Song guide

En mi corazón vivirás

Phil Collins

En mi corazón vivirás by Phil Collins, line by line: what the lyrics mean, 27 expressions explained and 200 words translated with their grammar. Learn Spanish from the song, free.

52 lines translated 200 words explained 27 expressions

Lyrics with English translation, line by line

Each line as sung, what it means, and — where it needs one — why it's said that way.

  1. Como me apena el verte llorar

    How it breaks my heart to see you cry

  2. Toma mi mano siéntela

    Take my hand—feel it

  3. Yo te protejo de cualquier cosa

    I'll protect you from anything

  4. No llores más, aquí estoy

    Don't cry anymore—I'm here

  5. Frágil te ves, dulce sensual

    You look so fragile, sweet and sensual

  6. Quiero abrazarte, te protegeré

    I want to hold you; I'll protect you

  7. Esta fusión es irrompible

    This bond is unbreakable

  8. No llores más, aquí estoy

    Don't cry anymore—I'm here

  9. En mi corazón tú vivirás

    You will live in my heart

  10. Desde hoy será

    Starting today it will be

  11. Y para siempre amor

    And forever, my love

  12. En mi corazón

    In my heart

  13. No importa qué dirán

    It doesn't matter what they'll say

    «El qué dirán» (what people will say) is a deeply rooted cultural concept in Spanish-speaking societies, referring to the pressure of public opinion and social judgment. It functions almost as a noun phrase on its own.

  14. Dentro de mí

    Inside me

  15. Estarás siempre

    You'll always be there

  16. No pueden entender nuestro sentir

    They can't understand how we feel

    The line sets up an 'us vs. them' dynamic that is a classic trope in romantic ballads across Latin American music — the idea that outsiders cannot comprehend the depth of the couple's bond.

  17. Ni confiarán en nuestro proceder

    Nor will they trust in what we do

  18. Sé que hay diferencias

    I know there are differences

    The acknowledgment of «diferencias» (differences) without specifying what they are is a deliberate lyrical choice, leaving the nature of the obstacles open to interpretation by the listener.

  19. Mas por dentro

    But on the inside

    «Mas» (without accent) is a literary conjunction meaning 'but', distinct from «más» (with accent) meaning 'more'. Its use here gives the lyric a formal, elevated tone typical of bolero and romantic ballad traditions.

  20. Somos iguales, tú y yo

    You and I are the same

  21. En mi corazón tú vivirás

    You will live in my heart

  22. Desde hoy será

    Starting today it will be

  23. Y para siempre amor

    And forever, my love

  24. No escuches ya más

    Don't listen anymore

  25. Que pueden saber (Que pueden saber)

    What could they possibly know

  26. Si nos queremos

    If we love each other

  27. Mañana y hoy

    Today and tomorrow

    The line reverses the natural order — «mañana y hoy» (tomorrow and today) instead of 'today and tomorrow' — a poetic inversion used for rhyme and rhythmic effect common in Spanish song lyrics.

  28. Entenderán

    They will understand

  29. Lo sé

    I know

  30. Tal vez el destino

    Perhaps fate

    The invocation of «el destino» (fate/destiny) is a hallmark of Latin romantic music, where fate is often personified as a force that tests or separates lovers.

  31. Te hará pensar (Te hará pensar)

    Will make you think

  32. Mas la soledad tendrás que aguantar

    But you'll have to endure the loneliness

  33. Entenderán

    They will understand

  34. Lo sé

    I know

  35. Lo haremos muy juntos

    We'll do it together

  36. Pues, en mi corazón créeme

    Well, believe me, in my heart

  37. Que tú vivirás

    That you will live

  38. Estarás dentro de mí hoy

    You'll be inside me today

  39. Y por siempre amor

    And forever, my love

  40. Tú en mi corazón (Sí, en mi corazón)

    You in my heart (yes, in my heart)

  41. No importa qué dirán (No sufras más)

    No matter what they say (don't suffer anymore)

  42. Dentro de mí estarás

    You'll be inside me

  43. Estarás siempre

    You'll always be there

  44. Siempre

    Always

  45. Aquí siempre

    Always here

  46. Para ti estaré siempre

    I'll always be there for you

  47. Siempre

    Always

  48. Y por siempre

    And forever

  49. Solo mira a tu lado

    Just look to your side

  50. Solo mira a tu lado

    Just look to your side

  51. Solo mira a tu lado

    Just look to your side

  52. Yo estaré siempre

    I'll always be here

Expressions and idioms in “En mi corazón vivirás”

The lines that don't mean what the dictionary says.

