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®
El Velorio
Rubén Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La calle es una sekva de cemento
Y de fieras salvajes, como no!
Ya no hay quien salga loco de contento
Donde quiera te espera lo peor (bis)
Juanito alimañana con mucha maña llega al mostrador
Dice que le entregen la registradora
Saca los billetes, saca un pistolon
Sale como el viento, en su disparada
Y aunque ya lo vieron, nadie ha visto nada
Juanito alimañana, va a la fechoria
Se toma su caña, fabrica su orgia
La gente le teme, porque es de cuidado
Pa meterle mano, hay que ser un bravo
Si lo meten preso, sale al otro dia
Por que un primo suyo, esta en la policia
Juanito alimaña si tiene maña es malicia viva
Y siempre se alinea con el que esta arriba
Y aunque a medio mundo le robo su plata
Todos lo comentan nadie lo delata (bis)
Alalalei leleleleleee
En su mundo eres un mala entraña
Atracando vive juanito alimaña
Cuando el era un muchachito
Las cosita les pedia
Y si tu no se las daba
Agarraba como quiera las cojia
En su mundo eres un mala entraña
Atracando vive juanito alimaña
Ese, ese tumba lo que ve
Si lo ve mal puesto
Anda cuida tu cartera
Ese si que sabe de eso
En su mundo eres un mala entraña
Atracando vive juanito alimaña
Si el otro dia lo encontre
Y gillao el me decia
Tumba aqui lo que tu quieras
Pues mi primo es policia
En su mundo eres un mala entraña
Atracando vive juanito alimaña
Oye como alma que lleva el diablo
Se tira su disparada
Y auqnue la gente lo vieron
No lo raten por que nadie ha visto nada
En su mundo eres un mala entraña
Atracando vive juanito alimaña
El rey de las fechorias
Ayer me dijo facundo
Todo el mundo lo conoce
Oye men en el bajo mundo
En su mundo eres un mala entraña
Atracando vive juanito alimaña
Mira mirale las manos
En ella no tiene un cayito
Ese nunca a trabajado
Y siempre anda bien bonito
En su mundo eres un mala entraña
Atracando vive juanito alimaña(bis)
Oye ayer el iba muy triste
Y llorando asi bajaba
Vengo de un velorio brother
El de pedrito navaja
En su mundo eres un mala entraña
Atracando vive juanito alimaña
Mira la gente le teme al tipo
Porque el hombre es de cuidado
Diganme aqui en el barrio
A quien no le ha tumbado
En su mundo eres un mala entraña
Atracando vive juanito alimaña
Rubén Blades's song "El Velorio" describes a world where crime and violence are everyday occurrences. The rough, urban neighborhood is portrayed as a jungle of concrete and fierce animals waiting to attack. The song centers on the character of Juanito Alimaña, a dangerous criminal who rules the streets with an iron fist. He is infamous for his violent acts, such as robbing stores at gunpoint and taking people's belongings by force. Nobody is safe in this world, and wherever you go, you can expect the worst to happen.
The lyrics of "El Velorio" emphasize the theme of social injustice and the lack of opportunities for people who live in poverty. Juanito Alimaña is a product of his environment, and because he was never given the chance to succeed on his own, he turned to a life of crime. The song also emphasizes the inability of the authorities to control the rampant crime in the neighborhood. Even though Juanito Alimaña is known to the police, he always manages to get away with his crimes, thanks to his connections.
Overall, "El Velorio" is a powerful commentary on the harsh realities of life for those living in impoverished neighborhoods. The song highlights the violence, corruption, and hopelessness that people face every day and emphasizes the need for change.
Line by Line Meaning
JUM ... ni pa ya voy a mirar!
I won't even bother looking that way!
La calle es una sekva de cemento
The street is a dry riverbed of cement
Y de fieras salvajes, como no!
And wild beasts, of course!
Ya no hay quien salga loco de contento
There is no longer anyone who can go crazy with happiness
Donde quiera te espera lo peor (bis)
Wherever you go, the worst awaits you (repeat)
Juanito alimañana con mucha maña llega al mostrador
Juanito Alimaña, very skillfully, approaches the counter
Saca su cuchillo, sin preocupacion
He pulls out his knife without any concern
Dice que le entregen la registradora
He demands that they hand over the cash register
Saca los billetes, saca un pistolon
He pulls out the bills and his big gun
Sale como el viento, en su disparada
He shoots out like the wind in his rush to leave
Y aunque ya lo vieron, nadie ha visto nada
And even though they've seen him, no one has seen anything
Juanito alimañana, va a la fechoria
Juanito Alimaña goes to commit his crime
Se toma su caña, fabrica su orgia
He takes his drink and enjoys his spoils
La gente le teme, porque es de cuidado
People fear him because he is dangerous
Pa meterle mano, hay que ser un bravo
To confront him, you have to be brave
Si lo meten preso, sale al otro dia
If he's arrested, he'll be out the next day
Por que un primo suyo, esta en la policia
Because one of his cousins is in the police force
Juanito alimaña si tiene maña es malicia viva
Juanito Alimaña, if he has skills, it's because he's full of malice
Y siempre se alinea con el que esta arriba
And he always aligns himself with those in power
Y aunque a medio mundo le robo su plata
And even though he's stolen money from half the world
Todos lo comentan nadie lo delata (bis)
Everyone talks about him, but no one turns him in (repeat)
Alalalei leleleleleee
Alalalei leleleleleee
En su mundo eres un mala entraña
In his world, you are a bad influence
Atracando vive juanito alimaña
Juanito Alimaña lives by robbing
Cuando el era un muchachito
When he was just a boy
Las cosita les pedia
He would ask for things
Y si tu no se las daba
And if you didn't give them to him
Agarraba como quiera las cojia
He would take them by force no matter what
Ese, ese tumba lo que ve
That guy will steal whatever he sees
Si lo ve mal puesto
If he sees you've left something out of place
Anda cuida tu cartera
You better watch your wallet
Ese si que sabe de eso
He really knows how to do that
Si el otro dia lo encontre
If I saw him the other day
Y gillao el me decia
And he said to me
Tumba aqui lo que tu quieras
Steal anything you want from here
Pues mi primo es policia
Because my cousin is a cop
Oye como alma que lleva el diablo
Listen to him like he's possessed
Se tira su disparada
He takes off running
El rey de las fechorias
The king of delinquency
Ayer me dijo facundo
Yesterday Facundo told me
Todo el mundo lo conoce
Everyone knows him
Oye men en el bajo mundo
Hey man, in the underworld
Mira mirale las manos
Look at his hands
En ella no tiene un cayito
They don't have a callus
Ese nunca a trabajado
He's never worked a day in his life
Y siempre anda bien bonito
And he's always looking good
Oye ayer el iba muy triste
Yesterday he was very sad
Y llorando asi bajaba
And he was crying as he went down
Vengo de un velorio brother
I just came from a funeral, brother
El de pedrito navaja
Pedrito Navaja's funeral
Mira la gente le teme al tipo
Look, people fear that guy
Porque el hombre es de cuidado
Because he's a dangerous man
Diganme aqui en el barrio
Tell me here in the neighborhood
A quien no le ha tumbado
Who hasn't he stolen from?
Writer(s): Ruben Blades
Contributed by Isabella H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.