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 Traje Blanco
José Alfredo Jiménez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Déjame algo de tu vida
Y cuando veas que me extrañas
Regresa aunque andes perdida
Aquí hay un lugar en mi alma
A ver si no se te olvida
Aquí hay un lugar en mi alma
Si piensas abandonarme
No digas adiós de amigo
Porque tendrás que acordarte
Que yo me casé contigo
Por eso tu traje blanco
Ese se queda conmigo
Amor mío
Si has decidido dejarme
No te quedes a la fuerza
No creas que voy a buscarte
Yo también tengo vergüenza
Hoy quieres amor del grande
Yo te adoré en tu inocencia
Hoy quieres amor del grande
Yo te adoré en tu inocencia
Si piensas abandonarme
No digas adiós de amigo
Porque tendrás que acordarte
Que yo me casé contigo
Por eso tu traje blanco
Ese se queda conmigo
The song Tu Traje Blanco, which translates to "Your White Suit", is a heartfelt and emotional song about a relationship that has come to an end. The opening lines seem to express a desire to hold onto something tangible from the relationship, even after it has ended. The singer asks their former partner to leave a piece of themselves behind, something that the singer can hold onto and remember them by. The next lines seem to be a plea for the partner to come back, even if they are lost or uncertain. The singer is hopeful that their former partner will remember what they had and rediscover their feelings for one another.
The next verse is a warning to the partner, that if they do decide to leave, they should not say goodbye as if they were merely a friend. The singer reminds their partner that they were once married and shared a deep connection, and a goodbye "as a friend" would be an insult to that connection. The line "Por eso tu traje blanco, ese se queda conmigo" ("That's why your white suit, it stays with me") speaks to the powerful emotional connection that the singer still feels toward their former partner, even after the end of the relationship.
The final verse seems to be an acknowledgment that the relationship is truly over, and that the singer must accept this fact. The singer tells their former partner not to stay for longer than they want to, and that the singer will not come looking for them. The lines "Hoy quieres amor del grande, yo te adoré en tu inocencia" ("Today you want a great love, I adored you in your innocence") speak to the changing nature of the relationship, and how the partner has grown and changed since they were first together. Despite this, however, the singer still carries the emotional weight of their past relationship, as seen in the repetition of the line "Por eso tu traje blanco, ese se queda conmigo".
Overall, Tu Traje Blanco is a poignant and emotional song about the complexities of love and relationships. José Alfredo Jiménez's powerful voice and poetic lyrics make it a timeless classic of Latin music.
Line by Line Meaning
Cuando de veras vayas
When you really leave
Déjame algo de tu vida
Leave me something of your life
Y cuando veas que me extrañas
And when you see that you miss me
Regresa aunque andes perdida
Come back even if you're lost
Aquí hay un lugar en mi alma
There's a place in my soul
A ver si no se te olvida
Let's see if you don't forget it
Aquí hay un lugar en mi alma
There's a place in my soul
A ver si no se te olvida
Let's see if you don't forget it
Si piensas abandonarme
If you're thinking of leaving me
No digas adiós de amigo
Don't say goodbye like a friend
Porque tendrás que acordarte
Because you'll have to remember
Que yo me casé contigo
That I got married to you
Por eso tu traje blanco
That's why your white dress
Ese se queda conmigo
Stays with me
Si has decidido dejarme
If you've decided to leave me
No te quedes a la fuerza
Don't stay by force
No creas que voy a buscarte
Don't think I'm going to look for you
Yo también tengo vergüenza
I also have shame
Hoy quieres amor del grande
Today you want a great love
Yo te adoré en tu inocencia
I adored you in your innocence
Hoy quieres amor del grande
Today you want a great love
Yo te adoré en tu inocencia
I adored you in your innocence
Si piensas abandonarme
If you're thinking of leaving me
No digas adiós de amigo
Don't say goodbye like a friend
Porque tendrás que acordarte
Because you'll have to remember
Que yo me casé contigo
That I got married to you
Por eso tu traje blanco
That's why your white dress
Ese se queda conmigo
Stays with me
Writer(s): Jose Alfredo Jimenez Sandoval
Contributed by Vivian P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
alfonso bonilla
NADA MENOS QUE 540 GRANDES CANCIONES,UN SENTIMIENTO INFINITO,JAMAS NACERA UNO IGUAL,COMPOSITOR,CANTANTE,ARREGLISTA, ECT, JOSE ALFREDO JIMENEZ SANDOVAL UN ABRAZO EN SU SILENCIO DESDE COLOMBIA BUCARAMANGA SANTANDER.UN IDOLO SIN IGUAL.
Elvira pena
Todas las canciones de Jose Alfredo Jimenez me recuerdan mucho a mi padre que esta en el cielo, te amo y te extraño mucho Dad😭😭
Eduardo Salazar
Que bella canción, gracias maestro, como tu mismo dijiste "Que bello es lo bonito", saludos amigos mexicanos de un ecuatoriano que admira y quiere tu música y tus tradiciones
Galileo Velasco
el señor es el máximo y aun lo es a la fecha nunca y nunca habrá otro como el y todas sus canciones
M M C *Audio Producciones
Exelente canción y una hermosa metáfora!!
Jose Hernandez
sin lugar a duda una de las joyas que compuso jose Alfredo me fascina esta y muchas mas canciones
Armando Salazar
Gran maestro de la música no hay otro que ni lo abra como el número uno
454supersport
Con esta cancion y mucho Tequila nomas el recuerdo queda , De lo mejor Jose Alfredo Jimenez
me2002r
HERMOSA CANCIÓN.
me2002r
ES UNA CANCION ESPECTACULAR. LO MAXIMO. Y CON ESTA SE LLORA DESDE LO MAS PROFUNDO DEL ALMA. NUNCA LA HABIA ESCUCHADO Y LE AGRADEZCO ENORMEMENTE A ; mmdsanchez2006 POR HABERLA SUBIDO Y PERMITIR QUE YO LA CONOCIERA POR ESTE MEDIO. PORQUE ESTA CANCION HACE QUE ME DUELA EL ALMA.