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®
Maestra Vida
Rubén Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
En tus salones encuentro mil caminos y encrucijadas
Y aprendo mucho y no aprendo nada
Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da
Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da
Paso por dias de sol, luz y de aguaceros,
Paso afirmando, paso negando, paso con dudas
Entre risas y amarguras, buscando el porque y el cuándo.
Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da
Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da
Maestra vida, de justicias e injusticias
De bondades y malicias aun no alcanzo a comprenderte
Maestra vida que ese culpo no perdona
Voy buscando entre tus horas el espejo de los tiempos
Para ver tus sentimientos y así comprender tus cosas.
Y vi espinas y vi rosas,
Vi morir seres queridos vi bellezas fui testigo
De maldades y de guerras
Vi lo bueno de la tierra
Y vi el hambre y la miseria y entre el drama y la comedia
Avance entre agua y fuego
En dios me acuerdo primero
Solo en trance de morirme
O a veces cuando estoy triste mas nunca si estoy contento
No dura agradecimiento
Pa' aquel que nos da la mano
Tan pronto nos sale el clavo
Se olvida to'o el sufrimiento.
Y tengo amigos, conocidos y enemigos,
Amores que me han querido
Y rostros que niegan verme
Me encontré frente a la muerte
Y en sus ojos vi el sentido
Y con el miedo conmigo
Así yo aprendí a quererte.
Y hoy sé que nada es seguro
Ya que todo es pasajero
La muerte es el mensajero que con la ultima hora viene
Y el tiempo no se detiene,
Ni por amor, ni dinero,
La muerte es el mensajero que con la ultima hora viene
Y el tiempo no se detiene,
Ni por amor, ni dinero.
Maestra vida, me voy persiguiendo al tiempo
A ver si encuentro respuestas, antes de la hora en
Que yo muera
Aunque me estoy resignando a esta fatal realidad.
Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da
Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da
Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da
Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da
Te da, te quita, te quita y te da
Te da, te quita, te quita y te da
Te da, te quita, te quita y te da
Te da, te quita, te quita y te da
Maestra vida camara'a,
Pero te da, te quita, te quita y te da
Oye, cuando tú menos lo esperas
Va la sorpresa camara'a
Y el tiempo, mira no se detiene
Ni por amor, ni por dinero,
La muerte, compa, la muerte es el mensajero,
Que con la ultima hora viene
Cuando se murió Carmelo
Sentí un dolor tan profundo
Que no hallo nada en el mundo
Con que poder consolarme.
Te da, te quita, te quita y te da
In Rubén Blades's song Maestra Vida, the lyrics express the enigma of life and it's relentless ways of teaching and providing knowledge. The singer mentions arriving at school not understanding why they were there, but the teacher of life provides a multitude of paths and crossroads to navigate. They learn a lot but also feel like they have not learned anything. The song emphasizes the unpredictable nature of life that can be filled with sunny days and thunderstorms, and nights of darkness and mystery. The singer struggles through this journey, trying to comprehend the injustices and cruelties that life can present. The song reflects on the good and bad that the singer has witnessed in the world, along with their own personal experiences, including loss and fear of death. Despite the difficulties faced, the singer resigns themselves to the reality of life's unpredictability, and the inevitability of death.
The lyrics of this song are a metaphor for life and its many trials and tribulations. The singer compares life to a teacher, who gives and takes away, and forces one to face harsh realities. The song speaks about the complexities of life, its injustices, its beauties, its good and bad moments, and the emotions that come with it. Rubén Blades uses figurative language to describe these complexities, and the chorus, "Maestra Vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da" (Teacher Life, it gives, it takes, it takes and it gives), is a powerful reflection of the ups and downs of life.
Line by Line Meaning
A tu escuela llegué sin entender porque llegaba
I arrived at your school without understanding why I came
En tus salones encuentro mil caminos y encrucijadas
I find a thousand paths and crossroads in your halls
Y aprendo mucho y no aprendo nada
I learn a lot and I learn nothing at the same time
Maestra vida camará'a, te da, te quita, te quita y te da
Teacher life, oh woman, gives and takes away
Paso por dias de sol, luz y de aguaceros,
I go through days of sun, light and showers
Paso por noches de tinieblas y de lunas,
I go through nights of darkness and moons
Paso afirmando, paso negando, paso con dudas
I affirm, I deny, I pass with doubts
Entre risas y amarguras, buscando el porque y el cuándo.
Between laughter and bitterness, seeking the why and the when
Maestra vida, de justicias e injusticias
Teacher life, of justice and injustice
De bondades y malicias aun no alcanzo a comprenderte
Of kindness and malice, I still cannot understand you
Maestra vida que ese culpo no perdona
Teacher life, that never forgives that mistake
Voy buscando entre tus horas el espejo de los tiempos
I am looking for the mirror of time among your hours
Para ver tus sentimientos y así comprender tus cosas.
To see your feelings and thus understand your things
Y vi espinas y vi rosas,
And I saw thorns and I saw roses
Vi morir seres queridos vi bellezas fui testigo
I saw loved ones die, I witnessed beauty
De maldades y de guerras
Of evil deeds and wars
Vi lo bueno de la tierra
I saw the good of the earth
Y vi el hambre y la miseria y entre el drama y la comedia
And I saw hunger and poverty, amid drama and comedy
Avance entre agua y fuego
I advanced between water and fire
En dios me acuerdo primero
I remember God first
Solo en trance de morirme
Only in the trance of dying
O a veces cuando estoy triste mas nunca si estoy contento
Or sometimes when I am sad but never when I am happy
No dura agradecimiento
Gratitude does not last
Pa' aquel que nos da la mano
For those who lend us a hand
Tan pronto nos sale el clavo
As soon as the nail comes out
Se olvida to'o el sufrimiento.
All suffering is forgotten
Y tengo amigos, conocidos y enemigos,
And I have friends, acquaintances and enemies
Amores que me han querido
Loves that have loved me
Y rostros que niegan verme
And faces that deny seeing me
Me encontré frente a la muerte
I found myself facing death
Y en sus ojos vi el sentido
And I saw the meaning in its eyes
Y con el miedo conmigo
And with the fear with me
Así yo aprendí a quererte.
That's how I learned to love you
Y hoy sé que nada es seguro
And today I know that nothing is certain
Ya que todo es pasajero
Since everything is passing
La muerte es el mensajero que con la ultima hora viene
Death is the messenger that comes with the final hour
Y el tiempo no se detiene,
And time does not stop
Ni por amor, ni dinero,
Neither for love nor money
Maestra vida, me voy persiguiendo al tiempo
Teacher life, I am chasing time
A ver si encuentro respuestas, antes de la hora en
To see if I find answers, before the hour when
Que yo muera
I die
Aunque me estoy resignando a esta fatal realidad.
Although I am resigning myself to this fatal reality.
Te da, te quita, te quita y te da
It gives you, takes away, takes away and gives you back
Oye, cuando tú menos lo esperas
Listen, when you least expect it
Va la sorpresa camara'a
The surprise comes
Y el tiempo, mira no se detiene
And time, look, does not stop
La muerte, compa, la muerte es el mensajero,
Death, friend, death is the messenger
Que con la ultima hora viene
That comes with the final hour
Cuando se murió Carmelo
When Carmelo died
Sentí un dolor tan profundo
I felt such a deep pain
Que no hallo nada en el mundo
That I cannot find anything in the world
Con que poder consolarme.
To console me.
Contributed by Tyler I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.