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.
Sonaron Cuatro Balazos
José Alfredo Jiménez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
a las dos de la mañana.
Lo fui a matar en tus brazos,
sabía que ahí lo encontraba.
No creas que alguien me lo dijo,
me dio la corazonada.
(Me dio la corazonada)
Se me embaló la pistola,
te salvaste de la muerte.
Todavía no te tocaba
o fue tu noche de suerte.
Yo tuve que irme pa'l monte,
y allí me volví rebelde.
(Y allí me volví rebelde)
Yo sé que quieren matarme,
que la ley me anda buscando.
Algún día darán conmigo;
no sé ni dónde ni cuándo.
Pero eso sí, te lo digo,
Me pienso morir peleando.
(Me pienso morir peleando)
Adiós, mujer consentida;
se despide tu rebelde.
A ti te debo en la vida
estar sentenciado a muerte.
Por eso, mientras yo viva,
mi suerte será tu suerte.
(Mi suerte será tu suerte)
Sonaron Cuatro Balazos is a classic song by José Alfredo Jiménez about a man who seeks revenge on someone who caused him pain. In the first stanza, the singer describes how he went to kill the person who hurt him in the arms of his lover. He felt a premonition that the individual was there and found him. However, as he was about to shoot, his gun jammed, and the lover was saved.
In the second stanza, the singer talks about how now his life is in danger, and the law is after him. He's aware that someday they will find him, yet he plans to die fighting. He ends the song by saying goodbye to his lover and acknowledging that his fate is a result of being with her. He pledges to make her fate his own as long as he lives.
The song is melancholic and dramatic, reflecting the essence of Mexican ranchera music. As with most of José Alfredo Jiménez's work, it touches on themes such as love, pain, death, and honor, which were typical of the time. Many ranchera singers, including Vicente Fernández, Chavela Vargas, and Pedro Infante, have covered the song over the decades.
Line by Line Meaning
Sonaron cuatro balazos
Four gunshots were heard
a las dos de la mañana.
At two in the morning.
Lo fui a matar en tus brazos,
I went to kill him in your arms,
sabía que ahí lo encontraba.
I knew I would find him there.
No creas que alguien me lo dijo,
Don't think someone told me,
me dio la corazonada.
I had a gut feeling.
Se me embaló la pistola,
My gun got stuck,
te salvaste de la muerte.
You were saved from death.
Todavía no te tocaba
It wasn't your time yet,
o fue tu noche de suerte.
Or it was your lucky night.
Yo tuve que irme pa'l monte,
I had to go to the mountains,
y allí me volví rebelde.
And there I became a rebel.
Yo sé que quieren matarme,
I know they want to kill me,
que la ley me anda buscando.
That the law is looking for me.
Algún día darán conmigo;
One day they'll find me;
no sé ni dónde ni cuándo.
I don't know where or when.
Pero eso sí, te lo digo,
But I tell you this,
Me pienso morir peleando.
I plan to die fighting.
Adiós, mujer consentida;
Goodbye, my indulged woman;
se despide tu rebelde.
Your rebel bids farewell.
A ti te debo en la vida
I owe you my life,
estar sentenciado a muerte.
For being sentenced to death.
Por eso, mientras yo viva,
That's why, as long as I live,
mi suerte será tu suerte.
My fate will be your fate.
Contributed by Isaac J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.