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®
Mi Jibarita
Rubén Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Con un saborcito a caña olor a café
Con el color de tabaco que no lo engaña
Más dulce que el azúcar mejor que el té
Tiene ella su pelo negro como la noche
Y una sonrisa igualita a un rayo de sol
Tiene ojos que brillan siempre como luceros
Y cada vez que lo miran tiembla de amor
Su cuerpo una carretera de puro amor
Y cada vez que se para por la mañana
Le da las gracias a besos por ser su amor
Está ella llena de gusto como un buen mango
Su cuerpo una carretera de puro amor
Y cada vez que se para por la mañana
Le da las gracias a besos por ser su amor
Está ella llena de gusto como un buen mango
Su cuerpo una carretera de puro amor
Y cada vez que se para por la mañana
Le da las gracias a besos por ser su amor
Él tiene su nena en el campo, mírala, es linda y le da su amor
No extraña a la ciudad ni su corredera
Se fue a vivir al campo donde encontró a la nena
Ay que felicidad vivir en la montaña
Donde hay tranquilidad y nadie te regaña
Con una hembra que lo quiere, un río y un ranchito
Un palo de aguacate, la luna y un perrito
Lo más lindo del mundo está acá en el Caribe
Por las hembras más lindas acá es que se consiguen
Está ya llena Œe gusto con un sabor a caña
Con unos ojos negros que miden noche en caña
Él tiene su nena en el campo, mírala, es linda y le da su amor
No, no, no, no necesita carro ni televisión
Ni tomar pastillas para la presión
Esa neninita tiene un cuerpo Œe carretera
Con una clase Œe curva que viran a cualquiera
The song "Mi Jibarita" by Ruben Blades is a heartfelt ode to the love between a man and his "jibarita", or country girl. The first verse describes the man's love for his jibarita, who he keeps in the mountains. She has a sweet and earthy scent, with the color of tobacco that never deceives. Her hair is as black as the night, and her smile is like a ray of sunshine. Her eyes radiate like stars, causing the man to tremble with love every time she looks at him. She is full of joy and has a body that is pure love, thanking him with kisses every morning for being her love.
The second verse continues with the description of the country girl. Everything she needs is in the countryside, where she is free from the stresses and pressures of the city. The country provides peace and tranquility, where nobody can tell her what to do. She is with the man who loves her, and they have a small cottage, a river, and an avocado tree. He calls her "nena" and finds her beautiful, with her curves that can turn anyone's head. She doesn't need material things like cars or pills for stress, as her love and the country provide everything she needs.
Overall, the song is a celebration of love and the simple life, where material possessions do not bring happiness. The man and the country girl find joy in each other, the beauty of the countryside, and the love they share.
Line by Line Meaning
Él tiene su jibarita allá en la montaña
He has his country girl up in the mountain
Con un saborcito a caña olor a café
With a little taste of sugarcane and smell of coffee
Con el color de tabaco que no lo engaña
With the color of tobacco that never deceives
Más dulce que el azúcar mejor que el té
Sweeter than sugar and better than tea
Tiene ella su pelo negro como la noche
She has her black hair like the night
Y una sonrisa igualita a un rayo de sol
And a smile just like a sunbeam
Tiene ojos que brillan siempre como luceros
She has eyes that shine like stars
Y cada vez que lo miran tiembla de amor
And every time she looks at him, he trembles with love
Está ella llena de gusto como un buen mango
She is full of flavor like a good mango
Su cuerpo una carretera de puro amor
Her body is a road of pure love
Y cada vez que se para por la mañana
And every morning when she stops
Le da las gracias a besos por ser su amor
She thanks him with kisses for being her love
No extraña a la ciudad ni su corredera
He doesn't miss the city or its rush
Se fue a vivir al campo donde encontró a la nena
He went to live in the countryside where he found his girl
Ay que felicidad vivir en la montaña
Oh, what happiness to live in the mountain
Donde hay tranquilidad y nadie te regaña
Where there is peace and nobody scolds you
Con una hembra que lo quiere, un río y un ranchito
With a woman who loves him, a river and a little ranch
Un palo de aguacate, la luna y un perrito
An avocado tree, the moon, and a little dog
Lo más lindo del mundo está acá en el Caribe
The most beautiful thing in the world is here in the Caribbean
Por las hembras más lindas acá es que se consiguen
The most beautiful girls are found right here
Está ya llena Œe gusto con un sabor a caña
She is already full of flavor with a taste of sugarcane
Con unos ojos negros que miden noche en caña
With black eyes that measure the night with sugarcane
No, no, no, no necesita carro ni televisión
No, no, no, she doesn't need a car or television
Ni tomar pastillas para la presión
Or take pills for blood pressure
Esa neninita tiene un cuerpo Œe carretera
That little girl has a body like a road
Con una clase Œe curva que viran a cualquiera
With the kind of curves that turn anyone's head
Él tiene su nena en el campo, mírala, es linda y le da su amor
He has his girl in the countryside, look at her, she's beautiful and gives him her love
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DAVID D. MARTINEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind