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®
Noe
Rubén Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
que en el mundo Dios observó
vino y le dijo a Noé, ¡Hey!
prepara tu embarcación.
Coge de todas las aves
y animales del montón
que no quiero que se ahoguen
al llegar la inundación.
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé (bis)
Con paciencia y mucha calma, Noé
el arca empezó a construir
y a predicarle a la gente
para así hacerla subir
(y ellos decían)
¿Cómo con tanta sequía
el mundo se va inundar?
"Tú eres un caso de siquiatría, Noé.
Por favor, déjanos en paz".
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé (bis)
¡Tra, la, la, la, la, la, la, pra!
Y así por cuarenta días
la lluvia empezó a caer
hasta que por fin al arca
el agua empezó a mover
La gente le suplicaba:
"¡Hey! ¡Abre la puerta, Noé!
Y Noé les contestaba:
"¡Ah, ah! ¡Ahora no se va a poder!"
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé.
Le pasó a Noé un domingo por la tarde…como a las tres.
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé.
Una voz vibro del cielo y le dijo un aguacero se aproxima…¡Tápate!
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé.
Llena el arca de animales. Desde un mono hasta un ciempiés.
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé.
Y a la gente Noé se lo decía, pero nadie le creía. "¿Tú estás loco?…! Intérnate!".
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé.
Trajo a toda su familia…y al bodeguero también.
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé.
Eh, eh, eh
Muuuu, Muuuuu
yyyyyjjjjjyyyyy
Guau, guau
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé.
Llovió, llovió por cuarenta días y la gente le pedía: "¡Abre la puerta, Noé!".
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé.
Y no les contestaba: "No, ya es tarde y aquí nadie me sube, ni con American Express".
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé.
La gente tocaba y le ponía la boca en la puerta y les decía: "No, si yo estoy loco. No se va a poder".
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé
Y tan sólo se salvaron los que en él tuvieron fe.
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé.
Guau, guau
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé.
Me dijeron que el arca cuando el agua bajó quedó varada en la 110.
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé.
Decían que el tipo estaba loco y ahora el que no sepa nadar…¡eh!.se va a jo… ¡Eh!
No, Noé
Sí que es
Eso le pasó a Noé
The song Noe by Rubén Blades retells the story of Noah's Ark from the Bible, but with a socially critical twist. The first verse speaks of the evil in the world that God observes and decides to flood the world to cleanse it. He instructs Noah to build an ark and save a pair of all the animals in the world. The second verse describes the challenges Noah faces when trying to convince others to come aboard the ship as they believed the world could not flood due to the drought they were experiencing.
The song references Noah's patience and persistence in building the ark and warning the people. Noah is portrayed as a solitary figure doing what was valid, even in the face of ridicule and disbelief. It highlights the isolation of faith and the challenge of doing the right thing. Rain finally falls on the earth, and the ark floats on floodwaters for 40 days. Finally, the song concludes by saying that only those who had faith were saved. With its catchy chorus, the song has become a popular classic, particularly at parties.
Line by Line Meaning
Por la tanta perversión
Because of the great evil that was present in the world
que en el mundo Dios observó
That God observed in the world
vino y le dijo a Noé, ¡Hey!
God came and said to Noah, 'Hey!'
prepara tu embarcación.
Prepare your vessel.
Coge de todas las aves
Take all the birds
y animales del montón
And a pair of every kind of animal
que no quiero que se ahoguen
Because I do not want them to drown
al llegar la inundación.
When the flood comes.
No, Noé
No, Noah
Sí que es
It is true
Eso le pasó a Noé (bis)
That happened to Noah (repeat)
Con paciencia y mucha calma, Noé
With patience and a calm demeanor, Noah
el arca empezó a construir
Began to construct the ark
y a predicarle a la gente
And preached to the people
para así hacerla subir
To make them board the ark
(y ellos decían)
(And they said)
¿Cómo con tanta sequía
How can there be a flood without rain
el mundo se va inundar?
Inundating the world?
"Tú eres un caso de siquiatría, Noé.
"You are a psychiatric case, Noah.
Por favor, déjanos en paz".
Please leave us alone."
¡Tra, la, la, la, la, la, la, pra!
