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, with the exception of Maestra Vida, which could be considered the first Latin American opera. 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.
Blades' 1999 album Tiempos which he made along with musicians from the costarican groups Editus and Sexteto de Jazz Latino, represented a break from his salsa past and a rejection of commercial trends in Latin music.
After winning his first Grammy for Escenas in 1986 he recorded the album Agua de Luna based on the short stories of Gabriel García Márquez 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.
te odio y te quiero
Ruben Blades Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Para no llamarte
Me queman tus besos
Me sigue tu voz
Pensando que hay otro
Que pueda besarte
Se llena mi pecho
De rabia y rencor
De mis ansias
Te llevo muy dentro
Muy dentro de mí
Te niego y te busco
Te odio y te quiero
Y llevo en el pecho un infierno por ti
Te odio y te quiero
Por que a ti te debo
Mis horas amargas
Mis horas de miel
Te odio y te quiero
Fuiste el milagro
La espina que duele
Y el beso de amor
Por eso te odio
Por eso te quiero
Con todas las fuerzas
De mi corazón
Me muerdo los labios
Para no llamarte
Me queman tus besos
Me sigue tu voz
Pensando que hay otro
Que pueda besarte
Se llena mi pecho
De rabia y rencor
Sumido en la fiebre
Brutal de mis ansias
Te llevo muy dentro
Muy dentro de mí
Te niego y te busco
Te odio y te quiero
Y llevo en el pecho un infierno por ti
Te odio y te quiero
Por que a ti te debo
Mis horas amargas
Mis horas de miel
Te odio y te quiero
Fuiste el milagro
La espina que duele
Y el beso de amor
Por eso te odio
Por eso te quiero
Con todas las fuerzas
De mi corazón.
The song Te Odio Y Te Quiero by Ruben Blades is an emotional and intense expression of the complex feelings of love and hate for someone. The lyrics are about a person who is deeply in love with someone but at the same time feels hurt and betrayed by them. The first lines, "Me muerdo los labios para no llamarte, me queman tus besos, me sigue tu voz" convey the longing and desire to be with this person but also the pain and hurt they have caused.
The singer is struggling with feelings of jealousy as he believes there may be someone else who could be with the person he loves. He is consumed by his feelings and is unable to escape them, as he says "te llevo muy dentro, muy dentro de mi" which means that the person he loves is deeply ingrained in his heart and soul.
The most poignant line of the song is "te odio y te quiero," which means "I hate you and I love you." This line captures the essence of the song, that love and hate can coexist and that sometimes the line between them can become blurred. The final verse, "Por eso te odio, por eso te quiero, con todas las fuerzas de mi corazón" translates to "That's why I hate you, that's why I love you, with all the strength of my heart."
Overall, the song Te Odio Y Te Quiero is a powerful and emotive portrayal of the complex nature of love and the tumultuous feelings that can come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Me muerdo los labios
I bite my lips to restrain myself from calling you
Para no llamarte
So that I don't call you
Me queman tus besos
Your kisses burn me
Me sigue tu voz
Your voice keeps following me
Pensando que hay otro que pueda besarte
Thinking that someone else might kiss you
Se llena mi pecho de rabia y rencor
My chest fills with anger and resentment
Sumido en la fiebre brutal de mis ansias
Immersed in the brutal fever of my desires
Te llevo muy dentro, muy dentro de mí
I carry you deep inside of me
Te niego y te busco
I deny you but also seek you
Te odio y te quiero
I hate you and love you
Y llevo en el pecho un infierno por ti
And I carry a hell within me because of you
Porque a ti te debo mis horas amargas, mis horas de miel
Because I owe you my bitter and sweet moments
Fuiste el milagro, la espina que duele y el beso de amor
You were the miracle, the thorn that hurts, and the kiss of love
Por eso te odio, por eso te quiero
That's why I hate you and love you
Con todas las fuerzas de mi corazón
With all the strength of my heart
Contributed by Oliver A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.