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.
Tu Recuerdo y Yo
José Alfredo Jiménez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oyendo una canción que yo pedí
Me están sirviendo ahorita mi tequila
Ya va mi pensamiento rumbo a ti
Yo sé que tu recuerdo es
Mi desgracia, y vengo aquí nomas a recordar
Que amarga son las cosas que nos pasan
Quien no sabe en esta vida la traición
Tan conocida que nos deja
Un mal amor
Quien no llega a la cantina
Exigiendo su tequila y exigiendo su canción
Me están sirviendo ya la del estribo
Ahorita ya no sé si tengo fe
Ahorita solamente
Ya les pido que toquen
Otra vez la que se fue
Quien no sabe en esta vida la traición
Tan conocida que nos deja
Un mal amor
Quien no llega a la cantina
Exigiendo su tequila y exigiendo
Su canción
Me están sirviendo ya la del estribo
Ahorita ya no se si tengo fe
Ahorita solamente
Ya les pido que toquen
Otra vez la que se fue
The lyrics to José Alfredo Jiménez's song "Tu Recuerdo y Yo" tell the story of a man drowning his sorrows in a cantina, reminiscing about a past love that was his downfall. He sits alone in a corner, listening to a song that he requested while sipping his tequila. He knows that the memory of his past love is his downfall and he has come here to remember and contemplate his painful past. He reflects on the bitterness of life experiences that result from a woman treating you badly, leaving a bad taste in your mouth. He is not alone in this heartbreak as anyone can experience the sting of betrayal and a failed love.
The lyrics go on to describe the universal experience of heartbreak and despair, as reflected in the solace found in a cantina where people come to drink their sorrows away. The familiarity of this scene is palpable as the singer speaks of demanding his tequila and song, finding comradery among his fellow patrons in the cantina. He requests the song "La Del Estribo" once again, asking for the pain of lost love to be revisited, further emphasizing that he finds pleasure in the familiarity of the situation despite the pain.
Overall, the lyrics to "Tu Recuerdo y Yo" capture the essence of heartbreak and the temptation to fall into bitterness and despair. It highlights the universality of these emotions, as well as the attraction to the comforting environment of a cantina in these moments of sorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
Estoy en el rincón de una cantina
I am sitting in a corner of a bar
Oyendo una canción que yo pedí
Listening to a song that I requested
Me están sirviendo ahorita mi tequila
They are serving me my tequila right now
Ya va mi pensamiento rumbo a ti
My thoughts are already headed towards you
Yo sé que tu recuerdo es
I know that your memory is
Mi desgracia, y vengo aquí nomás a recordar
My misfortune, and I come here just to remember
Que amarga son las cosas que nos pasan
How bitter are the things that happen to us
Cuando una mujer que paga mal
When a woman who treats us badly
Quien no sabe en esta vida la traición
Who doesn't know about betrayal in this life
Tan conocida que nos deja
So well-known that it leaves us
Un mal amor
A bad love
Quien no llega a la cantina
Who doesn't arrive at the bar
Exigiendo su tequila y exigiendo su canción
Demanding their tequila and demanding their song
Me están sirviendo ya la del estribo
They are already serving me the last drink
Ahorita ya no sé si tengo fe
Right now, I don't know if I have faith
Ahorita solamente
Right now, only
Ya les pido que toquen
I ask them to play
Otra vez la que se fue
The one that has gone away again
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Jose Alfredo Jimenez Sandoval
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@crescenciocorralejo438
De Guanajuato para México y el mundo inmortal Jose Alfredo Jiménez
@Morlacoish1
HAY COMPADRES, CON ESTA MUSICA CHUPABA DURO Y PAREJO..... HACE YA 22 AÑOS, CUANDO ME DIVORCIÉ.... MEJOR ME FUI PA MÉXICO DESDE EL ECUADOR QUE ES MI PAÍS..... Y FUE PEOR DONDE ME DESBARATE, CON LOS TEQUILAS EN LA PLAZA GARIBALDI EN LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO..... SIEMPRE ME IDENTIFIQUE CON JOSÉ ALFREDO.... POR SUS TEMAS QUE ME HAN LLEGADO AL ALMA.... QUE DE DIOS GOCES MAESTRO.... SIEMPRE TE RECORDAREMOS ESCUCHANDO TUS CANCIONES.....
@balquemau
los tequilas matan
@eduardomorales6438
Y cuando termino de tomar?
@VictorGarcia-sx6yk
El más grande cantautor de todos los tiempos, mi idolo
@squipoangel9145
Te ekivokas arriva mi compa chente Vicente Fernández 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺💯🍺🍺🔥🍺💯🍺🔥🍺💯
@rogeliorodriguezg5836
@@squipoangel9145 nmns . hay niveles , pa empezar chente ni siquiera componia .
@marcocharrito
el mejor canta autor de todos los mexicanos nadie le va a llegar a el JOSE ALFREDO JIMENEZ el chingon
@punkobrero
Eterno José Alfredo Jiménez el verdadero Rey. Saludos desde Colombia
@marlonbrenes893
Duele,
Como duele!!!
He llorado como los HOMBRES.
NO como los borrachos.