Starting to play the trumpet at the age of 12, Colón switched to the trombone two years later. Making his recording debut in 1967, for Al Santiago's Futura label, Colón became a victim of misfortune when the label folded. Colón was much more successful when he signed with Johnny Pacheco's Fania label. When his vocalist failed to make Colón's first session for the label, Pacheco suggested Hector Lavoe as a replacement. The collaboration proved fruitful when two singles from Colón's first two albums (El Malo, Guisando) — "Jazzy" and "I Wish I Had a Watermelon" — became hits. Lavoe remained a vital member of Colón's band until the mid-'70s when an increased drug addiction caused him to miss or show up late for several gigs. Although their partnership formally ended in 1975, Colón and Lavoe continued to work together. Lavoe's last album, Strikes Back, released in 1987, was produced by Colón.
In 1975, Colón balanced his schedule as director of the Latin Jazz All Stars with studies in music theory, composition, and orchestration. His increased knowledge paid off quickly. In 1978, Colón was named Musician, Producer, and Trombone Player of the Year in a readers poll conducted by Latin New York. Three years later, he received an award as Musician of the Year and his album Fantasmas was named Album of the Year. Colón continued to garner acclaim when his album Canciones del Solar de los Aburridos received a Grammy award in 1982.
Although they met backstage before a concert in Panama in 1969, Colón and Blades didn't begin collaborating until five years later. While working on the album The Good-The Bad-The Ugly, Colón asked Blades to sing on the Blades-penned tune "El Cazanguero," which reflected on Blades' experiences as a law student working in a Panamanian prison. The session was so satisfying that Blades became a full-time member of Colón's band following the departure of Lavoe. Their 1978 album Siembra became the top-selling album in Fania's catalog. Despite their success, Blades severely quarreled with label president Jerry Mascucci over money. Although Colón recorded two solo albums — El Baquine de Angelitos Negros in 1977 and Solo in 1979 — and Blades recorded a solo album, Maestra Vida, in 1980, their solo work failed to match the commercial success of their joint efforts.
In 1981, the two musicians resumed their partnership with Blades playing coro on Colón's solo album Fantasmas. The following year, they collaborated on the Grammy-winning album Canciones del Solar de los Aburridos, which yielded the hits singles "Tiburon," "Ligia Elena," and "Te Estan Buscando." Their partnership again proved short-lived as Colón and Blades split up after working on the film The Last Fight. The split was far from amiable and the two musicians continued to feud until reuniting for a concert at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan in March 1992. Despite collaborating on the album Tras la Tormenta in 1995, Colón and Blades recorded their parts separately. Following a reunion concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 1997, Colón and Blades performed a series of concerts together.
In the late '80s, Colón formed a new band, Legal Aliens, with younger musicians. Signing with Sony, Colón and the band recorded Color Americano in 1990 and Honra y Cultura in 1991. Two years later, Colón recorded Hecho en Puerto Rico with an all-star band featuring ex-members of the Fania All-Stars, Papo Lucca and Bobby Valentin. Since leaving Sony over a lack of promotional support, Colón continued to remain active.
