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.
En el Último Trago
José Alfredo Jiménez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Y en el último trago nos vamos
Quiero ver a qué sabe tu olvido
Sin poner en mis ojos tus manos
Esta noche no voy a rogarte
Esta noche te vas de a de veras
Qué difícil tener que dejarte
Sin que sienta que ya no me quieras
Nada me han enseñado los años
Siempre caigo en los mismos errores
Otra vez a brindar con extraños
Y a llorar por los mismos dolores
Tómate esta botella conmigo
Y en el último trago me besas
Esperamos que no haya testigos
Por si acaso te diera vergüenza
Si algún día sin querer tropezamos
No te agaches ni me hables de frente
Simplemente la mano nos damos
Y después que murmure la gente
Nada me han enseñado los años
Siempre caigo en los mismos errores
Otra vez a brindar con extraños
Y a llorar por los mismos dolores
Tómate esta botella conmigo
Y en el último trago nos vamos
The lyrics of José Alfredo Jiménez's song En el último trago tell the story of a man and a woman sharing a bottle of alcohol together. The man suggests that they drink the entire bottle together, to see what it feels like to forget each other without the intimate touch of hands. He asserts that he will not plead or beg her to stay with him this time, and that it is difficult to let her go without feeling like she doesn't love him anymore.
The song continues to discuss the disappointment and loneliness the singer feels, as he admits to repeatedly making the same mistakes throughout his life. He reflects on the pain he feels, drinking and crying with strangers, and then repeats the chorus, once again urging the woman to drink this last bottle with him. This time, he suggests that they remain unseen by others, as the act may be shameful. He ends the song by proposing that, if they happened to run into each other again, they simply shake hands and let the gossip grow.
The lyrics of this song convey intense emotions of love, loss, and disappointment. It is clear that the singer is deeply saddened by the loss of this woman, and he uses alcohol to cope with the situation. The refrain of the song "tómate esta botella conmigo" ("take this bottle with me"), in particular, underscores the sense of communal pain and loss, as the singer invites the woman to share in his experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Tómate esta botella conmigo
Drink this bottle with me
Y en el último trago nos vamos
And with the last drink, we'll leave
Quiero ver a qué sabe tu olvido
I want to taste what your forgetfulness tastes like
Sin poner en mis ojos tus manos
Without putting your hands on my eyes
Esta noche no voy a rogarte
Tonight, I'm not going to beg you
Esta noche te vas de a de veras
Tonight, you're really leaving
Qué difícil tener que dejarte
It's hard to have to leave you
Sin que sienta que ya no me quieras
Without feeling like you don't love me anymore
Nada me han enseñado los años
The years haven't taught me anything
Siempre caigo en los mismos errores
I always fall into the same mistakes
Otra vez a brindar con extraños
Once again, toasting with strangers
Y a llorar por los mismos dolores
And crying for the same pains
Y en el último trago me besas
And with the last drink, you kiss me
Esperamos que no haya testigos
We hope there are no witnesses
Por si acaso te diera vergüenza
Just in case you feel embarrassed
Si algún día sin querer tropezamos
If one day we accidentally run into each other
No te agaches ni me hables de frente
Don't bend down or talk to me directly
Simplemente la mano nos damos
We simply shake hands
Y después que murmure la gente
And let people gossip afterwards
Tómate esta botella conmigo
Drink this bottle with me
Y en el último trago nos vamos
And with the last drink, we'll leave
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jose Alfredo Jimenez Sandoval
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Carolina Gutiérrez
Estos si eran artistas de los buenos!!
Nadie como ellos . Gracias Jose Alfredo por tan hermosas canciones. Descanse en paz ❤❤
Joaquin Salcedo
Simplemente incomparable y único don Jose Alfredo Jimenez.
Nancy Rodriguez
Descanse en Paz JOSÉ ALFREDO JIMÉNEZ, compositor, cantante y actor
1926-1973 47 años
Oriol HERRERA ZAVALA
Muy joven para irse, quien sabe cuantas más melodías andaríamos interpretando
Adolfo Valladares
LASTIMA QUE JOSE ALFREDO JIMENEZ FALLESIERA MUY JOVEN PORQUE MUCHAS CANCIONES MAS UVIERA DEJADO
aids2099
Hagamos que esta canción tenga,mínimo, 2 millones de oyentes…
Juan Botello
No es que no nos enseñen los años o lo vivido, no hay nada mejor que vivir el dia como si fuera el último!!!!! Viva México.
guillermo veloza corredor
Todo un poema del gran José Alfredo Jiménez
Edith Monica
Por donde se halle Sr José Alfredo Jiménez, que bella canción!, hermosa melodía!, que majestuoso y presente su cantar. Ojalá tengamos algún día, el placer. Salucita señor!!.
Julio Cortez Carmona
Pues don Jose Alfredo Jimenez ya se encuentra cantando en el cielo.