El Día De Los Muertos – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Alfredo Olivas

Lyrics & Translation

[Spanish]

[English]

Se llegó el momento

The moment has arrived

Ya ni escogí la madera

I didn't even choose the wood

Hace mucho tiempo

A long time ago

Que estaba en lista de espera

I was on the waiting list

Yo nunca me detuve

I never stopped

A organizar mi sepelio

To organize my funeral

¿Cuántos invitados?

How many guests?

¿Cuáles evangelios?

Which gospels?

Y tan de repente

And so suddenly

Se apagó la luz

The light went out

Nuevo domicilio

New address

Entre la tumba y la cruz

Between the grave and the cross

Al clan de los muertos

To the clan of the dead

Ahora, soy nuevo ingresado

Now, I am a new arrival

Hoy, oficialmente

Today, officially

Comenzará mi legado

My legacy will begin

A llevarse a cabo

To take place

Quizá fui un cualquiera

Maybe I was just anyone

Pero, nunca del montón

But never one of the crowd

Y el que ahora me muera

And the one who now kills me

No me quitará ese don

Will not take away that gift

Bien, yo tuve la culpa

Well, I was to blame

Porque sabía que era mortal

Because I knew I was mortal

Pido una disculpa

I apologize

Por no atacar ese mal

For not fighting that evil

Si ya estaba enterado

If I was already aware

Que era alérgico a la muerte

That I was allergic to death

¿Qué hago en este sitio?

What am I doing in this place?

Donde ahora ya es muy nerte

Where now it’s very dark

Bajen la caja

Lower the coffin

Ya no les daré más guerra

I won’t give you any more trouble

Y sin piedad

And without mercy

Échenme un puño de tierra y la cierran

Throw a handful of dirt on me and close it

Por hoy, a mí, a mí se me acaba de acabar el mundo

For today, for me, my world has just ended

Este mundo de los egos que, como saben, el rey siempre es el tuerto

This world of egos where, as you know, the king is always the one-eyed

Yo ya estaba condenado y voy a seguir esperando sus regalos

I was already condemned and I will keep waiting for their gifts

El día de los muertos

The day of the dead

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
momento /moˈmento/ A2	noun - moment, point in time
espera /esˈpeɾa/ B1	noun - wait, waiting
lista /ˈlista/ A2	noun - list, roster
esperar /espeˈɾaɾ/ A2	verb - to wait, to hope
detener /deteˈneɾ/ B1	verb - to stop, to hold back
organizar /oɾɣaniˈsaɾ/ B2	verb - to organize, to arrange
sepeli(o) /sepˈelio/ C1	noun - funeral, burial
invitados /inβiˈtaðos/ B2	noun - guests, invitees
evangelios /evangeˈli.os/ C1	noun - gospels, good news
luz /luθ/ A2	noun - light
domicilio /domiˈsiljo/ B2	noun - home, address
cruz /kɾuz/ A2	noun - cross
muertos /ˈmweɾtos/ A2	noun - dead, the deceased
legado /leˈɣaðo/ B2	noun - legacy, inheritance
muerte /ˈmweɾte/ A2	noun - death

Key Grammar Structures

• Se llegó el momento

  ➔ The use of the passive voice.

  ➔ In this line, "Se llegó" indicates that the moment has arrived without specifying who caused it.

• Yo nunca me detuve

  ➔ The use of the simple past tense.

  ➔ Here, "me detuve" indicates a completed action in the past.

• ¿Cuántos invitados?

  ➔ The use of interrogative sentences.

  ➔ This line asks a question about the number of guests.

• Al clan de los muertos

  ➔ The use of prepositional phrases.

  ➔ This phrase indicates a relationship or direction towards a group.

• Hoy, oficialmente

  ➔ The use of adverbs for emphasis.

  ➔ The word "oficialmente" emphasizes the seriousness of the statement.

• Pido una disculpa

  ➔ The use of the subjunctive mood.

  ➔ This line expresses a desire or request for forgiveness.

• Échenme un puño de tierra

  ➔ The use of imperative verbs.

  ➔ The verb "échenme" is a command asking for action.