José Luis Perales (born January 28, 1945 in Castejón-Cuenca, Spain) is a ta… Read Full Bio ↴José Luis Perales (born January 28, 1945 in Castejón-Cuenca, Spain) is a talented singer and composer who has presented part of his extensive work in Carnegie Hall, New York. Since tender age, he showed his pasion for music, and at age 6, he learned how to play the lute. At 16, Perales studied to be an Electrical Engineer at the Universidad Laboral of Sevilla as scholarship student. He joined the university tuna and learned how to play the guitar. And it was then when he knew that music was going to be a big part of his life. After university, Perales went to Madrid where he finished his studies and continued with his music. His first opportunity was as a composer because he did not like to sing and did not want problems with his girlfriend, Manuela. Encouraged by her mother, Mariana, Perales sang in his hometown and some local festivals. However, it is not until he met Rafael Trabucchelli (main Spanish music producer of the time) in 1970 that his career changed totally. Trabucchelli tried to convince Perales to sing but did not succeed. Perales composed "Porque Te Vas" ("Because You're Leaving") performed by Jeanette, which sold 4 million copies worldwide in 1972, and this is how Trabucchelli finally persuaded him to sing. Perales humbly admitted that it was luck what allowed him to succeed. As a home-loving family man, he had trouble adaping himself to his new life and leaving his current job to dedicate himself to his new career. Despite of his success, Perales is still a humble family man who still lives in Castejon with his now wife, Manuela, which whom he has a son and a daughter, Pablo and Maria. Perales has recorded 27 record productions with more than 50 million copies sold worldwide. His compositions have been recorded by singers such as Raphael, Rocio Jurado, Jeanette, Miguel Bose, Isabel Pantoja, Julio Iglesias, Paloma San Basilio, Mocedades, and La Oreja de Van Gogh among others. His concert tours have included countries such as Uruguay, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Puerto Rico, the USA, Brazil, Italy, France, Portugal. He just recently had a concert in the famous Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles and will be moving eastward across the USA on his tour. He does not come to America very often but when he does, the seats are full. He has also created a wonderful song called "Que canten los niños"

Canción de Cuna para un Gitano
José Luis Perales Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

De pequeña fue a la escuela como tantas otras
Solo se aprendió las letras de la B a la J
Dibujaba en su cuaderno
Lo que en su niñez soñaba
Una casa con jardín, un príncipe azul
Y en su cuento de hadas
Una princesa y un rey
Y un amanecer

Y un amanecer
Y entre cuento y cuento iba perdiendo su infancia
Y la piel de sus mejillas se volvió gitana
Y dejó de ir a la escuela
Y aprendió a cantar la nana
Duérmete mi rey que aún
No llegó la luz hasta la ventana
Duérmete mi rey que aún
No llegó la luz
No llegó la luz

Y entre nana y nana
Llora y llora
Y su media cama
Duerme sola
Contempla un retrato
Cada media hora
Y al gitano aquel le grita, "¿Por qué me dejaste me sola?"
Duérmete mi rey
Duérmete mi rey
Duérmete mi rey
Con el sol de la mañana su verdad despierta
Y abrazando aquel retrato va de puerta en puerta
Va buscando a su gitano
Que hoy abandonó su reja
Su cama y su despertar,
Su casa de cal y su puerta vieja
Su rincón junto al hogar
Su candil brillar
Su candil brillar

Y entre nana y nana
Llora y llora
Y su media cama duerme sola
Contempla el retrato cada media hora
Y al gitano aquel le grita, "¿Por qué me dejaste me sola?"
Duérmete mi rey

Duérmete mi rey
Duérmete mi rey

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of José Luis Perales's song "Canción de Cuna para un Gitano" tell the story of a young girl who, like many others, went to school. However, she only learned the letters from B to J and spent her time drawing in her notebook, dreaming of a house with a garden and a prince charming. In her fairy tale, there was a princess, a king, and a beautiful sunrise. But as she grew up, she slowly lost her childhood innocence and her cheeks became "gypsy-like."

She stopped going to school and learned to sing lullabies. The girl sings a lullaby to her "king" (possibly a loved one or someone she imagines as royalty) and tells him to sleep, explaining that the morning light has not yet reached the window. Between lullabies, she cries, sleeps alone on her half bed, and looks at a portrait every half hour. She confronts the gypsy man in the portrait, asking him why he left her alone.