Como me apena How it grieves me / How it breaks my heart
«Como» here is an exclamatory adverb meaning 'how', not a comparison. The verb «apenar» (to sadden/grieve) is used impersonally with an indirect object pronoun «me», so the subject is the situation itself — a common Spanish construction where English would say 'it breaks my heart'.
el verte llorar seeing you cry
The infinitive «ver» with an attached clitic «te» (verte) acts as a noun phrase — 'the seeing-you'. Adding a second infinitive «llorar» creates a perception verb construction: ver + person + infinitive = 'to see someone do something'. The article «el» nominalises the whole phrase.
siéntela feel it
This is an affirmative imperative of «sentir» with the direct object clitic «la» attached to the end. In Spanish, object pronouns attach directly to affirmative imperatives but precede negative ones (e.g. «no la sientas»).
de cualquier cosa from anything / from whatever
«Cualquier cosa» is a fixed indefinite expression meaning 'anything at all' or 'whatever it may be'. «Cualquier» is the shortened form of «cualquiera» used before a noun.
te protejo de I protect you from
«Proteger» governs the preposition «de» where English uses 'from'. This is a verb + governed preposition pattern: proteger de algo = to protect from something.
No llores más Don't cry anymore
«No» + present subjunctive is the standard way to form negative commands in Spanish. «Llores» is the subjunctive of «llorar». This contrasts with affirmative commands which use the indicative form. «Más» here means 'anymore' rather than 'more'.
Frágil te ves You look fragile
«Verse» (reflexive of «ver») means 'to look / to appear'. «Te ves + adjective» is a common construction equivalent to 'you look [adjective]'. The adjective «frágil» is placed before the verb for poetic emphasis — normal word order would be «te ves frágil».
Quiero abrazarte I want to hold you
«Querer + infinitive» is the standard construction for 'to want to do something'. The clitic «te» is attached to the infinitive «abrazar», which is equally valid as placing it before «quiero» (te quiero abrazar). Both forms are correct in Spanish.
Desde hoy Starting today / from today
«Desde» + a time reference means 'from' or 'starting from' that point in time. «Desde hoy» is a fixed temporal expression meaning 'from this day forward'.
para siempre forever
«Para siempre» is the standard Spanish expression for 'forever'. Note the difference from «por siempre» (line 38/47), which is a more literary/poetic variant also meaning 'forever'. Both appear in this song.
No importa qué dirán It doesn't matter what they'll say
«No importa» is an impersonal expression meaning 'it doesn't matter'. «Qué dirán» (what they will say) is a noun clause acting as the subject. The phrase «el qué dirán» is also a fixed Spanish expression referring to public opinion or gossip.
Dentro de mí Inside me
«Dentro de» is a prepositional phrase meaning 'inside' or 'within'. After prepositions in Spanish, the stressed pronoun «mí» (with accent) is used instead of the unstressed «me». Compare: «me» (object clitic) vs «mí» (after prepositions).
No pueden entender They can't understand
«Poder + infinitive» is a modal construction meaning 'to be able to / can'. «No pueden entender» = they are not able to understand. This is one of the most common modal verb patterns in Spanish.
nuestro sentir how we feel / our feeling
The infinitive «sentir» (to feel) is used here as a noun meaning 'feeling' or 'sentiment'. This nominalisation of infinitives is common in literary and lyrical Spanish — the infinitive becomes a masculine noun.
confiarán en they will trust in
«Confiar» governs the preposition «en» where English uses 'in' or 'trust'. The pattern is confiar en alguien/algo = to trust in someone/something. This is a verb + governed preposition construction.
hay diferencias there are differences
«Hay» is the impersonal form of «haber» used to express existence: 'there is / there are'. It is invariable — it does not change for singular or plural. This is one of the most essential Spanish constructions.
