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®
Caina
Rubén Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Después que te abraza te devora
No se puede querer a la Caína
No se puede creer en la Caína
Tú crees que la tienes controlada
Pero tú sin ella eres nada
No se puede querer a la Caína
(No se puede creer en la Caína)
(No se puede creer en la Caína)
(No se puede creer en la Caína)
Botando la vida por la naríz
Fumando tu bolsa con demencia
Y viviendo, pa' morir
(No se puede creer en la Caína)
Tú crees que la tienes controlada
Pero tú sin ella no eres nada camara
(No se puede creer en la Caína)
Ella no se puede creer
Ay no se puede querer
(No se puede creer en la Caína)
Te agita y te enreda, pecadora
Después que te abraza, elle vuelve y te devora
En la calle del barrio
Se aprende de todo
En la Caína no
Que con la Caína se aclavo la esquina
Y se llevaron to'
En la Caína no
La vida y la muerte jugando en el ghetto un domingo
En la Caína no
Maestro vine a camara, te lo dice oye no
En la Caína no
Con la Caína, no no
In Ruben Blades's song "Caina," the lyrics speak of a destructive, addictive force that lures people in and takes hold of them. "Caina" is a reference to the biblical Cain, who committed the first murder out of envy, and the lyrics liken this addictive force to him. The song warns against trying to control or believe in this force, as it will only lead to destruction. The lyrics suggest that those who become involved with this force lose control and become addicted, their lives spiraling out of control as they become slaves to their cravings. The song speaks of the consequences of this addiction, which can include losing everything, from health and sanity to loved ones and one's life.
The lyrics also touch on the seductive and dangerous nature of this addiction, referring to it as a woman ("pecadora," or sinner) who embraces and devours her victims. The song speaks of the false sense of control one may feel at first, believing they can handle the addiction, but ultimately becoming consumed by it. The lyrics suggest that even authorities and law enforcement are aware of the hold this addiction has on people, referencing drug-sniffing dogs at airports and the involvement of the mafia and CIA.
Line by Line Meaning
Te agita y te enreda, pecadora
She twists and tangles you, sinner
Después que te abraza te devora
After she embraces you, she devours you
No se puede querer a la Caína
You can't love Caína
No se puede creer en la Caína
You can't believe in Caína
Tú crees que la tienes controlada
You think you have her under control
Pero tú sin ella eres nada
But without her, you are nothing
(No se puede querer a la Caína)
Es que tu crees que la tienes controla-a
Pero ella es la que te manda camara, mira ve
(No se puede querer a la Caína)
(You can't love Caína)
It's just that you think you have her under control
But she's the one who commands you, look and see
(You can't love Caína)
Se te ponen los ojos como un loco
Your eyes go crazy
Y la vida no se te queda quieta, esta desespera-a
And life doesn't stay still, it's desperate
Botando la vida por la naríz
Throwing life away through the nose
Corriendo la base eternamente, y viviendo, pa' morir
Running on the base endlessly, and living, to die
En el aeropuerto de Miami
At the airport in Miami
Los perro comienzan a ladrar desde que bajas del avion
The dogs start barking as soon as you get off the plane
Si te conocen ya
If they already know you
(No se puede querer a la Caína)
Por la pagina en MIami donde hay verdad
Se ve la cara pero no lo que hay detras, óyeme
(No se puede querer a la Caína)
(You can't love Caína)
Through the Miami page where there's truth
You see the face but not what's behind it, listen to me
(You can't love Caína)
Torero de baño pasando aqui y pasando allá
Bathroom bullfighter passing here and there
Esperando el trancaso que a la larga va a llegar
Waiting for the downfall that will eventually come
Hembras y hombres buscan tu compañia
Females and males seek your company
Hace invocando el mundo desde la mafia hasta la CIA
Invoking the world from the mafia to the CIA
(No se puede querer a la Caína)
No, no la invites que de ella
Mejor es no saber juventud la viven
Mucho amor hacer, mucho que perder
(You can't love Caína)
No, don't invite her in
It's better not to know, youth live it
Much love to make, much to lose
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Ruben Blades
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ramiro calderon
Solo un verdadero genio puedo componer asi...nadie como el, su talento debería tener un nobel solo para el, no tiene competencia, el mejor, es lo mas mas cerca que podremos llegar a conocer a la perfección, si no fuese humano, seria un hijo de Dios, porque solamente un prodigio tiene un talento así, alguien como Rubén nace cada 100 años y cambia este mundo.
Sandra Dominguez
Totalmente de acuerdo contigo
Sue Zen
Solo un verdadero genio .. Maestro Rubencito 🙏🌹
oscar eduardo manrique rios
q tristeza q tantos jóvenes no vean estas canciones q son mensajes q DIos bendiga a Ruben
Adrian Pinzon
creo q no es de el la canción. la cantaba medoro madera
Martin Cruz
@cristian rendon así mismo es. Yo fui uno de esos.
Koky Castillo
La droga es para los vagos ... el q la
Prueba se jodio x pendejo ...
No hay excusa para usar droga ...pendejo los q gastan su plata en esa mierda
Diego Jaramillo
Severo pase que me mande !! Entonces si la escuche que linda cancion
Alexis Pastor Carlin
Soy joven y seguro escucho mas salsa que usted buen día
Andrea Reyes
El gran Rubén siempre con canciones con mensajes profundos