In the second part of the song, the girl awakens with the morning sun and holds the portrait close as she goes from door to door, searching for the gypsy man who abandoned her. She longs for him and laments his absence, crying and contemplating the portrait every half hour. The girl still sings the lullaby to her "king" but questions why he left her alone.

Overall, the lyrics portray the longing and pain of a girl whose dreams and innocence were lost as she became involved with a gypsy man. It explores themes of childhood loss, abandonment, and yearning for love.

Line by Line Meaning

De pequeña fue a la escuela como tantas otras
As a child, she went to school like many others

Solo se aprendió las letras de la B a la J
She only learned the letters from B to J

Dibujaba en su cuaderno lo que en su niñez soñaba
She drew in her notebook what she dreamed of in her childhood

Una casa con jardín, un príncipe azul
A house with a garden, a prince charming

Y en su cuento de hadas una princesa y un rey
And in her fairy tale, a princess and a king

Y un amanecer, y un amanecer
And a sunrise, and a sunrise

Y entre cuento y cuento iba perdiendo su infancia
And between story after story, she was losing her childhood

Y la piel de sus mejillas se volvió gitana
And the skin of her cheeks turned gypsy-like

Y dejó de ir a la escuela y aprendió a cantar la nana
And she stopped going to school and learned to sing lullabies

Duérmete mi rey que aún no llegó la luz hasta la ventana
Sleep, my king, because the light hasn't reached the window yet

Y entre nana y nana llora y llora
And between lullabies she cries and cries

Y su media cama duerme sola
And her half bed sleeps alone

Contempla un retrato cada media hora
She contemplates a portrait every half an hour

Y al gitano aquel le grita, '¿Por qué me dejaste me sola?'
And she shouts at that gypsy, 'Why did you leave me alone?'

Duérmete mi rey
Sleep, my king

Con el sol de la mañana su verdad despierta
With the morning sun, her truth awakens

Y abrazando aquel retrato va de puerta en puerta
And embracing that portrait, she goes from door to door

Va buscando a su gitano que hoy abandonó su reja
She searches for her gypsy who abandoned her today

Su cama y su despertar, su casa de cal y su puerta vieja
Her bed and her awakening, her lime house and her old door

Su rincón junto al hogar, su candil brillar
Her corner next to the hearth, her lantern shining

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jose Luis Perales Morillas

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

Lucasperaloca

13y↑6

Siempre desde los años 70s que lo conocí, ha sido mi artista favorito, su música y poesía me motivan cada día a ser mejor, ya que en ellas siempre plasma la sencillez de la vida y de personajes fuera de lo común, gracias por hacerme sentir que todavía hay gente con gusto por la buena música, y poesía de J. LUIS PERALES!!!

Conchi Bravo

6y↑6

Preciosa canción te llega hasta el alma , perales eres unico

pedorro

13y↑10

Este señor es unico.

Luis Nuñez

6y↑3

Bella canción para soñar y pensar que al despertar este mundo habrá cambiado y sera mejor, pero....... Desde Copiapo Chile saludos.

Carmen Lourdes

9y↑7

Buscando un ángel... Entre el viento y la marea...ojos color olivo , sonrisa de sol, mirada de luna , corazón de cielo

Pito Pepito

5y↑2

Me recuerda a mi padre, recuerdo que lo escuchaba cuando era yo pequeño. Ahora no está conmigo pero le recuerdo. Volveremos a vernos, se que estará orgulloso de mí.

Adriano Guzman

Ese señor es el último de los románticos, que produce melodías potables para oídos limpios.

MAS Parrilla

No sé si esta canción tiene algún mérito realmente musical o poético. Lo que sí sé es que mi mamá me enseñó conciencia social con muchas herramientas, entre ellas esta obra. Recuerdo, yo era muy chico, que me dijo: "Escuchá la letra, entendela"... y también recuerdo que ella se emocionaba mucho.
Hoy yo me emociono, porque aunque no encuentro mérito especial alguno, encuentro alguito de mi madre aquí.
Gracias, JLP. Usted me regaló a través de ella algo inconmensurable.
Gracias.