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 Vivas Conmigo
José Alfredo Jiménez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A mis años estoy enamorado,
Tengo el pelo completamente blanco
Pero voy a sacar juventud de mi pasado
Why te voy a enseñar a querer
Porque tú no has querido
Ya verás lo que vas a aprender
Cuando vivas conmigo
Mi derrota la tengo sepultada
Hoy me entrego en tus brazos como en nadie
Porque sé que mi amor sin tu amor no vale nada
The lyrics in José Alfredo Jiménez's song "Cuando Vivas Conmigo" express the feelings of a man who, despite his age and the hardships he has faced in life, has fallen in love with someone he believes can bring him the youth and happiness he thought he had lost. The first verse, "De mis ojos está brotando llanto," conveys the emotion he feels as tears flow from his eyes, proving that he is serious about his love. The second line, "A mis años estoy enamorado," emphasizes that even though he is old, he is still capable of experiencing the strong emotions of love. Jiménez uses the metaphor of white hair, "Tengo el pelo completamente blanco," to indicate that he has lived long and has experienced the pain that comes with it. But he will not let this stop him from finding joy once again as he sings, "Pero voy a sacar juventud de mi pasado."
The following verse, "Te voy a enseñar a querer," reveals his determination to show his lover how to love, as he believes she doesn't know how. "Porque tú no has querido, Ya verás lo que vas a aprender," conveys the sense that she has not yet found true love or has had it before but doesn't realize it. The chorus "Cuando vivas conmigo" repeats twice, emphasizing that the only way to truly experience love is by living with him. He then sings, "De mis labios está brotando sangre, Mi derrota la tengo sepultada," which suggests that he has been hurt before and has buried his past failures but now risks opening old wounds by giving his heart to her. The song ends with "Porque sé que mi amor sin tu amor no vale nada," underscoring his belief that without her love, his own is meaningless.
Line by Line Meaning
De mis ojos está brotando llanto
Tears are falling from my eyes
A mis años estoy enamorado
At my age, I'm in love
Tengo el pelo completamente blanco
My hair is completely white
Pero voy a sacar juventud de mi pasado
But I will find my youth in my past
Why te voy a enseñar a querer
And I will teach you how to love
Porque tú no has querido
Because you haven't known how to love
Ya verás lo que vas a aprender
You will see what you are going to learn
Cuando vivas conmigo
When you live with me
De mis labios está brotando sangre
Blood is gushing from my lips
Mi derrota la tengo sepultada
I have buried my defeat
Hoy me entrego en tus brazos como en nadie
Today I surrender to your arms like never before
Porque sé que mi amor sin tu amor no vale nada
Because I know my love is nothing without yours
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JOSE ALFREDO JIMENEZ SANDOVAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind