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®
Te Están Buscando
Rubén Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cuida'o en la acera
Cuida'o en la calle
Cuida'o donde quiera
Que te andan buscando
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Te iba a salir cara
Todo el mundo ya sabe tu historia
Todo el barrio sabe la verdad
Que jugaste un dinero y perdiste
Y te fuiste sin antes pagar
Cuida'o en el barrio
Cuida'o en la acera
Cuida'o en la calle
Cuida'o donde quiera
Que te andan buscando
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Has viola'o las reglas el mirón es de palo
Chico malo y ahora
Hoy te van a castigar
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Es que te anda buscando
Un carro negro de antena larga
Lleno e' gente, lente oscuro
Los de la seguridad
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Te están buscando unos tipos
Que cuando niños su mamá no los querían y ahora de adultos
Viven repartiendo bofetá'
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Te robaste una plata y saliste mal jugador
Y ahora con sangre te van a cobrar
Por tu mala maña
Olor a hombre
Hay una peste a hombre en la calle Salsipuedes
Por tu culpa camará
Te andan buscando pa' amarrarte a una silla
Echarte encima el agua fría y un chin de electricidad
Por tu mala maña de irte sin pagar
Por tu mala maña has dejado la esquina del barrio tan caliente
Que ahora uno ahí no se puede ni parar
Por tu mala maña de irte sin pagar
Si llega el gobierno empujando ciudadanos
Y pidiendo el cartón de identidad
Por tu mala maña de irte sin pagar
Por tu culpa pana me lo dijo pana Madame Calalú
Que algo malo iba a pasar
Por tu mala maña de irte sin pagar
Otra vez despacito por el barrio pasa el carro negro
Buscándote los de la seguridad
The song Te Están Buscando by Rubén Blades is a cautionary tale that warns of the consequences of not fulfilling one's financial obligations. The lyrics detail the repercussions of leaving without paying, including being hunted down and physically harmed. The song advises the listener to be careful everywhere they go because people are looking for them due to their bad habit of not paying debts.
The lyrics also talk about the consequences of breaking rules and not following societal norms. It warns that even if one thinks they can get away with something, eventually, the truth will come to light, and they will have to face the consequences. This song is a message to those who try to cheat the system or live irresponsibly that there is always a price to pay for one's actions.
Overall, "Te Están Buscando" is a cautionary tale that illustrates the importance of being responsible and accountable for one's actions. It serves as a reminder that even the smallest actions have consequences and that we should always strive to do the right thing, no matter how difficult it may be.
Line by Line Meaning
Cuida'o en el barrio
Be careful in the neighborhood
Cuida'o en la acera
Be careful on the sidewalk
Cuida'o en la calle
Be careful on the street
Cuida'o donde quiera
Be careful wherever you go
Que te andan buscando
They're looking for you
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Because of your bad habit of leaving without paying
Yo te lo dije canallón
I told you, you scoundrel
Te iba a salir cara
It was going to cost you
Todo el mundo ya sabe tu historia
Everyone already knows your story
Todo el barrio sabe la verdad
The entire neighborhood knows the truth
Que jugaste un dinero y perdiste
That you played money and lost
Y te fuiste sin antes pagar
And you left without paying first
Has viola'o las reglas el mirón es de palo
You've broken the rules, and the spectator is wooden
Chico malo y ahora
Bad boy, and now
Hoy te van a castigar
Today they're going to punish you
Es que te anda buscando
That they're looking for you
Un carro negro de antena larga
A black car with a long antenna
Lleno e' gente, lente oscuro
Full of people, with dark glasses
Los de la seguridad
The security guards
Te están buscando unos tipos
Some guys are looking for you
Que cuando niños su mamá no los querían y ahora de adultos
Whose mothers didn't love them as children, and now as adults
Viven repartiendo bofetá'
They live handing out slaps
Te robaste una plata y saliste mal jugador
You stole some money and turned out to be a bad player
Y ahora con sangre te van a cobrar
And now they're going to make you pay with blood
Olor a hombre
Smell of men
Hay una peste a hombre en la calle Salsipuedes
There's a stink of men on Salsipuedes street
Por tu culpa camará
Because of you, mate
Te andan buscando pa' amarrarte a una silla
They're looking for you to tie you to a chair
Echarte encima el agua fría y un chin de electricidad
Pour cold water on you and give you a little electricity shock
Si llega el gobierno empujando ciudadanos
If the government comes pushing citizens
Y pidiendo el cartón de identidad
And asking for ID
Por tu mala maña de irte sin pagar
Because of your bad habit of leaving without paying
Por tu culpa pana me lo dijo pana Madame Calalú
Because of you, my friend told me, my friend Madame Calalú
Que algo malo iba a pasar
That something bad was going to happen
Otra vez despacito por el barrio pasa el carro negro
Once again, the black car passes slowly through the neighborhood
Buscándote los de la seguridad
The security guards looking for you
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Ruben Blades
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Luckylouie522
SAL CUEVAS BASS
JIMMY DELGADO TIMBAL
MILTON CARDONA PERCUSSION
LEWIS KAHN VIOLIN
ANDY GONZALEZ BASS , BONGO
REYNALDO JORGE BONES
JOSE RODRIGUEZ BONES
JOE SANTIAGO BASS
SAM BURTIS BONES
JOHNNY ANDREWS DRUMS
JOE TORRES PIANO
LUIS CRUZ ARR.
