Learn Spanish with: Como El Agua

by Camarón de la Isla

The singer fixates on the purity of nature, comparing their affection to "Como el agua, ay como el agua, como el agua" [Like the water, oh like the water, like the water]. Amidst promises of warmth, the lyrics take an unexpectedly domestic turn as the speaker imagines grinding olives all night long.

On this page: Lyrics and translations · Grammar notes · Word study

Interactive Subtitles & Translation

Limpia va el agua del río

Literal: Clean goes the water of the river

English: The river water flows clean

Turkish: Nehir suyu temiz akar

Como la estrella de la mañana

Literal: Like the star of the morning

English: Like the morning star

Turkish: Sabah yıldızı gibi

Limpio va el cariño mío

Literal: Clean goes the affection of mine

English: My affection flows clean

Turkish: Sevdam temiz akar

El manantial de tu fuente clara

Literal: The spring of your fountain clear

English: The spring of your clear fountain

Turkish: Berrak pınarının kaynağı

Como el agua, ay como el agua, como el agua

Literal: Like the water, oh like the water, like the water

English: Like the water, oh like the water, like the water

Turkish: Su gibi, ah su gibi, su gibi

Como el agua clara

Literal: Like the water clear

English: Like the clear water

Turkish: Berrak su gibi

Que ha baja(do) del monte

Literal: That has descended from the mountain

English: That has come down from the mountain

Turkish: Dağdan inmiş olan

Y así quiero verte

Literal: And thus I want to see you

English: And that is how I want to see you

Turkish: Ve seni böyle görmek istiyorum

De día y de noche

Literal: Of day and of night

English: By day and by night

Turkish: Gündüz ve gece

Ay como el agua, como el agua, como el agua

Literal: Oh like the water, like the water, like the water

English: Oh like the water, like the water, like the water

Turkish: Ah su gibi, su gibi, su gibi

Yo te eché mi brazo al hombro

Literal: I threw my arm to the shoulder

English: I threw my arm over your shoulder

Turkish: Kolumu omzuna attım

Y un brillo de luz de luna

Literal: And a shine of light of moon

English: And a gleam of moonlight

Turkish: Ve ay ışığının bir parıltısı

Iluminaba tus ojos

Literal: Was illuminating your eyes

English: Illuminated your eyes

Turkish: Gözlerini aydınlatıyordu

De ti deseo yo t(od)ito el calor

Literal: Of you I desire I all the heat

English: From you I desire all the warmth

Turkish: Senden tüm sıcaklığı diliyorum

Pa(ra) ti mi cuerpo si lo quieres tú

Literal: For you my body if it want you

English: For you my body if you want it

Turkish: Sen istersen bedenim sana

Fuego en la sangre nos corre a los dos

Literal: Fire in the blood us-to runs to the two

English: Fire in the blood runs through both of us

Turkish: İkimizin de kanında ateş akıyor

Ay como el agua, como el agua, como el agua

Literal: Oh like the water, like the water, like the water

English: Oh like the water, like the water, like the water

Turkish: Ah su gibi, su gibi, su gibi

Si tus ojillos fueran

Literal: If your little-eyes were

English: If your little eyes were

Turkish: Eğer o küçük gözlerin olsaydı

Aceitunitas verdes

Literal: Little-olives green

English: Green little olives

Turkish: Yeşil küçük zeytinler

To(d)a la noche estaría muele que muele, muele que muele

Literal: All the night I-would-be grinding that grinding, grinding that grinding

English: All night long I would be grinding, grinding

Turkish: Bütün gece öğütür dururdum, öğütür dururdum

To(d)a la noche estaría muele que muele

Literal: All the night I-would-be grinding that grinding

English: All night long I would be grinding

Turkish: Bütün gece öğütür dururdum

Muele que muele, muele que muele

Literal: Grinding that grinding, grinding that grinding

English: Grinding, grinding, grinding, grinding

Turkish: Öğütür dururum, öğütür dururum

Luz del alma mía, divina