Tiempo Pa' Matar
Willie Colón Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Salgo a buscar mis panas
Nos paramos en la esquina
No hay nada por la avenida
Vamos a dar una vuelta
Un serrucho para la botella
Nos sentamos en la escalera
(Tiempo pa' matar) Ay, mamá abuela
(Tiempo pa' matar) Ave María morena
(Tiempo pa' matar) Mataron al negro bembón y solo por un maní
(Tiempo pa' matar) A dolores la pachanguera
(Tiempo pa' matar) El charlatán le dió una pela
(Tiempo pa' matar) No encuentro la llave de la casa de Marcela
Fernando Esara, Juan está muerto
Manuel trabaja, Kimbo está preso
No fuma mucha marihuana
Toby si que no está en nada
Hay fiesta donde Toro y Carmen
Esta no se la pierde nadie
Otro invita, están pasando
Para Vietnam solicitando
(Tiempo pa' matar) Por el machismo
(Tiempo pa' matar) Contra el comunismo
(Tiempo pa' matar) Salen como un noble soldado, vuelen agríos y mutilados
(Tiempo pa' matar) Con heroísmo
(Tiempo pa' matar) ¡Pum! Para el racismo
(Tiempo pa' matar) Total pa' nada si al regreso todo fue igual
No me empujes que te sacudo
Ni me analices por un embudo
Estoy llegando a la línea
Tú no juegues con mi comida
La sangre se me está subiendo
Oye lo que estoy diciendo
A matar ratas combatió tiros
Dejar salir lo negativo
(Esperando el momento preciso y ahora es cuando es)
No pierdas tiempo pidiendo permiso, dale y tú va' ver
(Esperando el momento preciso y ahora es cuando es)
Ay, pero chúpate este lindo del Sebastián
(Esperando el momento preciso y ahora es cuando es)
Mire compadre como son las cosas, te juro que no lo aguanto más
Esperando, esperando que a Alfredo le están velando
Es que voy pa' encima Lola, cuidado vengo de atrás
(Esperando el momento preciso y ahora es cuando es)
Y si el de adelante no se pone duro, ay, bendito
'Toy seguro que los de atrás no mandarán
(Esperando el momento preciso y ahora es cuando es)
Oye Memín
Matando tiempo no es lo mismo que tiempo pa' matar, no seas bruto
(Esperando el momento preciso y ahora es cuando es)
Y si quieres verme esta noche en la ventana ponme un ticket
(Esperando el momento preciso y ahora es cuando es)
Oígame compadre Alejandro, dígame de las cosas como van caminando
(Esperando el momento preciso y ahora es cuando es)
Y ya tú ves que el niño habló y todos saben que salió varón
(Esperando el momento preciso y ahora es cuando es)
Pregúntale a Pérez, me dijo que si no metemos mano, en poco tiempo todos pereceremos
(Esperando el momento preciso y ahora es cuando es)
Es que no hay tiempo pa' ser indeciso, dale, dale, dale, dale, dale, dale
The first verse of Willie Colón's song Tiempo Pa' Matar depicts a mundane, aimless afternoon. The singer and his friends have nothing to do, so they gather on the corner, but there's nothing going on around them. The second verse, however, introduces a different perspective on time. The phrase "tiempo pa' matar" literally means "time to kill," which suggests a sense of urgency or a need to make the most of one's time. This urgency is reflected in the situations and issues that the singer mentions, such as mourning a friend's death, worrying about racism and communism, and considering the futility of war.
The third verse is even more urgent and forceful than the previous two. The singer tells someone not to mess with him, and declares that his blood is rising. He then talks about "killing rats," which could be interpreted as a metaphor for getting rid of negative energy or toxicity in one's life. Finally, in the last verse, the urgency is expressed through a series of rapid-fire, disjointed phrases, as if the singer is running out of time and needs to get everything out all at once.
Overall, the song suggests that time is both precious and precarious, and that we need to make the most of it by addressing the issues and obstacles that stand in our way. It also acknowledges that sometimes, even when we try our best, we may not be able to change everything, but we should still keep trying.
Line by Line Meaning
Por la tarde no hay nada
There's nothing to do in the afternoon
Salgo a buscar mis panas
I go out to look for my friends
Nos paramos en la esquina
We stop at the corner
No hay nada por la avenida
There's nothing on the avenue
Vamos a dar una vuelta
Let's go for a walk
Un serrucho para la botella
A saw to open the bottle
Nos sentamos en la escalera
We sit on the stairs
Y cantamos canciones viejas
And we sing old songs
(Tiempo pa' matar) Ay, mamá abuela
(Time to kill) Oh, dear grandmother
(Tiempo pa' matar) Ave María morena
