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®
En el Semáforo
Rubén Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
cualquiera cosa que quieran comprar;
fruta, flores, dulces, cocos, fósforos,
lo único es que tiene que parar.
Si el vidrio de su carro no está sucio,
con mucho gusto se lo ensucio más;
la luz dura tanto como el disgusto,
Eso es lo justo; impuesto a la miseria hay que pagar,
después del susto, cuando creyó que te iban a pegar.
Tenga cuidado, y no vaya a atropellar
a la niñita que va vendiendo et pivá;
baje ese vidrio pa' que vea los pimentones,
y juegue vivo, no vaya perder el "Rolex"
Llévese, por favor, la flor marchita;
y el pan que bajo el sol se fermentó;
el mani dulce pa' darte al muerto su misa,
plátano verde para pagarle al doctor.
Ay, señor! Hay un supermercado de dolor,
Ay, señor! Hay un supermercado de dolor.
Coro: En el semáforo
Rubén Blades's song En el Semáforo describes a common scene at a traffic intersection where people sell various things to drivers who stop at the red light. The lyrics mention a supermarket at the traffic light, which offers everything that someone might want to buy, from fruits, flowers, and sweets to coconuts and matches. However, the catch is that the driver must stop his car to make the purchase.
The song paints a vivid picture of the social disparity in Latin America, where those who cannot afford a fixed location between four walls to sell their goods resort to the streets. The vendors at the traffic light offer everything from spoiled bread to flowers wither from the heat, and peanut candy to pay for their loved one's funeral, all in the hope of making a little money to survive.
The song also highlights the unsafe environment at the intersection and the danger of children selling items and crossing the street amidst heavy traffic. It is a reminder that amid the hustle and bustle of life, it's easy to forget to pause and pay attention to the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Hay un supermercado en el semáforo,
At the traffic light, there's a market,
cualquiera cosa que quieran comprar;
where you can buy anything you want;
fruta, flores, dulces, cocos, fósforos,
fruit, flowers, sweets, coconuts, matches,
lo único es que tiene que parar.
the only condition is that you have to stop.
Si el vidrio de su carro no está sucio,
If your car's window isn't dirty,
con mucho gusto se lo ensucio más;
I'll gladly make it dirty;
la luz dura tanto como el disgusto,
the light lasts as long as your displeasure,
pero el impuesto a la miseria hay que pagar.
but the tax on poverty must be paid.
Eso es lo justo; impuesto a la miseria hay que pagar,
That's only fair; tax on poverty must be paid,
después del susto, cuando creyó que te iban a pegar.
after you got scared thinking they were going to hit you.
Tenga cuidado, y no vaya a atropellar
Be careful and don't run over
a la niñita que va vendiendo et pivá;
the little girl selling her products;
baje ese vidrio pa' que vea los pimentones,
lower your window so you can see the peppers,
y juegue vivo, no vaya perder el 'Rolex'
and be smart, don't lose your 'Rolex'
Llévese, por favor, la flor marchita;
Please take the wilted flower;
y el pan que bajo el sol se fermentó;
and the bread that fermented under the sun;
el mani dulce pa' darte al muerto su misa,
the sweet peanuts to give to the dead for their mass,
plátano verde para pagarle al doctor.
green plantains to pay the doctor.
Ay, señor! Hay un supermercado de dolor,
Oh, Lord! There's a supermarket of pain,
Ay, señor! Hay un supermercado de dolor.
Oh, Lord! There's a supermarket of pain.
Coro: En el semáforo
Chorus: At the traffic light
Contributed by Aaron T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jose Imbert
Pero el impuesto a la miseria hay que pagar...
Uff! Que tema, tan real, tan triste.
Saul Rivera
que triste
vegascharlie07
Numeraso.