Literal: Light of soul mine, divine

English: Light of my soul, divine

Turkish: Ruhumun ışığı, ilahi

Que a mí me alumbra mi corazón

Literal: That to me it illuminates my heart

English: That illuminates my heart for me

Turkish: Ki bana kalbimi aydınlatır

Mi cuerpo alegre camina

Literal: My body happy walks

English: My happy body walks

Turkish: Neşeli bedenim yürüyor

Porque de ti lleva la ilusión

Literal: Because of you it carries the illusion

English: Because it carries your illusion

Turkish: Çünkü senden gelen umudu taşıyor

Ay como el agua, como el agua, como el agua

Literal: Oh like the water, like the water, like the water

English: Oh like the water, like the water, like the water

Turkish: Ah su gibi, su gibi, su gibi

Ay como el agua, ay como el agua, como el agua

Literal: Oh like the water, oh like the water, like the water

English: Oh like the water, oh like the water, like the water

Turkish: Ay su gibi, ay su gibi, su gibi

Ay como el agua, y como el agua, y como el agua

Literal: Oh like the water, and like the water, and like the water

English: Oh like the water, and like the water, and like the water

Turkish: Ay su gibi, ve su gibi, ve su gibi

Grammar notes, line by line

What each line is doing grammatically: the case and person endings it uses, the tense or mood of its verb, and the fixed expressions a dictionary will not resolve word by word. Lines that repeat in the song are listed once.

Limpia va el agua del río

The river water flows clean

  • 'va' expresses motion or continuous flow, typical in lyrical descriptions of nature.

Limpio va el cariño mío

My affection flows clean

  • 'mío' follows the noun for emphasis or poetic affectation.

El manantial de tu fuente clara

The spring of your clear fountain

  • Nesting of genitive phrases ('de tu fuente') creates a layered poetic image.

Como el agua, ay como el agua, como el agua

Like the water, oh like the water, like the water

  • 'Ay' is a classic emotive interjection in Flamenco poetry.

Que ha baja(do) del monte

That has come down from the mountain

  • 'Que' acts as a relative pronoun connecting the clause to 'agua'.
  • 'Ha bajado' is the present perfect tense indicating past action with current relevance.

Y así quiero verte

And that is how I want to see you

  • 'Quiero verte' uses an infinitive after a modal-like verb construction.

De día y de noche

By day and by night

  • Parallel structure emphasizes constancy over time.

Ay como el agua, como el agua, como el agua

Oh like the water, like the water, like the water

  • The repetition acts as a mantra or melodic motif.

Yo te eché mi brazo al hombro

I threw my arm over your shoulder

  • Construction 'echar el brazo al hombro' is an idiom for draping an arm.

De ti deseo yo t(od)ito el calor

From you I desire all the warmth

  • Use of 't(od)ito' is an emphatic, colloquial variant of 'todo'.

Pa(ra) ti mi cuerpo si lo quieres tú

For you my body if you want it

  • Ellipsis of 'quieres' subject or object is common in flamenco-influenced lyrics.

Fuego en la sangre nos corre a los dos

Fire in the blood runs through both of us

  • Dative of interest: 'nos' indicates the effect on both people.

Si tus ojillos fueran

If your little eyes were

  • Use of diminutive suffix '-illo' adds affection/diminution.

To(d)a la noche estaría muele que muele, muele que muele

All night long I would be grinding, grinding

  • The 'muele que muele' structure is an idiomatic repetitive action marker.

To(d)a la noche estaría muele que muele

All night long I would be grinding

  • The 'muele que muele' structure is an idiomatic repetitive action marker.

Muele que muele, muele que muele

Grinding, grinding, grinding, grinding

  • The 'v1 + que + v1' structure denotes an ongoing, repetitive action.

Luz del alma mía, divina

Light of my soul, divine

  • Apposition of 'divina' modifies 'luz'.

Que a mí me alumbra mi corazón

That illuminates my heart for me

  • The 'a mí me' is redundant clitic doubling for emphasis.

Mi cuerpo alegre camina

My happy body walks

  • Adjective 'alegre' placed before noun for stylistic poetic effect.

Porque de ti lleva la ilusión

Because it carries your illusion

  • The phrase 'llevar la ilusión' is a common idiomatic construction.

Word study: 83 words with roots and origins

Every distinct word in the song, in the order it is first sung, with the dictionary form to look up, the endings on it, what it means here, and where the word came from. Words that recur are listed once.

WordDictionary formGrammarMeaningOrigin
Limpia limpio adj. f. sg. clean From Latin limpidus.Wiktionary
va ir v., 3rd pers. sg. pres. ind. (presente de indicativo) goes / flows From Latin eo, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
el el art. m. sg. the From Latin ille, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
agua agua n. f. sg. water From Old Spanish agua, from Latin aqua.Wiktionary
del de prep. + art. m. sg. of the From Old Spanish de.Wiktionary
río río n. m. sg. river From Latin rivus, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
Como como prep. like / as From Old Spanish commo, from Latin cōmō̆.Wiktionary
la el art. f. sg. the From Latin ille, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
estrella estrella n. f. sg. star From Latin stella, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
de de prep. of From Old Spanish de.Wiktionary
mañana mañana n. f. sg. morning From Old Spanish mannana, from Vulgar Latin *māneāna, from Latin māne.Wiktionary
Limpio limpio adj. m. sg. clean From Latin limpidus.Wiktionary
cariño cariño n. m. sg. affection / love Possibly from caro (dear) + -iño suffix.
mío mío pron. poss. m. sg. of mine From Latin meus, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
manantial manantial n. m. sg. spring Formed within Spanish from manante.Wiktionary
tu tu pron. poss. sg. your From Latin tuus (your).
fuente fuente n. f. sg. fountain / source From Latin fons, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
clara claro adj. f. sg. clear From Latin clarus, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
ay ay interj. oh Of uncertain origin, likely expressive.
Que que pron. rel. that From Latin quid.Wiktionary
ha haber v., 3rd pers. sg. pres. ind. (presente de indicativo) has From Old Spanish aver, from Latin habeo ('have, hold').Wiktionary
bajado bajar v., past participle descended From Latin bassare, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
monte monte n. m. sg. mountain From Latin mōns.Wiktionary
Y y conj. and From Old Spanish é.Wiktionary
así así adv. thus / that way From Latin sic, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
quiero querer v., 1st pers. sg. pres. ind. (presente de indicativo) I want From Latin quaerō.Wiktionary
verte ver v. inf. + pron. 2nd pers. sg. to see you From Latin videre, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
día día n. m. sg. day From Latin dies, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
noche noche n. f. sg. night From Old Spanish noche.Wiktionary
Yo yo pron. pers. 1st pers. sg. I From Late Latin eo, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
te pron. pers. 2nd pers. sg. you From Latin , from Proto-Italic *, from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂.Wiktionary
eché echar v., 1st pers. sg. pret. ind. (pretérito perfecto simple) threw From Latin iactare, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
mi mi adj. poss. 1st pers. sg. my From Latin meus (my).
brazo brazo n. m. sg. arm From Latin brachium, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
al a prep. + art. m. sg. to the From Latin ad.Wiktionary
hombro hombro n. m. sg. shoulder From Latin umerus, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
un uno art. m. sg. a From Old Spanish uno, from Latin ūnus ('one'), from Proto-Italic *oinos.Wiktionary
brillo brillo n. m. sg. gleam Formed within Spanish from brillar.Wiktionary
luz luz n. f. sg. light From Old Spanish luz, from Latin lūx.Wiktionary
luna luna n. f. sg. moon From Latin luna, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
Iluminaba iluminar v., 3rd pers. sg. impf. ind. (pretérito imperfecto) Illuminated From Latin illūmināre.Wiktionary
tus adj. poss. 2nd pers. sg. your From Latin tuus (your).
ojos ojo n. m. pl. eyes From Old Spanish ojo.Wiktionary
ti pron. pers. 2nd pers. sg. you From Latin , from Proto-Italic *, from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂.Wiktionary
deseo desear v., 1st pers. sg. pres. ind. (presente de indicativo) desire From Vulgar Latin.Wiktionary
t(od)ito todo adj. m. sg. all the From Latin totus (all).
calor calor n. m. sg. warmth From Latin calor, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
Pa(ra) para prep. For From Latin prō.Wiktionary
cuerpo cuerpo n. m. sg. body From Latin corpus, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
si si conj. if From Latin si, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
lo lo pron. pers. 3rd pers. sg. it From Old Spanish lo.Wiktionary
quieres querer v., 2nd pers. sg. pres. ind. (presente de indicativo) want From Latin quaerō.Wiktionary
pron. pers. 2nd pers. sg. you From Latin , from Proto-Italic *, from Proto-Indo-European *túh₂.Wiktionary
Fuego fuego n. m. sg. Fire From Old Spanish fuego, from Late Latin focus ('fire'), from Latin focus ('hearth').Wiktionary
en en prep. in From Latin in, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
sangre sangre n. f. sg. blood From Old Spanish sangne, from Latin sanguis,sanguinem.Wiktionary
nos nos pron. pers. 1st pers. pl. us From Latin nos, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
corre correr v., 3rd pers. sg. pres. ind. (presente de indicativo) runs From Latin currere, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
a a prep. to From Latin ad.Wiktionary
los el art. m. pl. the From Latin ille, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
dos dos num. card. two From Latin duo, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
ojillos ojo n. m. pl. little eyes From Old Spanish ojo.Wiktionary
fueran ser v., 3rd pers. pl. impf. subj. (pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo) were From Latin sum.Wiktionary
Aceitunitas aceituna n. f. pl. little olives From Arabic.Wiktionary
verdes verde adj. green From Latin viridis, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
To(d)a todo adj. f. sg. All From Latin totus (all).
estaría estar v., 1st pers. sg. cond. ind. (condicional simple) I would be From Old Spanish estar, from Latin stō, stare.Wiktionary
muele moler v., 3rd pers. sg. pres. ind. (presente de indicativo) grinding From Latin molo, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
que que conj. that From Latin quid.Wiktionary
alma alma n. f. sg. soul From Latin anima, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
mía mío pron. poss. f. sg. my From Latin meus, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
divina divino adj. f. sg. divine From Latin dīvīnus.Wiktionary
yo pron. pers. 1st pers. sg. me From Late Latin eo, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
me yo pron. pers. 1st pers. sg. me From Late Latin eo, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
alumbra alumbrar v., 3rd pers. sg. pres. ind. (presente de indicativo) illuminates From Latin illuminare.Wiktionary
mi mi pron. poss. sg. my From Latin meus (my).
corazón corazón n. m. sg. heart From Old Spanish coraçon, from Vulgar Latin *corāceōnem, from Latin cor.Wiktionary
alegre alegre adj. sg. happy From Vulgar Latin alacer.Wiktionary
camina caminar v., 3rd pers. sg. pres. ind. (presente de indicativo) walks From Vulgar Latin *cammīnāre.Wiktionary
Porque porque conj. because Formed within Spanish from por + que.Wiktionary
lleva llevar v., 3rd pers. sg. pres. ind. (presente de indicativo) carries From Latin levāre, probably from Old Spanish.Wiktionary
ilusión ilusión n. f. sg. illusion/hope From Latin illūsiōnem.Wiktionary
como como adv. like From Old Spanish commo, from Latin cōmō̆.Wiktionary

Linguistic analysis is produced with AI assistance and reviewed by hand before publication. It is designed as an educational aid and may still contain translation or etymological errors.

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