(Time to kill) Hail, dark-skinned Mary
(Tiempo pa' matar) Mataron al negro bembón y solo por un maní
(Time to kill) They killed the chubby Black man just for a peanut
(Tiempo pa' matar) A dolores la pachanguera
(Time to kill) To Dolores, the partygoer
(Tiempo pa' matar) El charlatán le dió una pela
(Time to kill) The singer got beaten up
(Tiempo pa' matar) No encuentro la llave de la casa de Marcela
(Time to kill) I can't find the key to Marcela's house
Fernando Esara, Juan está muerto
Fernando Esara, Juan is dead
Manuel trabaja, Kimbo está preso
Manuel works, Kimbo is in jail
No fuma mucha marihuana
He doesn't smoke much marijuana
Toby si que no está en nada
Toby is completely clueless
Hay fiesta donde Toro y Carmen
There's a party at Toro and Carmen's
Esta no se la pierde nadie
No one's going to miss this
Otro invita, están pasando
Someone else is inviting, they're passing by
Para Vietnam solicitando
They're signing up for Vietnam
(Tiempo pa' matar) Por el machismo
(Time to kill) For machismo
(Tiempo pa' matar) Contra el comunismo
(Time to kill) Against communism
(Tiempo pa' matar) Salen como un noble soldado, vuelen agríos y mutilados
(Time to kill) They go out like a noble soldier, and come back bitter and mutilated
(Tiempo pa' matar) Con heroísmo
(Time to kill) With heroism
(Tiempo pa' matar) ¡Pum! Para el racismo
(Time to kill) Boom! For racism
(Tiempo pa' matar) Total pa' nada si al regreso todo fue igual
(Time to kill) Totally for nothing if everything's the same when they return
No me empujes que te sacudo
Don't push me or I'll hit you
Ni me analices por un embudo
Don't analyze me through a narrow lens
Estoy llegando a la línea
I'm reaching the limit
Tú no juegues con mi comida
Don't play with my food
La sangre se me está subiendo
My blood is boiling
Oye lo que estoy diciendo
Listen to what I'm saying
A matar ratas combatió tiros
He fought against rats with shots
Dejar salir lo negativo
Let go of the negative
(Esperando el momento preciso y ahora es cuando es)
(Waiting for the right moment and now is the time)
No pierdas tiempo pidiendo permiso, dale y tú va' ver
Don't waste time asking for permission, just do it and you'll see
Ay, pero chúpate este lindo del Sebastián
But suck on this beauty from Sebastian
Mire compadre como son las cosas, te juro que no lo aguanto más
Look, my friend, how things are, I swear I can't take it anymore
Esperando, esperando que a Alfredo le están velando
Waiting, waiting for Alfredo's wake
Es que voy pa' encima Lola, cuidado vengo de atrás
I'm going after Lola, watch out I'm coming from behind
Y si el de adelante no se pone duro, ay, bendito
And if the person in front doesn't get tough, oh, Lord
'Toy seguro que los de atrás no mandarán
I'm sure the people behind won't take the lead
Oye Memín
Listen, Memin
Matando tiempo no es lo mismo que tiempo pa' matar, no seas bruto
Killing time is not the same as time to kill, don't be stupid
Y si quieres verme esta noche en la ventana ponme un ticket
And if you want to see me tonight at the window, put in a ticket
Oígame compadre Alejandro, dígame de las cosas como van caminando
Listen, friend Alejandro, tell me how things are going
Y ya tú ves que el niño habló y todos saben que salió varón
And you see that the boy spoke up and everyone knows he's a man
Pregúntale a Pérez, me dijo que si no metemos mano, en poco tiempo todos pereceremos
Ask Perez, he told me that if we don't take action, we'll all perish soon
Es que no hay tiempo pa' ser indeciso, dale, dale, dale, dale, dale, dale
There's no time to be indecisive, come on, come on, come on
Writer(s): Willie Colon
Contributed by Adalyn P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@savemey2jnavi
Willie Colón es, con argumentos, el más grande salsero de la historia.....En mi opinión
@mauriciomarquez1613
El himno de los que crecimos en el barrio, la esquina ...esto es salsa ...
@sisascali799
La sucursal del cielo entona este play Desde tiempos inmemorables Cali Colombia
@antonovkalashnikov2901
Las calles de Medellín engalanadas con estos temas en los 90
@angelvideo1400
@@sisascali799 lo que dijo ase mucho tienpo
@johanaggutierrezlondono9826
Basta choco bortar
@Videitos_
No
@narlyjhoannamorenojhordan6472
Aquellos tiempos donde te hacen pensar que la buena educación de tus padres valió la pena .... linda canción con la realidad de las experiencias vividas de muchos jóvenes....
@normanrobledo-lk2pf
😊😊😊😊😊😊
@Yaquelinhernandez-kb1lb
@@normanrobledo-lk2pf
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