Blades's father is a percussionist-turned-detective and his mother was a singer and radio performer. His grandfather, Reuben Blades, was an English-speaking native of St. Lucia who came to work on the canal, as he tells in the song West Indian Man on the album Amor y Control ("That's where the Blades comes from.") (1992)
After obtaining degrees in political science and law at Panama's Universidad Nacional, Blades worked at the Bank of Panama as a lawyer. In 1974, Blades moved to the United States, staying temporarily with his exiled parents in Miami before moving to New York City. Blades began his musical career in New York writing songs while working in the mailroom at Fania Records, and soon was working with salseros Ray Barretto and Larry Harlow. Shortly thereafter Blades started collaborating with trombonist and band leader Willie Colón, and they recorded several albums together. Their album Siembra (1978) became the best-selling salsa record in history.
After 1980, Blades tried to terminate his contract with Fania, but he was contractually obliged to record several more albums. These are generally considered toss-offs and Blades himself told his fans to avoid them. When he was free of his contractual obligations, Blades signed with another label, Elektra, and assembled a top-notch band (known variously as Seis Del Solar or Son Del Solar) and recorded a number of albums with them.
In the early 1980s, Blades began his career in films as a composer of soundtracks.
In 1982, Blades got his first acting role in The Last Fight writing the title song as well as portraying a singer-turned-boxer vying for a championship against a fighter who was played by real life world champion boxer Salvador Sánchez.
In 1985, Blades gained widespread recognition as co-writer and star of the independent film Crossover Dreams as a New York salsa singer willing to do anything to break into the mainstream. This same year he earned a master's degree in international law from Harvard University. He was also the subject of Robert Mugge's documentary The Return of Ruben Blades, which debuted at that year's Denver Film Festival. During the 1990s, he acted in films, mounted his unsuccessful presidential bid, founding the party Movimiento Papa Egoró, and continued to make salsa records.
His many film appearances include The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), The Two Jakes (1990), Mo' Better Blues (1990), and Devil's Own (1997). In 1999, he played Mexican artist Diego Rivera in Tim Robbins' Cradle Will Rock.
In 1997, Blades headed the cast of singer/songwriter Paul Simon's first Broadway musical, The Capeman, based on a true story about a violent youth who becomes a poet in prison. In the 2003 film Once Upon a Time in Mexico, starring Johnny Depp, Antonio Banderas, and Willem Dafoe, he played the role of a retired FBI agent.
Blades' 1999 album Tiempos which he made with the 12-piece Costa Rican band Editus, represented a break from his salsa past and a rejection of commercial trends in Latin music.
Some might say that "his biggest mistake was releasing an English-language album in 1988 in the wake of his 1987 Grammy for Escenas" [sic] but in fact, he tends to avoid commercial choices. After winning his first Grammy for Escenas in 1986 he recorded the album Agua de Luna based on the short stories of Gabriel Garcia Marquez in 1987. The next year he released the English language collaboration with rock artists Sting, Elvis Costello, and Lou Reed the same year as Antecedente, another Grammy winner. In 2003 he followed the World Music Grammy winner Mundo with a web site free download project. As he said in 2005 when receiving the ASCAP Founders Award about his non-commercial choices, "That's the way I think."
In 2004 he put his artistic careers on hold when he began serving as Minister of Tourism of Panama.
Source: Wikipedia®
Agua De Luna
Rubén Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No hay respuesta a la pregunta ¿para qué uno muere?
Misterios, que no tienen fin
Yo sólo sé que cuando hay vida todo se puede y
Que si uno usa lo que tiene comprenderá que se
Puede dar sentido a lo absurdo haciendo que sea
Éste mundo la razón de nuestro llegar
Si me inventaron yo también puedo inventar mi
Propio rol y justificar en ésta tierra mi voluntad
En vida o muerte tranquilidad tiene el que bebe
Agua de luna
Ruben Blades's song Agua De Luna raises existential questions about the purpose of life and death. The lyrics assert that there are no answers to these age-old questions as they remain shrouded in mystery. However, Blades goes on to highlight that life can be meaningful when one embraces what they have and uses it to create a reason for their existence. He suggests that the world can be the reason why one was born, and by using their talents and abilities, they can make the absurdity of life meaningful.
Blades further suggests that everyone has the ability to create their own path in life. He believes that just as he was created, he also has the power to invent his own role in life and justify his existence on earth. The lyrics suggest that this sense of purpose brings peace to those who find it, whether in life or death. The song title, Agua De Luna, translates to moonwater, which could symbolize something surreal and mystical, akin to the mystery surrounding life and death.
Line by Line Meaning
No hay respuesta a la pregunta ¿para qué uno nace?
There's no clear answer to the purpose of one's birth
No hay respuesta a la pregunta ¿para qué uno muere?
There's no clear answer to the purpose of one's death
Misterios, que no tienen fin
Such mysteries never cease to exist
Yo sólo sé que cuando hay vida todo se puede y
I only know that where there's life, anything is possible
Que si uno usa lo que tiene comprenderá que se
Using what one has, they will understand that
Puede dar sentido a lo absurdo haciendo que sea
It's possible to make the absurd meaningful
Éste mundo la razón de nuestro llegar
This world may be the reason for our existence
Si me inventaron yo también puedo inventar mi
If they created me, I can also create my
Propio rol y justificar en ésta tierra mi voluntad
Own role and justify my will on this earth
En vida o muerte tranquilidad tiene el que bebe
In life or death, those who drink find tranquility
Agua de luna
Moon water
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Colegio
¡Sí, en serio es una obra maestra!
El Gallito Del Palenque
Una ovra maestra