Tra, la, la, la, la, la, la, pra!
Y así por cuarenta días
And so it rained for forty days
la lluvia empezó a caer
The rain began to fall
hasta que por fin al arca
Until finally the ark
el agua empezó a mover
Begins to float on the water
La gente le suplicaba:
The people begged him:
¡Hey! ¡Abre la puerta, Noé!
Hey! Open the door, Noah!
Y Noé les contestaba:
And Noah replied:
¡Ah, ah! ¡Ahora no se va a poder!
Ah, ah! It is too late now!
Le pasó a Noé un domingo por la tarde…como a las tres.
It happened to Noah on a Sunday afternoon... around three
Una voz vibro del cielo y le dijo un aguacero se aproxima…¡Tápate!
A voice from heaven trembled and said, 'A downpour is coming...Cover yourself!'
Llena el arca de animales. Desde un mono hasta un ciempiés.
Fill the ark with animals. From a monkey to a centipede.
Y a la gente Noé se lo decía, pero nadie le creía. "¿Tú estás loco?…! Intérnate!".
And Noah told the people, but no one believed him. "Are you crazy?...Go to a mental institution!"
Trajo a toda su familia…y al bodeguero también.
He brought his entire family... and the wine merchant too
Eh, eh, eh
Eh, eh, eh
Muuuu, Muuuuu
Mooooo, Mooooo
yyyyyjjjjjyyyyy
yyyyyjjjjjyyyyy
Guau, guau
Woof, woof
Llovió, llovió por cuarenta días y la gente le pedía: "¡Abre la puerta, Noé!".
It rained, it rained for forty days and the people begged him: "Open the door, Noah!"
Y no les contestaba: "No, ya es tarde y aquí nadie me sube, ni con American Express".
And he didn't reply, "No, it's too late now and no one can board, not even with American Express."
La gente tocaba y le ponía la boca en la puerta y les decía: "No, si yo estoy loco. No se va a poder".
The people knocked and put their mouths to the door, and he said to them, "No, if I'm crazy. It can't be done."
Y tan sólo se salvaron los que en él tuvieron fe.
Only those who had faith in him were saved.
Me dijeron que el arca cuando el agua bajó quedó varada en la 110.
They told me that when the water receded, the ark was stranded on Route 110.
Decían que el tipo estaba loco y ahora el que no sepa nadar…¡eh!.se va a jo… ¡Eh!
They said the guy was crazy, and now someone who can't swim... is going to have a bad time! Hey!
Contributed by Lucas V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-cb2by9wi6e
Excelente, un temazo de bendición y para la gloria de Dios❤❤
@juanborjas8942
Y el ponía la boca en la puerta y le decía no si yo estoy loco, no se va poder. ESTE SEÑOR SOLO SABE DÍOS COMO LOGRÓ TAL INSPIRACIÓN.
@lopz33
Un día como hoy, 16 de julio de 1948, nació en Ciudad de Panamá el cantautor, músico, actor, activista y político Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna, el Poeta de la Salsa. Maestro, felicitaciones. 🎵🎤✍️🎞️🎶🎉🎂🎊😀😀😀😀😀
@anclaoperaciones2635
yo lo pienso o me gustaria cantarlo en el proximo karaoke de este miercoles Dios mediante.
@JoseRebolledo-qu6tv
❤
@noguessejoffre3140
Soy haitiano la salsa no es mi ritmo,pero me gustó el tema y sobre todo el mensaje dentro de la música uuuauuuu gracias señor Ruben Baldes un abrazo
@jonathanjoel2905
La salsa tiene mucha influencia africana incluso nisiquiera la musica africana tiene la vibra que tiene la salsa la salsa es una mescla de casi de todos los géneros del mundo el mejor genero
@dahianamodesta7154
La música no tiene raza 🎉
@peruanorivera
Trajo a toda su familia y al bodeguero también!!! je,je,je Ingenioso!
@milagrosbruno8765
Estamos viviendo esos tiempos otra vez , Dios todopoderoso está mandando señales y que nos arrepintamos de nuestros pecados y creamos en él pero mucha gente no quiere entender que estamos en los últimos tiempos ❤Pueblo mío oye mi voz!!!😢