DEMIAN – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Dillom, Mario Pergolini
• Album: POST MORTEM

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic journey through the dark and intriguing narrative of "DEMIAN," a unique collaboration between Argentine artist Dillom and media icon Mario Pergolini. This song offers a captivating way to engage with Spanish through its chilling spoken-word horror story, rich in evocative imagery and unsettling atmosphere. Discover how the nuanced delivery and thematic depth make "DEMIAN" a special piece for language learners eager to explore storytelling in Spanish beyond typical song structures.

[English]

During that final night of the camp

The clouds covered the moon and blocked the light

There was something in the air

A feeling that not everything could turn out right

It would be too perfect

The fire, now faint, sent off a few sparks

But, for the most part, it wasn't enough as a heat source

When the round of stories ended

The children slowly rose from the ground

And headed to their tents to rest

Some wanted to keep going, but fatigue and the stories

Had already left most of them drowsy

Demian, on the other hand, was wide awake and still by the fire

In the solitude of the night, there was very little noise

Some distant crickets, the wind, and in front of him

What remained of the fire

Minutes passed, and his gaze stayed there, unchanged

After a gust of wind that threatened the remnants of the fire pit

Demian's companionship on that cold night became evident

His gaze remained fixed on the embers

When a drop of blood began to gush from his nose

Without moving much

And with a determination not typical of him

Demian slowly removed a burning piece of wood from the fire pit

And held it in his hand

Enduring the pain, watching it burn slowly

Without caring at all

He rose from his spot with difficulty

He waited a few seconds

And began to walk in a straight line

Towards his companions' tents

...

[Spanish]

Durante aquella última noche de campamento

Las nubes cubrían la luna y tapaban la luz

Había algo en el aire

Un presentimiento de que no todo podía salir bien

Sería demasiado perfecto

El fuego, ya tenue, disparaba algunas chispas

Pero, por poco, no servía como fuente de calor

Al finalizar la ronda de cuentos

Los niños fueron levantándose lentamente del suelo

Y se dirigieron a sus carpas a descansar

Algunos querían seguir, pero el cansancio y las historias

Ya habían dejado somnolientos a la mayoría

Demian, por otro lado, estaba bien despierto y aún frente al fuego

En la soledad de la noche, había muy poco ruido

Algunos grillos lejanos, el viento y frente a él

Lo que restaba del fuego

Pasaban los minutos, y su mirada se mantenía ahí, inalterable

Luego de una ráfaga de viento que atentó contra los restos del fogón

El acompañamiento de Demian en esa noche fría, se volvió aparente

Su mirada continuaba congelada en las brasas

Cuando una gota de sangre comenzó a brotar de su nariz

Sin moverse demasiado

Y con una determinación no muy característica de él mismo

Demian, retiró lentamente una madera encendida del fogón

Y la sostuvo en su mano

Aguantando el dolor, y observando como la misma se quemaba lentamente

Sin importarle en absoluto

Se levantó de su lugar con dificultad

Esperó unos segundos

Y comenzó a caminar en línea recta

Hacia las carpas de sus compañeros

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
nubes ˈnubes A2	noun - clouds
luz lus A1	noun - light
presentimiento pre.senˈti.mjen.to B2	noun - premonition, feeling
fuego ˈfwe.ɣo A1	noun - fire
tenue teˈne B1	adjective - faint, weak
chispas ˈtʃis.pas A2	noun - sparks
cansancio kanˈsan.sjo A2	noun - tiredness, fatigue
somnolientos som.noˈljen.tos B1	adjective - sleepy, drowsy
soledad so.leˈðað B1	noun - solitude, loneliness
mirada miˈra.ða A2	noun - gaze, look
inalterable i.nal.teˈra.βle C1	adjective - unchanging, immutable
ráfaga ˈra.fa.ɣa B1	noun - gust, blast
restos ˈres.tos A2	noun - remains, leftovers
brasas ˈbɾa.sas A2	noun - embers
retiró re.tiˈɾo B1	verb - withdrew, removed
dolor doˈloɾ A2	noun - pain
dificultad di.fi.kulˈtað B1	noun - difficulty

Key Grammar Structures

• Durante aquella última noche de campamento

  ➔ Preterite tense with 'durante'

  ➔ The phrase uses the preterite tense to describe a specific past event, emphasizing the timeframe with 'durante'.

• Había algo en el aire

  ➔ Imperfect tense

  ➔ The imperfect tense is used to describe an ongoing or undefined past situation, here indicating an atmosphere or feeling.

• El fuego, ya tenue, disparaba algunas chispas

  ➔ Past tense with adjective 'tenue'

  ➔ The past tense is combined with the adjective 'tenue' to describe the state of the fire at that moment.

• Demian, por otro lado, estaba bien despierto y aún frente al fuego

  ➔ Contrastive conjunction 'por otro lado'

  ➔ The contrastive conjunction 'por otro lado' is used to introduce a contrasting idea, highlighting Demian's state compared to others.

• Sin moverse demasiado, y con una determinación no muy característica de él mismo

  ➔ Adverbs and adjectival phrases

  ➔ Adverbs like 'demasiado' and adjectival phrases describe the manner and characteristics of Demian's actions.

• Se levantó de su lugar con dificultad

  ➔ Reflexive verb 'levantó'

  ➔ The reflexive verb 'levantó' indicates an action performed by the subject on themselves, here emphasizing the difficulty of the action.