Del Altar a la Tumba – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José

Lyrics & Translation

'Del Altar a la Tumba' is a perfect romantic ballad for Spanish learners to explore. Its clear, emotive lyrics and relatively moderate tempo make José José's powerful vocal delivery easy to follow. You can learn vocabulary related to deep, unwavering emotional commitment and traditional romantic expressions, all while experiencing the golden-era sound of the Mexican *Balada romántica*—a genre foundational to Latin music history.

[English]

I told you I miss you

I told you I love you

And that I like it a lot

The color of your hair

I told you that your life

And my life come together

That I will always be yours

From the altar to the grave

I told you I miss you

I told you I love you

What is truly white

Seems black without you

I told you that your soul

And my life seek each other

That I will always be yours

From the altar to the grave

...

I told you I miss you

I told you I love you

What is truly white

Seems black without you

I told you that your soul

And my life seek each other

That I will always be yours

From the altar to the grave

...

[Spanish]

Te dije que te extraño

Te dije que te quiero

Y que me gusta mucho

El color de tu pelo

Te dije que tu vida

Y mi vida se juntan

Que siempre seré tuyo

Del altar a la tumba

Te dije que te extraño

Te dije que te quiero

Lo que en verdad es blanco

Sin tí parece negro

Te dije que tu alma

Y mi vida se buscan

Que siempre seré tuyo

Del altar a la tumba

Te dije que te extraño

Te dije que te quiero

Lo que en verdad es blanco

Sin tí parece negro

Te dije que tu alma

Y mi vida se buscan

Que siempre seré tuyo

Del altar a la tumba

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
extraño eksˈtraɲo A2	verb - to miss adjective - strange
quiero ˈkjero A1	verb - to love, to want
gusta ˈgusta A1	verb - to like
color koˈloɾ A1	noun - color
pelo ˈpelo A1	noun - hair
vida ˈbiða A1	noun - life
juntan ˈxuntan A2	verb - to join, to unite
siempre ˈsjeṃpre A1	adverb - always
tuyo ˈtuyo A1	adjective - yours
altar alˈtaɾ A2	noun - altar
tumba ˈtumba A2	noun - tomb
blanco ˈblanko A1	adjective - white
negro ˈneɣɾo A1	adjective - black
alma ˈalma A2	noun - soul
buscan ˈbuskan A2	verb - to seek, to look for

Key Grammar Structures

• Te dije que te extraño

  ➔ Preterite tense

  ➔ The verb 'dije' is in the preterite tense, indicating a completed action in the past ('I told you').

• Que siempre seré tuyo

  ➔ Future tense with 'ser'

  ➔ The phrase uses 'seré' (future tense of 'ser'), expressing a future certainty or permanent state ('I will always be yours').

• Del altar a la tumba

  ➔ Prepositional phrase

  ➔ This is a prepositional phrase indicating a range or duration ('From the altar to the tomb').

• Lo que en verdad es blanco

  ➔ Relative pronoun 'que'

  ➔ The relative pronoun 'que' introduces a relative clause describing 'lo que' ('what is truly white').

• Sin tí parece negro

  ➔ Present tense with 'parecer'

  ➔ The verb 'parece' is in the present tense, indicating a current state or perception ('It seems black').

• Te dije que te quiero

  ➔ Indirect object pronoun 'te'

  ➔ The pronoun 'te' is used as an indirect object, indicating the recipient of the action ('I told you that I love you').