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.
Con La Muerte Entre Los Puños
José Alfredo Jiménez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Recibió la luz del cielo, con relámpagos y rayos
El no conoció la escuela, donde fueron sus hermanos
Porque el ya tenía la fuerza, en el puño de sus manos
Un hermano de su padre, boxeador ya retirado,
Le regalo el par de guantes, con los que el había ganado
Y no le quedaron grandes, cuando tumbo al Diablo Vega
El campeón de todo el barrio
(Por el campeonato mundial de los pesos Gallo, pelearan 15 rounds,
En esta esquina, de 53 kilos 50 gramos, el actual campeón mundial, .)
Llego a ser campeón del mundo, no había quien se le enfrentara
Hasta que llego un valiente, y peleo en Guadalajara
Salio a ganar como siempre, desde la primer campana
Le pego hasta que la muerte, se le dibujo en la cara
El lloro, con la victoria, y maldijo su destino
Porque conquisto la gloria, pero se sintió asesino
Después aventó los guantes, y se salio de las cuerdas
A buscar cualquier camino,
(Su atención por favor, respetable público, su atención por favor,
El vencedor de esta pelea)
"Con La Muerte Entre Los Puños" by José Alfredo Jiménez tells the story of a man who was born near a pasture, where there wasn't even one horse. He was born during a fierce lightning storm and never went to school, unlike his siblings. He was born with an incredible strength, in the grip of his fists. A retired boxer who was his father's brother gifted him a pair of gloves, with which he defeated Diablo Vega, the neighborhood champion. He went on to become the world champion for bantamweight, and no one dared to face him until a brave soul challenged him in Guadalajara. He came to win, and he fought as always, throwing punches with all his might. He continued until he saw death in his opponent's face, and he felt like a murderer because he won. He wept and cursed his fate because he rose to glory, but he felt as though he lost his humanity. He then declared he was done with boxing, and he left the ring to search for a new path.
The song's lyrics convey the story of a boxer who rises to fame due to his strength and then faces the consequences of his actions when he feels as if he had murdered his opponent. After conquering the world championship, he felt empty, and his thirst for victory disappeared. The singer's story is a reflection of the cost of attaining one's dreams and the realization that everything comes at a price. It is a tale of success, regret, and the consequences of pursuing one's passions at all costs.
Line by Line Meaning
Nació cerca del potrero, donde no había ni un caballo
He was born near a meadow where there were no horses
Recibió la luz del cielo, con relámpagos y rayos
He was born during a storm and was welcomed by lightning bolts and thunder
El no conoció la escuela, donde fueron sus hermanos
He never went to school like his siblings did
Porque el ya tenía la fuerza, en el puño de sus manos
His strength was already in his fists
Un hermano de su padre, boxeador ya retirado, Le regalo el par de guantes, con los que el había ganado
His father's brother, a retired boxer, gave him the gloves he used to win
Y no le quedaron grandes, cuando tumbo al Diablo Vega El campeón de todo el barrio
The gloves fit him well when he knocked out Diablo Vega, the neighborhood champion
(Por el campeonato mundial de los pesos Gallo, pelearan 15 rounds, En esta esquina, de 53 kilos 50 gramos, el actual campeón mundial, .)
(For the world bantamweight championship, they will fight 15 rounds. In this corner, weighing at 53.5 kilograms, the current world champion.)
Llego a ser campeón del mundo, no había quien se le enfrentara Hasta que llego un valiente, y peleo en Guadalajara
He became the world champion and no one could beat him until a brave opponent fought him in Guadalajara
Salio a ganar como siempre, desde la primer campana Le pego hasta que la muerte, se le dibujo en la cara
The opponent came out swinging and hit him until death was written on his face
El lloro, con la victoria, y maldijo su destino Porque conquisto la gloria, pero se sintió asesino
He cried with victory and cursed his fate because although he achieved glory, he felt like a killer
Después aventó los guantes, y se salio de las cuerdas A buscar cualquier camino,
He threw his gloves and left the ring to find a new path
(Su atención por favor, respetable público, su atención por favor, El vencedor de esta pelea)
(Attention please, honorable audience, attention please. The winner of this fight)
Writer(s): Jose Alfredo Jimenez
Contributed by Tyler M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@josebardales778
José Aalfredo Jiménez, le canto a la patria, a los amores, a las ciudades y pueblos, al herrero, al boxeador, y hasta a el mismo porque sigue siendo el rey.
@matt6944
lo mejor q vas a escuchar
@gabrielgaviria5430
Desde niño escuchaba esta canción que le gustaba a mi padre ya fallecido.
Tremenda letra, tremenda voz.
Magnífico cantante..
Arriba México y López Obrador...
Saludos desde Montería Colombia.
Abrazos Manitos..
@jonathanzuniga2201
Uo
@franciscocasarrubiasreyes6926
Viva colombia y también Gustavo Petro !!!
@jaimecanales3318
Para que boxeador será el corrido?
@softlytears3107
Somos de celaya pero este amigo es mi paisano y es un honor escuchar esto
@juancarlossalas9018
Siempre se recordará ese Celaya casi campeón de Emilio Butragueño. Saludos bro y ARRIBA MIS CHIVAS.
@matt6944
yo tanbien soy de por ahi tras lomitas y jose alfredo nunca falta por esos rumbos
@LEON-xb2yq
Saludos desde cortazar