Vive Tu Vida Contento – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe
• Album: Asalto Navideño

Lyrics & Translation

This song is an excellent tool for learning colloquial Spanish as used in the Caribbean and New York Latino communities. Through its rhythmic cadence and clear enunciation by Héctor Lavoe, learners can practice conversational expressions and rhythmic phrasing that define the salsa genre.

[English]

[Music]

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Live your life happily, that's how you'll live very

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well. Because if you rush, you die, and if you

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don't rush, you die too. Live your life happily, that's how

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you'll live very well. If you rush, you die, if

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you don't rush, you die too. Also, fall in love and dance, and

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find someone to support you, because if you rush, you

-

die, and if you don't rush, you die too. Live your

-

life happily, that's how you'll live very well. Because if

-

you rush, you die; if you don't rush,

-

you die too. Live your life happily, that's how you'll live

-

very well. Because if you rush, you die; if

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you don't rush, you die too. Get moving,

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have a good time, and don't worry about who with,

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because if you rush, you die, and if you don't rush,

-

you die too. Live your life happily, that's how you'll live very

-

well. Because if you rushed, you die; if you don't

-

rush, you die too. Live your life happily, that's how

-

you'll live very well. Because if you rush, you

-

die, and if you don't rush, you die too. Enjoy

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this life and always look for the good vibes,

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because if you rush, you die, and if you don't rush,

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you die too. Willie Colón, live your life happily, that's how

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you'll live very well. Because if you rush, you

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die, if you don't rush, you die too. Live your

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life happily, that's how you'll live very well. Because

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if you rushed, you die, and if you don't rush,

-

you die too. Dance bomba, dance plena, and also

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dance salsa, because if you rush, you die, and

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if you don't rush, you die too.

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Live your life happily, that's how you'll live very well. Because

-

if you rushed, you die, and if you don't rush,

-

you die too. Live your life happily, that's how

-

you'll live very well. Because if you rushed,

-

you die, and if you don't rush, you die too. Listen, I

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live happily and I keep on partying. Because

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if I rush, I die, and if I don't, I die

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too. Live your life happily, that's how you'll live very

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well. Because if you rushed, you die; if you don't

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rush, live your life

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happily

-

ly

[Spanish]

[Música]

Vive tu vida contento así vivirás muy

bien Que si te apuras te mueres si no te

apura también Vive tu vida contento así

vivía muy bien si te apuras te mueres si

no te apuras también enamorate y baila y

búscate tu sostén que si te apuras te

muer y si no te apuras también vives tu

vida contento así vivirá muy bien Que si

te apuras te mueres si no te apuras

también Vive tu vida contento así vivira

muy bien Que si te apuras te mueres si

no te apuras tamban bien Échate el palo

y vacila y no te importe con quién que

si te apuras te mueres si no te apuras

también tu vida contento así vivirás muy

bien Que si te apuraste mueres si no te

apuras también Vive tu vida contento así

vivirás muy bien Que si te apuras te

mueres y no te apuras tambi date gusto

en esta vida y busca siempre el vibe que

si te apuras te mueres si no te apuras

también wily color tu vida contento así

vivirá muy bien Que si te apuras te

mueres si no te apuras también Vive tu

vida contento así vivirás muy bien Que

si te apuraste mueres y no te apuras

tambén baila bomba baila plena y también

baila el ba que si te apuras te mueres y

no te apuras tamb

tu vida contento así vivirá muy bien Que

si te apuraste mueres y no te apura

también Vive tu vida contento así

vivirás muy bien Que si te apuraste

mueres y no te apuras también Oye yo

vivo contento y sigo en el bacilón Pues

si me apuro me muero y si no me muero

también Vive tu vida con así viv muy

bien Que si te apuraste mueres si no te

apuras Vive tu vida

con mi

vi

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
contento kon-ten-to A1	adjective - happy/content
vivir bi-bir A1	verb - to live
apurar a-pu-rar B1	verb - to hurry
morir mo-rir A1	verb - to die
enamorar e-na-mo-rar A2	verb - to fall in love
bailar bai-lar A1	verb - to dance
sostén sos-ten B2	noun - support/sustenance
vacilar ba-si-lar B2	verb - to have a good time/tease
importar im-por-tar A2	verb - to matter
gusto gus-to A1	noun - pleasure/taste
buscar bus-kar A1	verb - to look for/search
vibe baib B2	noun - vibe/atmosphere
bomba bom-ba A2	noun - Bomba (music genre)
plena ple-na B2	noun - Plena (music genre)
bacilón ba-si-lon C1	noun - fun/party/good time

Key Grammar Structures

• Vive tu vida contento así vivirás muy bien

  ➔ Imperative mood (tú) and Future tense

  ➔ "Vive" is the imperative form of 'vivir', while "vivirás" is the future tense denoting a consequence.

• Que si te apuras te mueres

  ➔ First conditional (Real conditional) with 'si'

  ➔ This structure uses the present indicative in both the 'si' clause and the result clause for a universal truth.

• Enamórate y baila y búscate tu sostén

  ➔ Pronominal verbs with imperative (tú) and enclitic pronouns

  ➔ The suffix "-te" is attached to the imperative verbs "enamórate" and "búscate" to indicate the subject performing the action for themselves.

• si no te apuras también

  ➔ Reflexive verb in the negative condition

  ➔ "Apurarse" is a reflexive verb used here to mean 'to hurry oneself'. The 'no' negates the condition.

• Échate el palo y vacila

  ➔ Colloquial imperative usage

  ➔ "Échate" (have a drink/take a shot) and "vacila" (enjoy/have fun) are informal, colloquial imperatives used in Caribbean Spanish.

• date gusto en esta vida

  ➔ Imperative + indirect object pronoun (dative)

  ➔ "Date" is 'da' (give) + 'te' (for yourself). It functions as a reflexive command: 'Give yourself pleasure'.

• baila bomba, baila plena y también baila el ba

  ➔ Imperative (tú) with coordinate list

  ➔ The repeated imperative "baila" establishes a rhythm, listing different traditional Puerto Rican musical styles.

• Oye yo vivo contento y sigo en el vacilón

  ➔ First person indicative (yo) and verb periphrasis

  ➔ "Vivo" and "sigo" are in the first-person singular present indicative. "Sigo en" functions as a periphrasis meaning 'to keep doing something/continue in a state'.