History
Ricardo was born in the village of Jocotenango, near Antigua, Guatemala to Ricardo Arjona Moscoso and Noemí Morales de Arjona. When he was three years of age he and his family moved to Guatemala City.
He spent some time as a teacher at a rural primary school, where he reputedly said he spent three hours giving lessons and the rest of the day playing football. This earned him a visit from a Ministry of Education representative, who was sent to evaluate the level of education amongst Ricardo Arjona's pupils. The representative found that the students' level of education was actually above average.
Ricardo Arjona was a talented basketball player, and he played for the team Leones de Marte. He also toured Central America as a member of the Selección de básquetbol de Guatemala (Guatemala's National Basketball Team); until recently he held the record for the most points scored in a single game by a Guatemalan player.
Although he initially enrolled in architecture and engineering subjects, he eventually graduated with a degree from the School of Communication Sciences at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC).
At USAC there is a library hall that bears his name. There is also a street named for him in his birthplace, Jocotenango, Guatemala.
La Vida Está De Luto
Ricardo Arjona Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Un condón en la cartera condenado al envoltorio
Hay un simio en el congreso, hay un genio en bancarrota
Hay un violador confeso invitándote a una copa
Hay lagartos con zapatos y hay zapatos de lagarto
Hay amores inmediatos y otros que son peor que un parto
Otros que son peor que un parto
Hay un muro en la frontera zigzagueándose en el mapa
La patrol siempre a la espera como trampa para ratas
Hay un pinche paparazzo columpiándose en la rama
Una monja con retraso y un amante con sotana
Hay mas chismes en la tele que canciones en la radio
Hay noticias que no duelen y hay de idiotas un estadio
Hay de idiotas un estadio
Y todos viven aquí como si nada
Jugando siempre al faquir en desbandada
Tratando de ir y venir con el afán de cumplir
Lo que les dicta una ley de marionetas suicidas
Sumisos en estampida
Hay un príncipe heredero de coronas obsoletas
Hay un toro en el potrero exigiendo la coleta
Hay velorio en el congreso por la muerte de un decreto
Una idea es un exceso como un bosque en el concreto
Yo conozco un abogado que es un buitre de corbata
Con un libro a su costado es la ley y esta en barata
Es la ley y esta en barata
Y todos viven aquí como si nada
Jugando siempre al faquir en desbandada
Tratando de ir y venir con el afán de cumplir
Lo que les dicta una ley de marionetas suicidas
Sumisos en estampida, sumisos en estampida
La vida esta de luto el llanto esta de moda
Se salva el que es astuto, se joda el que se joda
Y todos viven aquí como si nada
Jugando siempre al faquir en desbandada
Tratando de ir y venir con el afán de cumplir
Lo que les dicta una ley de marionetas suicidas
Borregos en estampida
Como si nada en desbandada
The lyrics to Ricardo Arjona's song La Vida Está De Luto describe a world full of hypocrisy, corruption, and lies. Arjona paints a picture of a society where everything seems to be upside down, where a deaf person is in charge of choosing the music to be released, and where a rapist is inviting you for a drink. He contrasts the weirdness of the world with the normality with which people live their lives. We all seem to be acrobats, trying to navigate life's crazy twists and turns while following rules that seem to be leading us to nowhere. Through this song, Arjona challenges us to question what is happening around us and to take more active roles in creating a better society.
