3 Libras – English Lyrics

• By: A Perfect Circle

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the haunting beauty of A Perfect Circle's “3 Libras,” a powerful alternative rock ballad that perfectly blends melancholic melodies with deeply introspective lyrics. This song offers a rich emotional landscape for language learners, with its clear, resonant vocals and evocative phrasing. Exploring its themes of unseen longing and misunderstood connections can provide profound insight into expressing complex human emotions in English, making it an ideal piece to enhance vocabulary and emotional comprehension through music.

[English]

("3 Libras")

♪ Threw you the obvious ♪

♪ And you flew with it on your back ♪

♪ A name in your recollection ♪

♪ Down among a million same ♪

♪ Difficult not to feel a little bit ♪

♪ Disappointed and passed over ♪

♪ When I look right through ♪

♪ To see you naked but oblivious ♪

♪ And you don't see me ♪

♪ But I threw you the obvious ♪

♪ Just to see if there's more behind ♪

♪ The eyes of a fallen angel ♪

♪ Eyes of a tragedy ♪

♪ Here I am expecting ♪

♪ Just a little bit too much from the wounded ♪

♪ But I see, see through it all ♪

♪ See through, see you ♪

♪ 'Cause I threw you the obvious ♪

♪ To see what occurs behind ♪

♪ The eyes of a fallen angel ♪

♪ Eyes of a tragedy ♪

♪ Oh well ♪

♪ Oh well ♪

♪ Apparently nothing ♪

♪ Apparently nothing at all ♪

♪ You don't, you don't, you don't see me ♪

♪ You don't, you don't, you don't see me ♪

♪ You don't, you don't, you don't see me ♪

♪ You don't, you don't, you don't see me ♪

♪ You don't see me ♪

♪ You don't ♪

♪ You don't ♪

♪ You don't see me at all ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
obvious /ˈɒb.vi.əs/ B1	adjective - easy to see or understand
recollection /ˌrek.əˈlek.ʃən/ B2	noun - the act of remembering something
difficult /ˈdɪf.ɪ.klt/ B1	adjective - hard to do or understand
disappointed /ˌdɪs.əˈpɔɪnt.ɪd/ B2	adjective - feeling sad or unhappy because something was not as good as expected
pass over /pæs ˈoʊ.vər/ B2	phrasal verb - to ignore or overlook something or someone
naked /ˈneɪ.kɪd/ A2	adjective - not wearing any clothes
oblivious /əˈblɪv.i.əs/ B2	adjective - not aware of what is happening
angel /ˈeɪn.dʒ əl/ A2	noun - a spiritual being considered a messenger of God
tragedy /ˈtrædʒ.ə.di/ B2	noun - a very sad event involving death or suffering
expecting /ɪkˈspek.tɪŋ/ B2	verb - waiting for something to happen
wounded /ˈwundɪd/ B2	adjective - injured or hurt
see through /siː θruː/ B2	phrasal verb - to understand the true nature of something
fallen /ˈfæl.ən/ C1	adjective - something that has fallen or dropped

Key Grammar Structures

• Threw you the obvious

  ➔ Ellipsis (omission of words)

  ➔ The full sentence would be something like "I threw you the obvious thing/hint". The subject and auxiliary verb ("I") are omitted for brevity and emphasis. This is common in informal speech and poetry. We can rewrite it to "I threw the obvious thing to you".

• And you flew with it on your back

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase modifying the verb

  ➔ The phrase "on your back" is a prepositional phrase (preposition "on" + noun phrase "your back") acting as an adverbial modifier, telling us *how* or *where* you flew. It emphasizes the burden or weight of the "obvious" thing.

• Difficult not to feel a little bit

  ➔ It-cleft structure (implied)

  ➔ While not explicitly an "it"-cleft, the sentence functions similarly. The unspoken part is something like "It is difficult not to feel a little bit...". The phrase highlights the difficulty in suppressing the feeling.

• When I look right through to see you naked but oblivious

  ➔ Adverbial Clause of Time with reduced infinitive

  ➔ "When I look right through to see you..." is an adverbial clause of time. The phrase "to see" can be considered a reduced infinitive clause, shortening "in order to see". The sentence also contains the conjunction "but" showing contrast.

• Just to see if there's more behind

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood (Implied)

  ➔ While not a classic subjunctive construction, the phrase "Just to see if there's more behind" carries an element of hypothetical inquiry. The speaker is looking to see if something *might* be present, not necessarily that it definitely *is* present.

• Here I am expecting just a little bit too much from the wounded

  ➔ Present Participle as a Post-Modifier

  ➔ The word "expecting" is a present participle acting as a post-modifier to "I". It describes the speaker's state of being at that moment. We can rewrite it into "I am here, and I am expecting..."

• Apparently nothing at all

  ➔ Use of Adverb as a Sentence Fragment

  ➔ "Apparently nothing at all" functions as a complete thought, despite being a sentence fragment. The adverb "apparently" modifies the implied verb (e.g., "there is").