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Gracias a la Vida

By Paul Arenson
Saturday, January 01, 1983

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582996

Lyrics and translation

By Arenson, Paul at Jan 14, 2008 04:50 AM

 

LINKS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_Parra

http://www.patriciocastillo.com/mp3.htm

Gracias a la vida (Violeta Parra)  

 		  
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto, Thanks to life which has given me so much,
Me dio dos luceros que cuando los abro, It gave me two eyes that when I open them,
Perfecto distingo lo negro del blanco, I can distinguish perfectly black from white,
Y en el alto cielo su fondo estrellado, And in the high heaven its starry background,
Y en la multitudes el hombre que yo amo. And in the multitudes the man I love.

 		  
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto, Thanks to life which has given me so much,
Me ha dado el sonido y el abecedario, It\'s given me sound and the alphabet,
Y con el las palabras que pienso y declaro, And with it the words that I think and declare,
Madre, amigo, hermano y luz alumbrando, Mother, friend, brother, and burning light,
La ruta del alma de el que estoy amando. The route of the sould of the one I am loving.

 		  
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto, Thanks to life which has given me so much,
Me ha dado el oído que en todo su ancho, It\'s given me sound that in all its magnitude,
Graba noche y día grillos y canarios, Records night and day crickets and canaries,
Martillos, turbinas, ladridos, chubascos, Hammers, turbines, dogs\' barks, storms,
Y la voz tan tierna de mi buen amado. And the voice so tender of my good beloved.

 		  
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto, Thanks to life which has given me so much,
Me ha dado la marcha de mis pies cansados, It\'s given me the steps of my tired feet,
Con ellos anduve ciudades y charcos, With them I walked though cities and puddles,
Playas y desiertos, montañas y llanos, Beaches and deserts, mountains and plains,
Y la casa tuya, tu calle y tu patio. And your house, your street, and your patio.

 		  
Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto, Thanks to life which has given me so much,
Me ha dado la risa, me ha dado el llanto, It\'s given me laughter, it\'s given me tears,
Así yo distingo dicha de quebranto, Thereby I distinguish good fortune from ruin,
Los dos materiales que forman mi canto, `The two materials that make up my song,
Y el canto de ustedes que es mi propio canto. And the song of all of you that is my own song.

 		  
¡Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto! Thanks to life which has given me so much!

  About Gracias a la vida:

     Gracias a la vidais the best-known composition of the Chilean poet, artist, and musician Violeta Parra. Violeta (as she is affectionately known throughout Latin America) traveled all over Chile and collected folk songs. She was friends with Pablo Neruda and shared his vision of art as being from and for the people. Joan Baez recorded a version of this song in the 60\'s, and there are numerous recordings of it by other artists. The original version (performed by Violeta) is in print but difficult to find.

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