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®
Sin Fe
Rubén Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pues se que no haz logrado hacer de mi querer lo que tú amor soñó
Yo se que fue muy grande la ilusión que en mí forjaste
Para luego encontrar desconfianza y frialdad en mi querer
Comprende que mi amor burlado fue ya tantas veces
Que se ha quedado al fin mi pobre corazón con tan poquita fe
Que hoy tienes que ayudarme a conseguir la fe que por engaños ya perdí
Me tienes que ayudar de nuevo a amar y a perdonar
Comprende que mi amor burlado fue ya tantas veces
Que se ha quedado al fin mi pobre corazón con tan poquita fe
Que hoy tienes que ayudarme a conseguir la fe que por engaños ya perdí
Me tienes que ayudar de nuevo a amar y a perdonar
Tú tienes que ayudarme a conseguir la fe que por engaños ya perdí
Hoy me tienes que ayudar de nuevo a amar y a perdonar
Tú tienes que ayudarme a conseguir la fe que por engaños ya perdí
Me tienes que ayudar de nuevo a amar y a perdonar
Hoy tienes que ayudarme a conseguir la fe que por engaños ya perdí
Me tienes que ayudar de nuevo a amar y a perdonar
Tú tienes que ayudarme a conseguir la fe que por engaños ya perdí
Tú tienes que ayudarme de nuevo a amar y a perdonar
The lyrics of "Sin Fe" by Rubén Blades express a deep longing for trust and faith in a romantic relationship. The singer acknowledges that their partner has reason to doubt their love, as they have not been able to live up to the partner's dreams and expectations. The singer conveys regret for not being able to fully reciprocate the great affection their partner had for them, leading to feelings of mistrust and coldness.
The repeated phrase "Comprende que mi amor burlado fue ya tantas veces" ("Understand that my love has been betrayed so many times") highlights the singer's past experiences of heartbreak and disappointment, which have left them with very little faith in love. The singer now seeks their partner's help in finding that faith again, asking them for assistance in "amor y a perdonar" ("loving and forgiving") once more.
"Sin Fe" is a powerful and poignant expression of the challenges and complexities of human relationships, particularly the difficulty of rebuilding trust after it has been broken. Through the use of introspective lyrics and haunting melody, Rubén Blades has created an empathetic and relatable song that speaks to the depths of the heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo se que siempre dudas de mi amor y no te culpo
I understand that you always doubt my love, and I don't blame you.
Pues se que no haz logrado hacer de mi querer lo que tú amor soñó
I know that you haven't been able to make my love into what you dreamed it could be.
Yo se que fue muy grande la ilusión que en mí forjaste
I know that you had such high hopes and illusions about me.
Para luego encontrar desconfianza y frialdad en mi querer
Only to find distrust and coldness in my love.
Comprende que mi amor burlado fue ya tantas veces
Understand that my love has been mocked and deceived so many times.
Que se ha quedado al fin mi pobre corazón con tan poquita fe
My poor heart has been left with so little faith.
Que hoy tienes que ayudarme a conseguir la fe que por engaños ya perdí
Today you have to help me regain the faith that I lost due to deceit.
Me tienes que ayudar de nuevo a amar y a perdonar
You have to help me love and forgive again.
Tú tienes que ayudarme a conseguir la fe que por engaños ya perdí
You have to help me regain the faith that I lost due to deceit.
Hoy me tienes que ayudar de nuevo a amar y a perdonar
Today you have to help me love and forgive again.
Tú tienes que ayudarme de nuevo a amar y a perdonar
You have to help me love and forgive again.
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOBBY CAPO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind