meaning of "he de"

Question

Does "he de" mean "I must?" Can you explain why it means this or is it just an idiomatic expression that can't really be translated? Here is an example from the lyrics of Jesus Christ Superstar:

Si he de morir que se cumpla todo lo que tú quieres de mí deja que me odien, que me claven en su cruz

Thanks for the help! ¡Gracias!

Answer 1

"He" is the first person present tense of the verb 'Haber" which means "have". In your example it's followed by "de" which gives it the meaning of "have to" or 'must" to expression an obligation. Thus you might translate the line like this:

If I have to die to comply with all that you want of me, (then) let them hate me, let them nail me to their cross.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

haber de

related term-hay (impersonal haber) que