Gracias a la vida – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Violeta Parra
• Album: Las Últimas Composiciones

Lyrics & Translation

[Spanish]

[English]

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto

Thanks to life that has given me so much

Me dio dos luceros que cuando los abro

It gave me two bright eyes that when I open them

...

...

Perfecto distingo lo negro del blanco

I perfectly distinguish black from white

...

...

Y en el alto cielo su fondo estrellado

And in the high sky its starry background

Y en las multitudes el hombre que yo amo

And in the crowds the man I love

Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto

Thanks to life, that has given me so much

...

...

Me ha dado el oído que en todo su ancho

It has given me the ear that in all its width

Graba noche y día grillos y canarios

Records night and day crickets and canaries

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...

Martillos, turbinas, ladridos, chubascos

Hammers, turbines, barks, downpours

Y la voz tan tierna de mi bien amado

And the tender voice of my beloved

...

...

Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto

Thanks to life, that has given me so much

...

...

Me ha dado el sonido y el abecedario

It has given me sound and the alphabet

Con él las palabras que pienso y declaro

With it the words that I think and declare

Madre amigo hermano y luz alumbrando

Mother, friend, brother, and light illuminating

La ruta del alma del que estoy amando

The path of the soul of the one I love

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...

Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto

Thanks to life, that has given me so much

...

...

Me ha dado la marcha de mis pies cansados

It has given me the march of my tired feet

Con ellos anduve ciudades y charcos

With them I walked through cities and puddles

Playas y desiertos montañas y llanos

Beaches and deserts, mountains and plains

Y la casa tuya, tu calle y tu patio

And your house, your street, and your yard

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Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto

Thanks to life, that has given me so much

...

...

Me dio el corazón que agita su marco

It gave me the heart that shakes its frame

Cuando miro el fruto del cerebro humano

When I look at the fruit of the human brain

Cuando miro el bueno tan lejos del malo

When I see the good so far from the bad

Cuando miro el fondo de tus ojos claros

When I look into the depths of your clear eyes

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Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto

Thanks to life, that has given me so much

...

...

Me ha dado la risa y me ha dado el llanto

It has given me laughter and it has given me tears

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Así yo distingo dicha de quebranto

Thus I distinguish joy from sorrow

Los dos materiales que forman mi canto

The two materials that form my song

Y el canto de ustedes que es el mismo canto

And your song that is the same song

Y el canto de todos que es mi propio canto

And the song of all that is my own song

Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto

Thanks to life, that has given me so much

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
vida /ˈbiða/ A1	noun - life
luceros /luˈθeɾos/ B2	noun - bright stars, (here eyes)
distingo /disˈtiŋɡo/ B2	verb - I distinguish, I discern
negro /ˈneɣɾo/ A1	adjective - black
blanco /ˈblaŋko/ A1	adjective - white
cielo /ˈθjelo/ A1	noun - sky, heaven
estrellado /estreˈʝaðo/ B2	adjective - starry
hombre /ˈombɾe/ A1	noun - man
amo /ˈamo/ A2	verb - I love
oído /oˈiðo/ A2	noun - hearing, ear
noche /ˈnotʃe/ A1	noun - night
día /ˈdia/ A1	noun - day
grillos /ˈɡɾiʝos/ B1	noun - crickets
canarios /kaˈnaɾjos/ B1	noun - canaries
voz /bos/ A1	noun - voice
amado /aˈmaðo/ A2	adjective - beloved

Key Grammar Structures

• Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto

  ➔ Use of the subjunctive mood in 'que me ha dado'.

  ➔ The phrase "que me ha dado" expresses a wish or gratitude, which is often conveyed using the subjunctive mood.

• Me dio dos luceros que cuando los abro

  ➔ Use of relative clauses with 'que'.

  ➔ The word "que" introduces a relative clause that provides more information about "luceros".

• Y en el alto cielo su fondo estrellado

  ➔ Use of possessive adjectives 'su'.

  ➔ The adjective "su" indicates possession, referring to the 'sky' in this context.

• Me ha dado el oído que en todo su ancho

  ➔ Use of the present perfect tense 'ha dado'.

  ➔ The phrase "ha dado" indicates an action that has relevance to the present.

• Y la voz tan tierna de mi bien amado

  ➔ Use of demonstrative adjectives 'tan'.

  ➔ The word "tan" emphasizes the quality of the 'voice', indicating it is very tender.

• Los dos materiales que forman mi canto

  ➔ Use of plural nouns 'materiales'.

  ➔ The noun "materiales" is in plural form, indicating more than one material.

• Así yo distingo dicha de quebranto

  ➔ Use of conjunction 'así'.

  ➔ The conjunction "así" is used to indicate a manner or way of distinguishing between two things.

• Y el canto de todos que es mi propio canto

  ➔ Use of possessive pronouns 'mi'.

  ➔ The pronoun "mi" indicates ownership, referring to the speaker's own song.