La Sed Verdadera – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Artaud, Spinetta

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic and emotional journey with Luis Alberto Spinetta's "La Sed Verdadera." This deeply personal song, from the legendary 'Artaud' album, invites you to delve into rich Spanish poeticism while exploring universal themes of inner peace and confronting despair. Its reflective lyrics and Spinetta's unique artistic vision offer a captivating way to engage with the nuances of the Spanish language and the profound cultural impact of Argentine rock.

[English]

I know very well you’ve heard of me

and today we’re here,

but you’ll never find peace within me.

If not within you, you’ll never find it in me.

Whether in your living room or beyond, you’re not there,

but there’s someone else who is,

and it’s not me, I’m only speaking to you from here.

He must be the music you never made.

You saw the skin, you believed in everything I gave you,

nothing came from you, ah! look at the fire.

The lights leaping in the distance,

they’re not waiting for you to put them out, ever.

[Spanish]

Sé muy bien que has oído hablar de mí

y hoy estamos aquí,

pero la paz en mí nunca la encontrarás.

Si no es en vos, en mí nunca la encontrarás.

Por tu living o fuera de allí no estás,

pero hay otro que está,

y no soy yo, yo sólo te hablo desde aquí.

Él debe ser la música que nunca hiciste.

Viste la piel, creíste en todo lo que yo te dí,

nada salió de vos, ¡ah! mira el fuego.

Las luces que saltan a lo lejos,

no esperan que vayas a apagarlas, jamás.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
encontrarás en.kon.tra.ˈɾas A2	verb - you will find
living ˈli.βin B1	noun - living room
música ˈmu.si.ka A1	noun - music
creíste kɾe.ˈis.te A2	verb - you believed
fuego ˈfwe.ɣo A1	noun - fire
lucés lu.ˈθes A1	noun - lights
saltan sal.ˈtan A2	verb - they jump
apagarlas a.pa.ˈɣar.las A2	verb - to turn them off
jamás xa.ˈmas A1	adverb - never
piel ˈpjel A1	noun - skin
lejos ˈle.xos A1	adverb - far away
esperan es.pe.ˈɾan A2	verb - they wait
paz pas A1	noun - peace
debe ˈde.βe A2	verb - must
nada ˈna.ða A1	noun - nothing

Key Grammar Structures

• Sé muy bien que has oído hablar de mí

  ➔ Present perfect (haber + past participle)

  ➔ The verb "has oído" forms the present perfect, using the auxiliary "haber" and the past participle "oído" to indicate an action that happened before now.

• pero la paz en mí nunca la encontrarás.

  ➔ Future simple with direct object pronoun

  ➔ The verb "encontrarás" is in the future simple, and the direct object pronoun "la" (referring to "paz") is placed before the verb.

• Si no es en vos, en mí nunca la encontrarás.

  ➔ Conditional clause with present indicative + future simple

  ➔ The "si" clause uses the present indicative "es" to express a condition, and the main clause uses the future simple "encontrarás". The structure is "if …, you will …".

• pero hay otro que está,

  ➔ Existential "hay" + relative clause with "que"

  ➔ The verb "hay" (there is/are) introduces existence, followed by the relative pronoun "que" introducing the clause "que está" (that is).

• Él debe ser la música que nunca hiciste.

  ➔ Modal verb "deber" + infinitive + relative clause

  ➔ The modal "debe" (should) is followed by the infinitive "ser" (to be). The relative clause "que nunca hiciste" modifies "la música".

• creíste en todo lo que yo te dí,

  ➔ Preterite of "creer" + relative clause "que"

  ➔ The verb "creíste" is in the preterite, indicating a completed past action. It is followed by the relative clause "que yo te dí" (that I gave you).

• Las luces que saltan a lo lejos,

  ➔ Relative clause with present progressive "que saltan"

  ➔ The relative pronoun "que" introduces the clause "saltar" in the present progressive "saltan", describing the lights that are jumping.

• no esperan que vayas a apagarlas, jamás.

  ➔ Negative verb + subjunctive "vayas" after "esperar que" + periphrastic future "vayas a + infinitive"

  ➔ The negative verb "esperan" requires the subjunctive; therefore "vayas" is in the subjunctive. The construction "vayas a apagarlas" is a periphrastic future meaning "you will go to turn them off".