Mas por dentro But on the inside
«Mas» (without accent) is a literary/poetic conjunction meaning 'but', equivalent to «pero». It appears in formal writing and song lyrics. «Por dentro» is a fixed adverbial phrase meaning 'on the inside / inwardly', contrasting with «por fuera» (on the outside).
No escuches ya más Don't listen anymore
«Ya» combined with «más» and negation creates the meaning 'not anymore / no longer'. «Ya no» alone means 'no longer', and adding «más» intensifies it. «No escuches» is a negative imperative using the subjunctive.
nos queremos we love each other
«Quererse» used with the reciprocal pronoun «nos» expresses mutual love: 'to love each other'. «Querer» alone means 'to want' or 'to love', but the reflexive/reciprocal construction with «nos» shifts the meaning to mutual affection.
Tal vez perhaps / maybe
«Tal vez» is a fixed expression meaning 'perhaps' or 'maybe'. It can be followed by either the indicative or the subjunctive — with the subjunctive expressing more doubt. It is interchangeable with «quizás» and «a lo mejor» (though «a lo mejor» always takes indicative).
Te hará pensar It will make you think
«Hacer + infinitive» is a causative construction meaning 'to make someone do something'. «Te hará pensar» = it will make you think. The indirect object pronoun «te» indicates who is being made to do the action.
tendrás que aguantar you will have to endure
«Tener que + infinitive» expresses obligation or necessity, equivalent to 'to have to do something'. Here it is in the future tense: «tendrás que» = you will have to. This is one of the most important obligation constructions in Spanish.
Lo haremos muy juntos We'll do it together
«Lo» here is a neuter direct object pronoun referring to an unspecified situation or challenge. «Muy juntos» literally means 'very together', an intensified way of saying 'side by side'. The use of «muy» with «juntos» is a colloquial intensifier.
créeme believe me
Affirmative imperative of «creer» with the indirect object clitic «me» attached. In affirmative commands, clitics always attach to the end of the verb. The negative equivalent would be «no me creas» — note how the clitic moves to before the verb.
por siempre forever
«Por siempre» is a poetic/literary variant of «para siempre» (forever). Both appear in this song. «Por siempre» tends to appear in more elevated or romantic registers, while «para siempre» is more common in everyday speech.
Para ti estaré I will be there for you
«Para ti» uses the prepositional pronoun «ti» (not «te»), because it follows the preposition «para». This is the same rule as «dentro de mí» — prepositions require stressed pronouns. «Para ti» = for you (beneficiary).
mira a tu lado look to your side
«Mirar a» + direction/location means 'to look toward'. «A tu lado» is a fixed locative expression meaning 'at your side / beside you'. The preposition «a» here indicates direction of the gaze.

Vocabulary to learn from “En mi corazón vivirás”

The words the song uses most.

Verbs in the song, and the form being sung

Present tense for each; the highlighted row is the one you'll hear.

estar I am

sung: estoy irregular
estar — present tense
yo estoy
tú estás
él / ella / usted está
nosotros estamos
vosotros estáis
ellos / ustedes están

ser is

sung: es irregular
ser — present tense
yo soy
tú eres
él / ella / usted es
nosotros somos
vosotros sois
ellos / ustedes son

saber I know

sung: sé irregular
saber — present tense
yo sé
tú sabes
él / ella / usted sabe
nosotros sabemos
vosotros sabéis
ellos / ustedes saben

llorar to cry

sung: llores
llorar — present tense
yo lloro
tú lloras
él / ella / usted llora
nosotros lloramos
vosotros lloráis
ellos / ustedes lloran

vivir you will live

sung: vivirás
vivir — present tense
yo vivo
tú vives
él / ella / usted vive
nosotros vivimos
vosotros vivís
ellos / ustedes viven

Grammar you'll meet in this song

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