IZZY SANABRIA ART
sebastian andrades perea
Cuida'o en el barrio
Cuida'o en la acera
Cuida'o en la calle
Cuida'o donde quiera
Que te andan buscando
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Yo te lo dije canallón
Te iba a salir cara
Todo el mundo ya sabe tu historia
Todo el barrio sabe la verdad
Que jugaste un dinero y perdiste
Y te fuiste sin antes pagar
Cuida'o en el barrio
Cuida'o en la acera
Cuida'o en la calle
Cuida'o donde quiera
Que te andan buscando
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Has viola'o las reglas el mirón es de palo
Chico malo y ahora
Hoy te van a castigar
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Es que te anda buscando
Un carro negro de antena larga
Lleno e' gente, lente oscuro
Los de la seguridad
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Te están buscando unos tipos
Que cuando niños su mamá no los querían y ahora de adultos
Viven repartiendo bofetá'
Por tu mala maña, de irte sin pagar
Te robaste una plata y saliste mal jugador
Y ahora con sangre te van a cobrar
Por tu mala maña
Olor a hombre
Hay una peste a hombre en la calle Salsipuedes
Por tu culpa camará
Te andan buscando pa' amarrarte a una silla
Echarte encima el agua fría y un chin de electricidad
Por tu mala maña de irte sin pagar
Por tu mala maña has dejado la esquina del barrio tan caliente
Que ahora uno ahí no se puede ni parar
Por tu mala maña de irte sin pagar
Si llega el gobierno empujando ciudadanos
Y pidiendo el cartón de identidad
Por tu mala maña de irte sin pagar
Por tu culpa pana me lo dijo pana Madame Calalú
Que algo malo iba a pasar
Por tu mala maña de irte sin pagar
Otra vez despacito por el barrio pasa el carro negro
Buscándote los de la seguridad
Luckylouie522
SAL CUEVAS BASS
JIMMY DELGADO TIMBAL
MILTON CARDONA PERCUSSION
LEWIS KAHN VIOLIN
ANDY GONZALEZ BASS , BONGO
REYNALDO JORGE BONES
JOSE RODRIGUEZ BONES
JOE SANTIAGO BASS
SAM BURTIS BONES
JOHNNY ANDREWS DRUMS
JOE TORRES PIANO
LUIS CRUZ ARR.
IZZY SANABRIA ART
JCPDX
Ese solo de Milton es una masterpiece
jorge cruz rondon astor
bien bien gracias por la respuesta que
joshua acosta
Puros extraterrestres sin duda alguna los mejores
Luis Alzate
1
Heidy Patlán
Tengo 30 años y mi papá desde antes de nacer me dio la herencia de ser salsera de corazón... Se que el día que el o yo nos faltemos nos vamos a encontrar en estas canciones ❤️
RamoSar
@Rafael Del risco que pena pq uno es de PR y el otro de Panamá
Steve Bongo bell
Bacán
RamoSar
AMÉN👏🏻
Gustavo GonzalezYT
Mi abuelito le dió la herencia de ser músico a mi papá y mi papá me está dejando está hermosa herencia también ❤️🩹