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 Nadie Te Quiera
José Alfredo Jiménez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
cuando todos te olviden,
volverás al camino
donde yo me quedé;
volverás como todos:
con el alma en pedazos,
a buscar en mis brazos
un poquito de fe.
Cuando ya de tu orgullo
no te quede ni gota,
y la luz de tus ojos
se comience a apagar;
hablaremos entonces
del amor de nosotros,
y sabrás que mis besos,
los que tanto desprecias,
van a hacerte llorar.
Cuando nadie te quiera,
cuando todos te olviden,
y el destino implacable
quiera ver tu final;
yo estaré en el camino
donde tú me dejaste,
con los brazos abiertos
y un amor inmortal.
Porque quiero que sepas
que no sé de rencores,
que a través de mi madre
me enseñé a perdonar.
Y una vez que conozcas
mis tristezas de amores,
aunque tú no quisieras,
aunque nadie quisiera,
me tendrás que adorar.
The lyrics of José Alfredo Jiménez's song, Cuando Nadie Te Quiera, speak of a love that is always there, no matter the circumstance or the time that has passed. The singer tells the subject of the song that when everyone else abandons her and she is left alone, she will return to the path where the singer has waited for her. The song speaks of a love that is forgiving and never-ending, even when pride and arrogance get in the way. The singer says that when the subject finally realizes the true nature of their love, she will cry tears of regret and reconcile with the singer.
The lyrics reveal a message of forgiveness and unconditional love, despite the challenges that love may bring. It speaks of patience and persistence in love, waiting for someone to return even when it seems that all hope is lost. It is a reminder that love is not always easy, and it can take many forms. It is also a warning that pride and arrogance can get in the way of true love and that we must learn to forgive and be patient with the ones we love.
Line by Line Meaning
Cuando nadie te quiera,
When you're unloved by everyone,
cuando todos te olviden,
when everyone forgets about you,
volverás al camino
you'll return to the path
donde yo me quedé;
where I'm waiting for you;
volverás como todos:
You'll come back like everyone else,
con el alma en pedazos,
with your soul shattered
a buscar en mis brazos
to search in my arms
un poquito de fe.
for a little bit of faith.
Cuando ya de tu orgullo
When your pride is gone,
no te quede ni gota,
when you have none left,
y la luz de tus ojos
and the light in your eyes
se comience a apagar;
begins to fade;
hablaremos entonces
We'll talk then,
del amor de nosotros,
about our love,
y sabrás que mis besos,
and you'll know that my kisses
los que tanto desprecias,
the ones you disdain so much,
van a hacerte llorar.
will make you cry.
Cuando nadie te quiera,
When you're unloved by everyone,
cuando todos te olviden,
when everyone forgets about you,
y el destino implacable
and the implacable fate
quiera ver tu final;
wants to see your end;
yo estaré en el camino
I'll be on the path
donde tú me dejaste,
where you left me,
con los brazos abiertos
with open arms
y un amor inmortal.
and an eternal love.
Porque quiero que sepas
Because I want you to know,
que no sé de rencores,
that I don't hold grudges,
que a través de mi madre
that through my mother
me enseñé a perdonar.
I learned to forgive.
Y una vez que conozcas
And once you know
mis tristezas de amores,
my woes of love,
aunque tú no quisieras,
even if you don't want to,
aunque nadie quisiera,
even if no one else does,
me tendrás que adorar.
you'll have to adore me.
Contributed by Blake D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@paolaponiatowska9843
Creo que José Alfredo no era humano, nadie más ha podido escribir canciones así, unas son un completo poema otras de sus canciones son una oración ♥️♥️♥️.
@erasmo725
Donde dejas a Juanga?
@conelojoenlamirageneracion5473
Cómo español OS diré que José Alfredo Jiménez es una de las tantas joyas que este Bello país México, lleno de talento ha dado al mundo.
Que viva México !!
España OS ama
@lewisrivera4925
Critica Política y social que viva Mexico
@juansanchez-be3to
ustedes nos dieron, enfermedad, sufrimiento muerte y mira lo que hicimos con todo eso
@letygarcia9925
El mejor del mundo y gracias a Dios es Mexicano como yo. Que orgullo siento.
@heccruz7225
Saludos amigo...
@melzterg.4990
jOSE ALFREDO ES EL PUTO AMO DE LA INTERPRETACION RANCHERA MEXICANA, MI REY UN ABRAZO EN DONDE ESTES, BRINDANDO POR TI CON UN TEQUILA MI REY!!!!
@MyRaulB
Solo Jose Alfredo Jimenez pudo componer una cancion tan bonita. Solo el tenia el talento para expresar la realidad del amor entre los seres humanos..
@manuelasegovia3484
Saludos desde España, enorme José Alfredo.