Mercedes – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José Madero
• Album: Mercedes

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the poetic world of José Madero with 'Mercedes.' This song is a perfect gateway to learning Spanish through its rich, metaphorical lyrics and emotional depth, allowing you to master expressive vocabulary and nuanced sentence structures.

[English]

The truth is

I see her when I inhale your flower

I reason, even though I am being foolish

I harden, even though I am soft inside

And it's true

Gram by gram, you destroy the pain

You silence that wicked narrator

I feel enlightened, even if only for a moment

...

You burn me, I already know

But this fire is sweet

You kill me, I already know

And I am all alone in this tunnel

Take me everywhere, forever

Strip me bare, drag me away

Don't let go of my feet

...

Without you, I want to lose myself

Without you, there is nothing left for me to do here

...

Without you, there is nothing left for me to do here

...

It's true

What use is a heart to me?

If it beats with an erroneous rhythm

Your cadence is constant within my body

When I take

Your hand, I know there will be no direction

I'll lose myself sitting in the armchair

Even if my universe grows small

You lead me to Eden

If you take me to the summit

You tempt me to fall

But you are also my cloud

Take me everywhere, forever

Strip me bare, drag me away

Don't let go of my feet

Behold me, turn to look at me

Don't be so cruel

Hurt me, feed me

Come, pierce my skin

Come, pierce my skin

Come, pierce my skin

Without you, a "when" becomes a "why"

Without you, when I pray, I omit the amen

...

[Spanish]

La verdad

La veo cuando inhalo tu flor

Razono, aunque estúpido estoy

Me endurezco, aunque suave por dentro

Y es verdad

Destrozas, gramo a gramo, el dolor

Silencias ese mal narrador

Me ilumino, aunque solo un momento

Me quemas, ya lo sé

Pero es dulce esta lumbre

Me matas, ya lo sé

Y voy solo en este túnel

Llévame por siempre y doquier

Desnúdame, arrástrame

No sueltes mis pies

Sin ti me quiero desconocer

Sin ti no tengo aquí ya qué hacer

Sin ti no tengo aquí ya qué hacer

Es verdad

¿De qué me sirve un corazón?

Si palpita con un ritmo en error

Tu cadencia es constante en mi cuerpo

Al tomar

Tu mano sé que no habrá dirección

Me perderé sentado en el sillón

Aunque mi universo se haga pequeño

Me llevas al edén

Si me llevas a la cumbre

Me incitas a caer

Mas, también eres mi nube

Llévame por siempre y doquier

Desnúdame, arrástrame

No sueltes mis pies

Contémplame, voltéame a ver

No seas tan cruel

Lastímame, aliméntame

Ven, punza mi piel

Ven, punza mi piel

Ven, punza mi piel

Sin ti, un cuándo es un por qué

Sin ti, al rezar omito el amén

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
inhalo i-na-lo B2	verb - to breathe in
estúpido es-tu-pi-do A2	adjective - stupid, foolish
destrozas des-tro-sas B2	verb - to destroy, to shatter
silencias si-len-sias B1	verb - to silence, to quiet
lumbre lum-bre C1	noun - fire, light, glow
arrástrame a-rras-tra-me B1	verb - drag me
desconocer des-co-no-cer B2	verb - to not recognize, to unlearn
palpita pal-pi-ta B2	verb - to beat, to pulsate
cadencia ca-den-cia C1	noun - cadence, rhythm
edén e-den C2	noun - eden, paradise
cumbre cum-bre B2	noun - summit, peak
incitas in-ci-tas B2	verb - to incite, to encourage
contémplame con-tem-pla-me B1	verb - contemplate me, look at me
cruel cruel A2	adjective - cruel
punza pun-za C1	verb - to prick, to sting

Key Grammar Structures

• Razono, aunque estúpido estoy

  ➔ Concessive clause with 'aunque'

  ➔ The conjunction "aunque" introduces a contrast, indicating that the action continues despite the state described.

• Destrozas, gramo a gramo, el dolor

  ➔ Second person singular present indicative

  ➔ The verb "destrozas" is conjugated in the "tú" form, implying a direct and personal interaction with the addressee.

• Me quemas, ya lo sé

  ➔ Direct object pronoun placement

  ➔ The pronoun "me" is placed before the conjugated verb "quemas" to indicate the person receiving the action.

• No sueltes mis pies

  ➔ Negative imperative (Subjunctive)

  ➔ The negative imperative in Spanish is formed using the present subjunctive form of the verb.

• Sin ti me quiero desconocer

  ➔ Reflexive verb with modal verb

  ➔ The reflexive pronoun "me" is attached to the infinitive "desconocer" when following a modal verb like "quiero".

• ¿De qué me sirve un corazón?

  ➔ Interrogative pronoun with preposition

  ➔ The structure "De qué" uses the preposition "De" to ask about the purpose or utility of the noun.

• Si me llevas a la cumbre

  ➔ Conditional clause (First conditional)

  ➔ The conjunction "Si" initiates a condition in the present indicative, expressing a possible real scenario.

• Sin ti, al rezar omito el amén

  ➔ Infinitive as a noun (Preposition + Infinitive)

  ➔ The construction "al" (a + el) followed by the infinitive "rezar" acts as a temporal adverbial phrase meaning 'when praying'.