Muerte – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Natalia Lafourcade, David Byrne

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the Spanish language through the powerful collaboration between Natalia Lafourcade and David Byrne on "Muerte." This track offers rich vocabulary centered on existence, gratitude, and perspective, making its deeply philosophical lyrics a unique and moving way to absorb the beauty and depth of Spanish expression.

[English]

(Música)

I give thanks to death

For teaching me to live

For inviting me to go out

To decipher my fate well

Taking my hand firmly

Filling it with life

It’s like it protects me from evil

Because it anchors me to the present

After my war has died

Today I’m reborn, grateful

After my war has died

Today I’m reborn

Grateful

I give thanks to the flowers

To the scent of jasmine

For inviting me to the garden

Where sorrows are wept

Taking the sacred drinks

Of our land

Grief is finally buried

And I surrender to joy

I might not know who I am

But falling terrifies me

I might not know who I am

But falling

Oh, that’s what terrifies me

Death, from having looked at death

It’s why I walk toward life today

With faith and a burning soul

Death, from greeting death

It’s why I value love today

That’s born in me forever

(Música)

Palm trees, sugarcane fields

The beaches of Veracruz

Gave strength to the light

That I had lost in torrents

In mineral dust

And stars I became

And the sky I discovered

Today dazzles me with life

I danced so gratefully

That to God I offered my death

I danced so gratefully

That to God my death

I offered

Death, from having looked at death

It’s why I walk life today

With faith and a burning soul

Death, from greeting death

It’s why I walk life today

With faith and a burning soul

Death, from having looked at death

It’s why I walk life today

With faith and a burning soul

Death, from greeting death

It’s why I value love today

That’s born in me forever

(Música)

I danced, I danced, I danced, I danced

So gratefully that to God my death

I offered

(Música)

♪ Ah ♪

I danced, I danced, I danced, I danced

So gratefully that to God my death

To God my death I offered

(Música)

I give thanks to life

I give thanks

(Música)

I give thanks to death

For teaching me to live

(Música)

I give thanks to death

For teaching me to live

I give thanks to death

For teaching me

For teaching me to live, ah

Ah!

(Música)

I give thanks to death

For teaching me to live

(Música)

(Aplausos)

[Spanish]

(Música)

♪ Le doy gracias a la muerte ♪

♪ Por enseñarme a vivir ♪

♪ Por invitarme a salir ♪

♪ A descifrar bien mi suerte ♪

♪ Tomando mi mano fuerte ♪

♪ Llenándola de vida ♪

♪ Es como del mal me cuida ♪

♪ Porque al presente me aferra ♪

♪ Después de morir mi guerra ♪

♪ Hoy renazco agradecida ♪

♪ Después de morir mi guerra ♪

♪ Hoy renazco ♪

♪ Agradecida ♪

♪ Le doy gracias a las flores ♪

♪ Al aroma del jazmín ♪

♪ Por invitarme al jardín ♪

♪ Donde se lloran los dolores ♪

♪ Tomándome los licores ♪

♪ Sagrados de nuestra tierra ♪

♪ La pena por fin se entierra ♪

♪ Y a la alegría me doy ♪

♪ Podría no saber quién soy ♪

♪ Mas no caerme me aterra ♪

♪ Podría no saber quién soy ♪

♪ Mas no caerme ♪

♪ Ay, eso sí que me aterra ♪

♪ Muerte, de haber mirado a la muerte ♪

♪ Es que hoy camino a la vida ♪

♪ Con la fe y el alma encendida ♪

♪ Muerte, de saludar a la muerte ♪

♪ Es que hoy valoro el amor ♪

♪ Que nace en mí para siempre ♪

(Música)

♪ Palmeras, cañaverales ♪

♪ Las playas de Veracruz ♪

♪ Le dieron fuerza a la luz ♪

♪ Que había perdido a raudales ♪

♪ En polvo de minerales ♪

♪ Y estrellas me convertí ♪

♪ Y el cielo que descubrí ♪

♪ Hoy me deslumbra de vida ♪

♪ Bailé tan agradecida ♪

♪ Que a Dios mi muerte ofrecí ♪

♪ Bailé tan agradecida ♪

♪ Que a Dios mi muerte ♪

♪ Le ofrecí ♪

♪ Muerte, de haber mirado a la muerte ♪

♪ Es que hoy camino la vida ♪

♪ Con la fe y el alma encendida ♪

♪ Muerte, de saludar a la muerte ♪

♪ Es que hoy camino la vida ♪

♪ Con la fe y el alma encendida ♪

♪ Muerte, de haber mirado a la muerte ♪

♪ Es que hoy camino la vida ♪

♪ Con la fe y el alma encendida ♪

♪ Muerte, de saludar a la muerte ♪

♪ Que hoy valoro el amor ♪

♪ Que nace en mí para siempre ♪

(Música)

