Rubén Blades (born July 16, 1948) is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter,… Read Full Bio ↴Rubén Blades (born July 16, 1948) is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, actor and politician. As songwriter, Blades brought the lyrical sophistication of South American nueva canción and Cuban nueva trova to salsa, creating thinking persons' dance music. He remains wildly popular in that country and much admired throughout Latin America, and he managed to attract 20% of the vote in his failed attempt to win the Panamanian presidency in 1994. In September 2004, he was appointed minister of tourism by Panamanian president Martín Torrijos. Blades is completely bilingual, working both in English and Spanish. His most famous song is "Pedro Navaja", a song about a panderer whose day to die has come.

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®

No Te Miento
Rubén Blades Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Entré a la oscuridad
Buscando una verdad
Que no debe morir
Ayúdala a salir
Respira, respira
Detrás de una traición
Sin justificación
Se muere la nación

No hay héroes que aplaudir
Ni huellas que seguir

Ay, no te calles
Sal a la calle, y no te calles
Sal a la calle, y no te calles
Sal a la calle, y no te calles
Sal a la calle

Pregúntate por qué
Perdiste toda fe
Tu amor, ¿a dónde fue?
Te canceló el carnet

Sal a la calle, y no te calles
Sal a la calle, y no te calles
(Sal a la calle) La corrupción ataca
(Y no te calles) Ahoga con su trampa
(Sal a la calle) Político ladrón
(Y no te calles) ¿Qué hay de tuya la nación?

Sal a la calle, y no te calles
Sal a la calle, y no te calles
(Sal a la calle) La corrupción ataca
(Y no te calles) Ahoga con su trampa
(Sal a la calle) Político ladrón
(Y no te calles) ¿Qué hay de tuya la nación?

(Sal a la calle, y no te calles)
Respira
El silencio oculta la verdad
Como el odio nuestra humanidad
El gran error queda atrás

Llena tus pulmones
Respira, y no te calles

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "No Te Miento" by Rubén Blades delve into themes of darkness, truth, betrayal, and the importance of speaking out against corruption. It paints a picture of a nation suffering from injustices and a lack of heroes to look up to. The opening lines, "Entré a la oscuridad, Buscando una verdad, Que no debe morir, Ayúdala a salir," speak of the singer's journey into darkness, seeking a truth that must not be hidden. It suggests a longing for justice and a desire to bring that truth to light.

The repetition of "Respira, respira" throughout the song encourages the listener to breathe, to not remain silent and suffocate under the weight of deception. The lines "Detrás de una traición, Sin justificación, Se muere la nación, No hay héroes que aplaudir, Ni huellas que seguir" reflect the consequences of betrayal without justification - it leads to the demise of the nation, with no heroes to admire or paths to follow. It highlights the negative impact of corruption and the lack of trust in those in power.

The repeated phrase "Sal a la calle, y no te calles" urges the listener to take to the streets, to voice their opinions and not stay silent. It emphasizes the importance of actively engaging in society and actively fighting against corruption. The lyrics point out that corruption attacks and suffocates with its traps, and politicians are portrayed as thieves. The question "¿Qué hay de tuya la nación?" challenges the listener to consider what stake they have in their nation and why they should not remain quiet in the face of corruption.

The final verse, "Respira, El silencio oculta la verdad, Como el odio nuestra humanidad, El gran error queda atrás, Llena tus pulmones, Respira, y no te calles" reinforces the theme of not remaining silent. It states that silence hides the truth, just like hatred hides our humanity. The "gran error," or grand mistake, is alluded to as being in the past. The call to "Llena tus pulmones, Respira, y no te calles" encourages the listener to take a deep breath, find their voice, and not stay silent. It serves as a powerful reminder to stand up against corruption and fight for justice.

Line by Line Meaning

Entré a la oscuridad
I ventured into darkness

Buscando una verdad
Seeking a truth

Que no debe morir
That must not die

Ayúdala a salir
Help it to come out

Respira, respira
Breathe, breathe

Detrás de una traición
Behind a betrayal

Sin justificación
Without justification

Se muere la nación
The nation is dying

No hay héroes que aplaudir
There are no heroes to applaud

Ni huellas que seguir
Nor footprints to follow

Ay, no te calles
Oh, don't be silent