Santa Sabina are distinguished by their gothic rock lyrics and stage presence. Their music, however, is perhaps best described as a variant of progressive rock which borrows heavily from jazz.
At the end of the 1980s, Guerrero left her hometown of Guadalajara to attend the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City to pursue a career in theatre. There, she met Poncho Figueroa, Pablo Valero and Jacobo Leiberman, who at that time were members of a jazz group called "the Psicotrópicos". "The Psicotrópicos" agreed to provide music for a play written for Guerrero's theatre class based on Franz Kafka's "Amérika". As they worked together, they realized they had a strong artistic affinity. After the dissolution of the "Psicotrópicos", they decided to form a new rock band that reflected their artistic vision. Although the group's lineup has changed through the years (as in the case of Pablo Valero and Jacobo Leiberman), the sound of the group, has evolved but remains faithful to its initial course.
Their first albums, Santa Sabina (1992), Símbolos (1994) and Babel (1996) were released through the now-defunct Mexican record label Culebra Records, a local branch of BGM Ariola. Their following albums, Mar adentro en la sangre (2001) and Espiral (2003), were independent productions. In 1997, they also recorded an album of their "unplugged" performance for MTV Latinamerica called Santa Sabina Unplugged.
The band reformed briefly in 2010 when it became clear that this might be the last chance to have Rita perform as she was diagnosed with breast cancer and treatment failed. On the 11th March 2011 Rita passed away which left the band without a lead-singer. No information is available whether they will reform with another singer.
Frente al espejo
Santa Sabina Lyrics
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Empiezas a volar,
Entre los dedos,
Las líneas del final.
Frente al espejo,
Empiezas a soltar,
Los caballos,
Nada cambia,
La distancia al volar,
La ansiedad.
Frente al espejo,
El vuelo de cristal,
La inocencia,
No es eterna,
Ni terminará.
La promesa de tus flores muertas,
La invasión, el calor,
Soy tu, soy yo.
Algo parecido a la tormenta,
Del placer al dolor,
Soy tu, soy yo.
Los secretos,
Del espejo,
Tú eres yo.
Otra luz, soy tú,
Fugaz lejana,
Tú, soy tú,
Fugaz la nada.
The lyrics to Santa Sabina's song "Frente al espejo" are about self-reflection and the paradox of life. The song starts with the line "Frente al espejo, empiezas a volar" which translates to "in front of the mirror, you begin to fly." This implies that the person is envisioning a different reality than the one they are currently living in. The next line, "Entre los dedos, las líneas del final" ("Between the fingers, the lines of the end"), suggests that they are aware that life has an end and that they are holding on to something that is slowly slipping away.
As the song progresses, the chorus repeats the line "Soy tu, soy yo" ("I am you, you are me"), emphasizing the idea that the person is both the observer and the observed. They are confronting themselves and their own mortality. The line "La inocencia no es eterna, ni terminará" ("Innocence is not eternal, nor will it end") speaks to the paradox of life. Innocence is something that we all strive for, yet it is not something that we can hold on to forever, and inevitably it will be lost.
The song concludes with the lines "Los secretos del espejo, tú eres yo" ("The secrets of the mirror, you are me"), emphasizing once again the theme of self-reflection. The mirror, often viewed as a metaphor for self-reflection, contains the secrets of the person looking into it. The song leaves the listener with a sense of introspection and a reminder that life is fleeting and full of paradoxes.
Line by Line Meaning
Frente al espejo,
Standing in front of the mirror,
Empiezas a volar,
You begin to fly,
Entre los dedos,
Through your fingers,
Las líneas del final.
The lines of the end.
Frente al espejo,
Standing in front of the mirror,
Empiezas a soltar,
You begin to release,
Los caballos,
The horses,
De la eternidad.
Of eternity.
Nada cambia,
Nothing changes,
La distancia al volar,
The distance traveled,
La ansiedad.
The anxiety.
Frente al espejo,
Standing in front of the mirror,
El vuelo de cristal,
The flight of crystal,
La inocencia,
The innocence,
No es eterna,
Is not eternal,
Ni terminará.
Nor will it end.
La promesa de tus flores muertas,
The promise of your dead flowers,
La invasión, el calor,
The invasion, the heat,
Soy tu, soy yo.
I am you, I am me.
Algo parecido a la tormenta,
Something similar to the storm,
Del placer al dolor,
From pleasure to pain,
Soy tu, soy yo.
I am you, I am me.
Los secretos,
The secrets,
Del espejo,
Of the mirror,
Tú eres yo.
You are me.
Otra luz, soy tú,
Another light, I am you,
Fugaz lejana,
Fleeting and distant,
Tú, soy tú,
You, I am you,
Fugaz la nada.
Fleeting and empty.
Contributed by Jayden C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.