman2750
Solo los q somos de Guanajuato lloramos con esta chingona canción ❤
@geovanacarranza8720
Yo no soy de Guanajuato 😢 pero lloro mucho con esta canción mi abuelita paterna si era originaria de allá y murió justo en mis XV años y cuando la escucho como me duele
@veronicaguzman2750
@@geovanacarranza8720 siento mucho lo de tu abuelita te mando un abrazo a la distancia
@AMunoz-rh9cz
Mentira!