Unos Quitan y Otros Dan – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the poetic Spanish of José José's "Unos Quitan y Otros Dan," a beautiful ballad offering a profound reflection on life's bittersweet balance of giving and taking. This song is perfect for intermediate learners, providing rich vocabulary and emotional depth that will enhance your understanding and appreciation of Spanish romantic expressions.

[English]

I'm like the water that flows

That never flows the same way twice

If someone leaves my life

I never go back to find them

A friend to my friends

And never to others

In good times and in bad

You'll always find me there

I'm like some people say

Others don't see it that way

I'm like everyone else

Some take, and some give

I'm like some people say

Others don't see it that way

I'm human, just like everyone

Some take, and some give

I love walking in the rain

And waking up to the sunrise

I have flaws and virtues

I'm not better... or worse

Living life my own way

Sometimes good, sometimes bad

I like being like everyone else

But never just another face in the crowd

...

[Spanish]

Soy como el agua que pasa

Que nunca vuelve a pasar

Si algún amor me abandona

Nunca lo vuelvo a buscar

Amigo de mis amigos

Y nunca de los demás

En las buenas y en las malas

Siempre me van a encontrar

Soy como dicen algunos

Otros no piensan igual

Soy como toda la gente

Unos quitan y otros dan

Soy como dicen algunos

Otros no piensan igual

Soy humano como todos

Unos quitan y otros dan

Me gusta andar con la lluvia

Y amanecer con el Sol

Tengo defectos y virtudes

No soy mejor... Ni peor

Viviendo siempre a mi modo

A veces bien y otras mal

Me gusta ser como todos

Pero jamás uno más

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
agua agua A1	noun - water
pasa pasa A1	verb - to pass / to happen
vuelve vuelve A2	verb - to return
amor amor A1	noun - love
abandona abandona B1	verb - to abandon
buscar buscar B1	verb - to look for / to search
amigo amigo A1	noun - friend
demás demás A2	noun - others / the rest
gente gente A2	noun - people
quitan quitan B1	verb - to take away / to remove
dan dan A1	verb - to give
humano humano A2	adjective - human
lluvia lluvia A1	noun - rain
sol sol A1	noun - sun
defectos defectos B1	noun - flaws / defects
virtudes virtudes B1	noun - virtues
mejor mejor A2	adjective - better
peor peor A2	adjective - worse
modo modo A2	noun - way / manner
vivir vivir A1	verb - to live

Key Grammar Structures

• Soy como el agua que pasa

  ➔ Present simple tense with comparative structure

  ➔ The verb 'soy' (I am) is in the present simple tense, and 'como' (like) introduces a comparison with 'el agua que pasa' (the water that passes).

• Si algún amor me abandona

  ➔ Conditional clause with 'si'

  ➔ The word 'si' (if) introduces a conditional clause, indicating a hypothetical situation.

• Amigo de mis amigos

  ➔ Possessive adjective

  ➔ 'Mis' (my) is a possessive adjective modifying 'amigos' (friends).

• En las buenas y en las malas

  ➔ Prepositional phrase with 'en'

  ➔ The preposition 'en' (in) is used to indicate circumstances or situations.

• Soy como dicen algunos

  ➔ Present simple with indirect speech

  ➔ The verb 'soy' is in the present simple, and 'dicen' (say) is used in indirect speech.

• Unos quitan y otros dan

  ➔ Contrastive conjunction 'y'

  ➔ The conjunction 'y' (and) is used to contrast 'unos quitan' (some take) with 'otros dan' (others give).

• Me gusta andar con la lluvia

  ➔ Verb 'gustar' with indirect object

  ➔ The verb 'gustar' (to like) uses 'me' as an indirect object, meaning 'I like'.

• No soy mejor... Ni peor

  ➔ Negative construction with 'no' and correlative conjunction 'ni'

  ➔ The negative 'no' is used with 'ni' (nor) to express a double negative.