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.
Que Te Vaya Bonito
José Alfredo Jiménez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ojalá que se acaben tus penas
Que te digan que yo ya no existo
Y conozcas personas más buenas
Que te den lo que no pude darte
Aunque yo te haya dado de todo
Nunca más volveré a molestarte
Cuántas cosas quedaron prendidas
Hasta dentro del fondo de mi alma
Cuántas luces dejaste encendidas
Yo no sé cómo voy a apagarlas
Amor, que te vaya bonito amor
Ojalá que mi amor no te duela
Y te olvides de mí para siempre
Que se llenen de sangre tus venas
Y te vista la vida de suerte
Yo no sé si tu ausencia me mate
Aunque tengo mi pecho de acero
Pero nadie me llame cobarde
Sin saber hasta donde la quiero
Cuántas cosas quedaron prendidas
Hasta dentro del fondo de mi alma
Cuántas luces dejaste encendidas
Yo no sé cómo voy a apagarlas
Ojalá que te vaya bonito
The song "Que Te Vaya Bonito" by Mexican songwriter José Alfredo Jiménez is a ballad of heartbreak and longing. The lyrics speak of a lover wishing their former partner well as they move on with their life. The first stanza expresses the desire for the ex to find happiness and for the singer to fade from their memory, even as they hope to find someone better. The second stanza continues in this vein, with the singer wishing the ex the best while acknowledging the pain of their absence. The chorus echoes this sentiment, with the repeated refrain of "ojalá que te vaya bonito" ("I hope things go well for you").
Throughout the song, the singer reflects on the remnants of their relationship, with "how many things were left behind, even at the bottom of my soul" and "how many lights you left on, I don't know how I'm going to turn them off." Despite the pain and longing expressed in the lyrics, there is a sense of resignation and acceptance that the relationship has ended and the ex-lover has moved on.
In summary, "Que Te Vaya Bonito" is a poignant ballad about heartbreak and the bittersweet farewell of a relationship, where the singer wishes their ex well as they move on with their life, whilst acknowledging their own deep pain and struggle to come to terms with the breakup.
Line by Line Meaning
Ojalá que te vaya bonito
I hope you have a good life ahead of you
Ojalá que se acaben tus penas
I hope all your sorrows come to an end
Que te digan que yo ya no existo
I hope they tell you that I no longer exist
Y conozcas personas más buenas
And you meet better people
Que te den lo que no pude darte
I hope they give you what I couldn't
Aunque yo te haya dado de todo
Even though I gave you everything I had
Nunca más volveré a molestarte
I will never bother you again
Te adoré, te perdí, ya ni modo
I loved you, I lost you, that's just the way it is
Cuántas cosas quedaron prendidas
So many things still remain in my heart
Hasta dentro del fondo de mi alma
Deep inside the depths of my soul
Cuántas luces dejaste encendidas
So many lights you left on
Yo no sé cómo voy a apagarlas
I don't know how to turn them off
Amor, que te vaya bonito amor
My love, I hope you have a good life
Ojalá que mi amor no te duela
I hope my love doesn't hurt you
Y te olvides de mí para siempre
And you forget me forever
Que se llenen de sangre tus venas
May your veins be filled with life
Y te vista la vida de suerte
And may life dress you in luck
Yo no sé si tu ausencia me mate
I don't know if your absence will kill me
Aunque tengo mi pecho de acero
Even though I have a heart of steel
Pero nadie me llame cobarde
But no one call me a coward
Sin saber hasta donde la quiero
Without knowing how much I love you
Ojalá que te vaya bonito
I hope you have a good life ahead of you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jose Alfredo Jimenez Sandoval
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Beto Rojas
ESTA SI ES MUSICA MEXICANA DE VERDAD!!!!
Cheetos xd
Por favor soy argentino pero México si que tiene grandes artistas entonces viva México cabrones 👏💪😅
Daniel Del Rancho
Ya sabemos
Gabriello RM
Con terapia - Qué te vaya bonito.
Sin terapia - Acá entre nos.
Rolando Santos
Una canción muy bonita...de mi querido José Alfredo jiménez.reciban un saludo de un mexicano desde la ciudad de México
boxeo bajo, medio, y alto impacto
Podrías oír mi versión de ella, en mi canal
Omar Gonzalez
La diferencia entre josé alfredo y los demás es que el cantaba sus propias canciones y los demás cantaban las canciones de el fué un compositor muy prolifico además de buen cantante. Grande entre los grandes. Desde la capital de panamá
Nelly Elizabet Guerrero Toro
Linda canción, es mi favorita de Jisé Alfredo . Viva Mexico mi abuelo vino de esa tierra linda.
Carlos Galo
Es un talento unico canciones q salian del alma woooo inigualablemente Jose alfredo jimenez
Miguel Osvaldo Flores Dominguez
Uno de los pocos ídolos méxicanos a los cuales respeto. José Alfredo Jiménez. Un grande.