In the second verse, Arjona highlights the absurdity of a society that values material possessions over human life. The wall on the border serves as a symbol of how our obsession with keeping out those who are different is creating more problems than solutions. The line "Hay mas chismes en la tele que canciones en la radio" emphasizes how we seem to be more interested in hearing about other people's lives than in creating art that speaks to our souls. We are all sheep following the rules that have been set for us, even though those rules are leading us to a dead-end. Arjona concludes with the phrase "La vida esta de luto el llanto esta de moda, Se salva el que es astuto, se joda el que se joda," which translates to "Life is in mourning, crying is fashionable. Those who are clever will survive, the rest can go to hell." Through this song, Arjona is calling us to wake up and take control of our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Hay un sordo en la disquera escogiendo el repertorio
A deaf person is selecting the music tracks at the recording studio
Un condón en la cartera condenado al envoltorio
A condom stored in a wallet, wasted and forgotten inside the package
Hay un simio en el congreso, hay un genio en bancarrota
A monkey in the parliament and a genius in financial ruin
Hay un violador confeso invitándote a una copa
A confessed rapist luring you with the offer of a drink
Hay lagartos con zapatos y hay zapatos de lagarto
There are lizards wearing shoes and shoes made of lizard skin
Hay amores inmediatos y otros que son peor que un parto
There are instant loves and others that are worse than childbirth
Otros que son peor que un parto
Some loves are worse than giving birth
Hay un muro en la frontera zigzagueándose en el mapa
A wall zigzagging on the map at the border
La patrol siempre a la espera como trampa para ratas
The Border Patrol always waiting, like a trap for rats
Hay un pinche paparazzo columpiándose en la rama
A damn paparazzi swinging on a branch
Una monja con retraso y un amante con sotana
A mentally challenged nun and a lover disguised as a priest
Hay mas chismes en la tele que canciones en la radio
There are more gossip shows on TV than songs on the radio
Hay noticias que no duelen y hay de idiotas un estadio
There are news that don't hurt and idiocy on a monumental scale
Hay de idiotas un estadio
There is an abundance of stupidity
Y todos viven aquí como si nada
And everyone lives here as if nothing is wrong
Jugando siempre al faquir en desbandada
Always trying to play the role of the fearless fakir, scattering in all directions when challenged
Tratando de ir y venir con el afán de cumplir
Trying to go back and forth to fulfill the demands that an suicidal puppet law dictates
Lo que les dicta una ley de marionetas suicidas
What a law of suicidal puppets dictates to them
Sumisos en estampida
Submitting without question and in a panic
Hay un príncipe heredero de coronas obsoletas
An heir to obsolete crowns is still a prince
Hay un toro en el potrero exigiendo la coleta
A bull in the pasture demanding to keep its tail
Hay velorio en el congreso por la muerte de un decreto
There's a wake in the Congress for the death of a law
Una idea es un exceso como un bosque en el concreto
An idea is an excess, as out of place as a forest in the concrete jungle
Yo conozco un abogado que es un buitre de corbata
I know a lawyer who is a vulture wearing a tie
Con un libro a su costado es la ley y esta en barata
With a book by his side, it's the law, and it's cheap
Y todos viven aquí como si nada
And everyone lives here as if nothing is wrong
Jugando siempre al faquir en desbandada
Always acting like the brave fakir, but running away when the danger is real
Tratando de ir y venir con el afán de cumplir
Trying to keep moving back and forth to comply with the demands of the puppet law
Lo que les dicta una ley de marionetas suicidas
What a law of suicidal puppets dictates to them
Sumisos en estampida, sumisos en estampida
Submitting without resistance and fleeing frantically
La vida esta de luto el llanto esta de moda
Life is mourning, weeping is fashionable
Se salva el que es astuto, se joda el que se joda
Only the cunning are saved, everyone else is screwed
Y todos viven aquí como si nada
And everyone lives here as if nothing is wrong
Jugando siempre al faquir en desbandada
Always trying to play the role of the fearless fakir, scattering in all directions when challenged
Tratando de ir y venir con el afán de cumplir
Trying to go back and forth to fulfill the demands that an suicidal puppet law dictates
Lo que les dicta una ley de marionetas suicidas
What a law of suicidal puppets dictates to them
Borregos en estampida
Sheep in a stampede
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RICARDO ARJONA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mayra M.
on Mesiáš
Esta canción no es más que una triste burka. Se presta para muchas interpretaciones y al final no dice nada.