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.
Cuando Lloran los Hombres
José Alfredo Jiménez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
que tú te olvidaras
de todo lo nuestro.
Quién iba a decirme
que amor tan seguro
tenía que perderlo.
vivir sin tus ojos,
vivir sin tus labios,
vivir sin tus brazos.
Yo no sé si pueda
seguir por el mundo
todo hecho pedazos.
No te me vayas.
Qué, ¿no tienes corazón?
Te estoy queriendo con toda mi alma,
y tú no entiendes mi amor.
Quién iba a decirme
que noche con noche
te me iba olvidando.
Mientras que mi pecho,
minuto a minuto,
te estaba adorando.
Yo no sé qué pase
después que te vayas
y agarres tus cosas
y al fin me abandones.
Yo no sé qué pase,
pero hay un momento
que lloran los hombres.
No te me vayas.
Qué, ¿no tienes corazón?
Te estoy queriendo con toda mi alma,
y tú no entiendes mi amor.
The lyrics to José Alfredo Jiménez's song "Cuando Lloran los Hombres" describe a man who is struggling to come to terms with the fact that his lover is leaving him. He reflects on the good times they had together and wonders how he will be able to live without her. He expresses his love for her and the pain he feels at the thought of losing her. The singer is also perplexed by the fact that his lover seems to have forgotten all the moments they shared and the deep connection they once had. He pleads with her not to leave him and questions how she could be so heartless as to not understand his love.
The melody of the song is slow and melancholic, reflecting the sorrowful emotions of the singer. The poignant lyrics have resonated with audiences for decades, making it one of Jiménez's most renowned songs. The song reminds listeners of the difficulty of letting go of love, the heartbreak that follows and the emptiness left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Quién iba a decirme que tú te olvidaras de todo lo nuestro.
I never imagined that you would forget all about our love.
Quién iba a decirme que amor tan seguro tenía que perderlo.
I never thought I would lose a love that I thought was so certain.
Yo no sé si pueda vivir sin tus ojos, vivir sin tus labios, vivir sin tus brazos.
I don't know if I can live without your eyes, lips, and arms.
Yo no sé si pueda seguir por el mundo todo hecho pedazos.
I don't know if I can continue to live in a world that is falling apart.
No te me vayas. Qué, ¿no tienes corazón? Te estoy queriendo con toda mi alma, y tú no entiendes mi amor.
Don't leave me. Do you not have a heart? I am loving you with all my soul, and you don't understand my love.
Quién iba a decirme que noche con noche te me iba olvidando.
I never thought that you would forget me night after night.
Mientras que mi pecho, minuto a minuto, te estaba adorando.
Meanwhile, my chest was adoring you minute by minute.
Yo no sé qué pase después que te vayas y agarres tus cosas y al fin me abandones.
I don't know what will happen after you leave, take your things, and finally abandon me.
Yo no sé qué pase, pero hay un momento que lloran los hombres.
I don't know what will happen, but there is a moment when men cry.
No te me vayas. Qué, ¿no tienes corazón? Te estoy queriendo con toda mi alma, y tú no entiendes mi amor.
Don't leave me. Do you not have a heart? I am loving you with all my soul, and you don't understand my love.
Contributed by Adrian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.