In 1985 at age 13 when her parents separated, Lhasa, her mother and her sisters settled in San Francisco where Lhasa started singing in a Greek cafe. She included Spanish language lessons in her high school studies. After viewing a documentary about Billie Holiday, Lhasa determined that she, too, would make a career in singing. In 1991 she traveled to Montreal to visit her sisters who were students at l'École nationale de cirque, the National Circus School of Canada, and she decided to make Montreal her home. Steeped in a Francophone culture for the first time, she sang for five years in bars, collaborating with rock guitarist Yves Desrosiers. In 1992, Denis Wolff, general manager of the independent Canadian record company, Audiogram, saw Lhasa performing, her head shaved, in front of a tiny nightclub audience. He was struck with "her personality, her charisma and her voice" – he soon signed her to the label. With Desrosiers she developed the material that eventually became her first album.
Born in Big Indian, New York, she grew up in the United States and Mexico, and moved to Montreal, Canada when she was twenty years old. After the success of her 1998 album La Llorona, which mixes everything from traditional Mexican music to klezmer to alternative rock, she moved to France. Her album The Living Road was released in 2003. In 2005 she won the “Americas” category in the Awards for World Music. She released her third and last album, Lhasa in 2009.
Lhasa de Sela died of breast cancer in Montréal, Québec, on 1st January 2010.
Pa' Llegar a Tu Lado
Lhasa de Sela Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Por haberme esperado
Tuve que perderme pa'
Llegar hasta tu lado
Gracias a tus brazos doy
Por haberme alcanzado
Tuve que alejarme pa'
Gracias a tus manos doy
Por haberme aguantado
Tuve que quemarme
Pa'llegar hasta tu lado
In Lhasa de Sela's song "Pa' Llegar a Tu Lado," the lyrics reveal the singer's gratitude towards their lover for waiting for them and for being there despite the distance and hardships that they have endured. Through the lines "Gracias a tu cuerpo doy/Por haberme esperado/Tuve que perderme pa'/Llegar hasta tu lado" the singer expresses their thanks to their lover who waited for them even when they were lost and had to find their way back to their side. The phrase "Tuve que perderme pa'/Llegar hasta tu lado" signifies that the journey to their loved one's side was not an easy one; they had to lose themselves before they could find their way and be with their lover.
Additionally, in the stanza, "Gracias a tus brazos doy/Por haberme alcanzado/Tuve que alejarme pa'/Llegar hasta tu lado," the singer acknowledges the efforts and support of their lover who had to reach out and help them. The phrase "Tuve que alejarme pa'/Llegar hasta tu lado" suggests that the singer had to move away and perhaps create some distance before they could be with their lover. Finally, in the lines "Gracias a tus manos doy/Por haberme aguantado/Tuve que quemarme/Pa'llegar hasta tu lado," the singer thanks their lover for putting up with them and for helping them through their personal struggles. The phrase "Tuve que quemarme/Pa'llegar hasta tu lado" highlights that the singer had to go through some pain and suffering before they could finally reach their lover's side.
Overall, the song portrays a story of a challenging love journey that eventually led to the union of the lovers, and the lyrics express gratitude for the sacrifices, patience, and support of the partner who waited for them.
Line by Line Meaning
Gracias a tu cuerpo doy
I am grateful for your body
Por haberme esperado
For having waited for me
Tuve que perderme pa'
I had to lose myself in order to
Llegar hasta tu lado
Arrive at your side
Gracias a tus brazos doy
I am grateful for your arms
Por haberme alcanzado
For having reached me
Tuve que alejarme pa'
I had to distance myself in order to
Llegar hasta tu lado
Arrive at your side
Gracias a tus manos doy
I am grateful for your hands
Por haberme aguantado
For having put up with me
Tuve que quemarme
I had to burn myself
Pa'llegar hasta tu lado
To arrive at your side
Contributed by Alex L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.