♪ Bailé, bailé, bailé, bailé ♪

♪ Tan agradecida que a Dios mi muerte ♪

♪ Le ofrecí ♪

(Música)

♪ Ah ♪

♪ Bailé, bailé, bailé, bailé ♪

♪ Tan agradecida que a Dios mi muerte ♪

♪ A Dios mi muerte le ofrecí ♪

(Música)

♪ Le doy gracias a la vida ♪

♪ Le doy gracias ♪

(Música)

♪ Le doy gracias a la muerte ♪

♪ Por enseñarme a vivir ♪

(Música)

♪ Le doy gracias a la muerte ♪

♪ Por enseñarme a vivir ♪

♪ Le doy gracias a la muerte ♪

♪ Por enseñarme ♪

♪ Por enseñarme a vivir, ah ♪

♪ ¡Ah! ♪

(Música)

♪ Le doy gracias a la muerte ♪

♪ Por enseñarme a vivir ♪

(Música)

(Aplausos)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
gracias ˈɡɾasjas A2	noun - thanks, gratitude
muerte ˈmweɾte B1	noun - death
vivir biˈβiɾ A2	verb - to live
salir saˈliɾ A2	verb - to go out, to leave
descifrar desθiˈfɾaɾ B2	verb - to decipher, to decode
suerte ˈsweɾte A2	noun - luck, fate
fuerte ˈfweɾte A2	adjective - strong
vida ˈβiða A1	noun - life
cuidar kwiˈðaɾ A2	verb - to take care of
presente pɾeˈsente A2	noun - present
aferrar afeˈraɾ B1	verb - to cling to, to hold on to
renacer ɾenaˈseɾ B2	verb - to be reborn
flores ˈfloɾes A1	noun - flowers
aroma aˈɾoma B1	noun - aroma, scent
jazmín xasˈmin B2	noun - jasmine
jardín xaɾˈdin A2	noun - garden
dolores doˈloɾes A2	noun - sorrows, pains
licores liˈkoɾes B1	noun - liquors
sagrados saˈɣɾados B2	adjective - sacred
entierra enˈtjera B1	verb - to bury

Key Grammar Structures

• ♪ Le doy gracias a la muerte por enseñarme a vivir ♪

  ➔ Indirect Object Pronoun + Verb 'dar' + Prepositional Phrase

  ➔ The phrase uses the indirect object pronoun "le" (to it/her/him) referring to "la muerte" (death). The verb "doy" (I give) is followed by "gracias" (thanks) and then a prepositional phrase indicating *to whom* the thanks are given. The infinitive "enseñarme a vivir" (to teach me to live) functions as the direct object of 'enseñar'.

• ♪ Porque al presente me aferra ♪

  ➔ Conjunction + Adverb + Verb 'aferrarse' + Pronoun

  ➔ "Porque" (because) introduces a reason. "Al presente" (to the present) functions as an adverbial phrase of time. "Me aferra" (it clings to me) uses the reflexive verb "aferrarse" (to cling, to hold on to) with the pronoun "me" (to me) indicating the recipient of the action.

• ♪ Podría no saber quién soy, mas no caerme me aterra ♪

  ➔ Conditional Mood + Negative + Verb 'saber' + Interrogative Pronoun + Conjunction + Negative + Verb 'caer' + Reflexive Pronoun + Verb 'aterrar'

  ➔ This line showcases a complex sentence structure. "Podría no saber quién soy" (I might not know who I am) uses the conditional mood to express possibility. "Mas" (but) introduces a contrast. "No caerme me aterra" (falling terrifies me) is a slightly unusual construction where "caerme" (to fall) is used reflexively, and "aterrar" (to terrify) is the main verb. The pronoun 'me' is the indirect object of 'aterrar'.