Y Nos Dieron las Diez – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Joaquin Sabina

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the captivating story of 'Y Nos Dieron las Diez' by Joaquín Sabina, a song that beautifully illustrates a chance encounter and a night of fleeting romance. Through vivid lyrics and heartfelt emotion, this song offers a great opportunity to learn Spanish, exploring themes of love, memory, and the poignant beauty of ephemeral moments.

[English]

It was in a seaside town

One night after a concert

You reigned behind

The bar of the only pub we saw open

Sing me a song in my ear

And I'll get you a drink

With one condition

That you leave the balcony of your cat-like eyes open for me

Crazy to know

The secrets of your bedroom

That night I sang

To the piano of dawn all my repertoire

The bar's customers

One by one started leaving

You went out to close

I told myself: "be careful, kid, you're falling in love"

Then everything happened

Suddenly

Your finger on my back

Drew a heart

And my hand disappeared under your skirt

Oh, oh, oh

On the way to the hostel we kissed

At every streetlight

It was a seaside town

I wanted to sleep with you and you didn't want to sleep alone

And it was ten and eleven

(Twelve and one, and two and three)

And naked at dusk the moon found us

...

Sing to her!

We said goodbye

I hope we meet again

I hope so!

Summer ended

Autumn lasted as long as it takes for winter to arrive

And even fate took away

Once again the following summer

It took me and in the end

After the concert I started looking for your face among the crowd

And I couldn't find anyone to tell me about you

Not a word

It seemed as if

Fate wanted to play a cruel joke on me

There was no one behind

The bar from the other summer

And instead of your pub

I found a branch of the Hispano Americano bank

Bastards!

I avenged your memory

With stones against the windows

"I know I didn't dream it"

I protested while the police handcuffed me

In my statement I claimed

That I had three drinks

And I started this song

In the room where that time I took off your clothes

Come on!

And it was ten and eleven

(Twelve and one and two and three)

And naked at dusk the moon found us

And it was ten and eleven

Twelve and one and two and three

And naked at dusk the moon found us

Long live Zapata!

...

[Spanish]

Fué en un pueblo con mar

Una noche después de un concierto

Tú reinabas detrás

De la barra del único bar que vimos abierto

Cántame una canción al oído

Y te pongo un cubata

Con una condición

Que me dejes abierto el balcón de tus ojos de gata

Loco por conocer

Los secretos de tu dormitorio

Esa noche canté

Al piano del amanecer todo mi repertorio

Los clientes del bar

Uno a uno se fueron marchando

Tú saliste a cerrar

Yo me dije: "cuidado, chaval, te estás enamorando"

Luego todo pasó

De repente

Tu dedo en mi espalda

Dibujó un corazón

Y mi mano desapareció debajo de tu falda

Ay, ay, ay

Caminito al hostal nos besamos

En cada farola

Era un pueblo con mar

Yo quería dormir contigo y tú no querías dormir sola

Y nos dieron las diez y las once

(Las doce y la una, y las dos y las tres)

Y desnudos al anochecer nos encontró la luna

¡Cántale!

Nos dijimos adiós

Ojalá que volvamos a vernos

¡Ojalá!

El verano acabó

El otoño duró lo que tarda en llegar el invierno

Y hasta quito el azar

Otra vez el verano siguiente

Me llevó y al final

Del concierto me puse a buscar tu cara entre la gente

Y no hallé quien de ti me dijera

Ni media palabra

Parecía como si

Me quisiera gastar el destino una broma macabra

No había nadie detrás

De la barra del otro verano

Y en lugar de tu bar

Me encontré una sucursal del banco Hispano Americano

¡Cabrones!

Tu memoria vengué

A pedradas contra los cristales

"Sé que no lo soñé"

Protestaba mientras me esposaban los municipales

En mi declaración alegué

Que llevaba tres copas

Y empecé esta canción

En el cuarto donde aquella vez te quitaba la ropa

¡Venga!

Y nos dieron las diez y las once

(Las doce y la una y las dos y las tres)

Y desnudos al anochecer nos encontró la luna

Y nos dieron las diez y las once

Las doce y la una y las dos y las tres

Y desnudos al anochecer nos encontró la luna

¡Viva Zapata!

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
pueblo /ˈpweβlo/ A1	noun - town, village
mar /ˈmaɾ/ A1	noun - sea
noche /ˈnotʃe/ A1	noun - night
concierto /konˈθjeɾto/ A2	noun - concert
bar /ˈbaɾ/ A1	noun - bar
abierto /aˈβjeɾto/ A2	adjective - open
canción /kanˈθjon/ A1	noun - song
oído /oˈi.ðo/ A2	noun - ear
balcón /balˈkon/ A2	noun - balcony
ojos /ˈoxos/ A1	noun - eyes
gata /ˈɡata/ A1	noun - cat (female)
secretos /seˈkɾetos/ B1	noun - secrets
dormitorio /doɾˈmitoɾjo/ A2	noun - bedroom
piano /ˈpjano/ A1	noun - piano
amanecer /amaˈneθeɾ/ B1	noun - dawn
clientes /kliˈentes/ A2	noun - customers
enamorando /enamoˈɾando/ B2	verb - falling in love
dedo /ˈdedo/ A1	noun - finger
espalda /esˈpalda/ A2	noun - back
corazón /koɾaˈθon/ A1	noun - heart
mano /ˈmano/ A1	noun - hand
falda /ˈfalda/ A2	noun - skirt
hostal /osˈtal/ A2	noun - hostel
farola /faˈɾola/ B1	noun - street lamp
desnudos /dezˈnuðos/ B1	adjective - naked
anochecer /anotʃeˈθeɾ/ B2	noun - dusk
luna /ˈluna/ A1	noun - moon
verano /beˈɾano/ A1	noun - summer
otoño /oˈtoɲo/ A2	noun - autumn
invierno /imˈbjeɾno/ A2	noun - winter
azar /aˈθaɾ/ B2	noun - chance, fate
cara /ˈkaɾa/ A1	noun - face
palabra /paˈlaβɾa/ A1	noun - word
destino /desˈtino/ B1	noun - destiny, fate
broma /ˈbɾoma/ B2	noun - joke, prank
cristales /kɾisˈtales/ B1	noun - glass (panes)
copas /ˈkopas/ A2	noun - drinks, glasses
cuarto /ˈkwaɾto/ A1	noun - room
ropa /ˈropa/ A1	noun - clothing

Key Grammar Structures

• Tú reinabas detrás / De la barra del único bar que vimos abierto

  ➔ Imperfect tense (reinabas) for description in the past

  ➔ The imperfect tense "reinabas" describes a state or condition in the past. It's used to paint a picture of what was happening at that moment.

• Que me dejes abierto el balcón de tus ojos de gata

  ➔ Subjunctive mood (dejes) after "que" expressing a condition or wish.

  ➔ The verb "dejes" is in the subjunctive mood because it follows "que" and expresses a condition or wish tied to the request being made.

• Uno a uno se fueron marchando

  ➔ Reflexive verb (irse) in the preterite (fueron marchando) indicating departure.

  ➔ "Irse" is a reflexive verb, and "fueron marchando" is a periphrastic construction of the preterite tense which emphasizes the action of leaving or departing. The "se" indicates that the subject is performing the action on themselves (leaving).

• Tu dedo en mi espalda / Dibujó un corazón

  ➔ Preterite (Dibujó) to describe a completed action in the past.

  ➔ The preterite tense "dibujó" signifies that the action of drawing a heart was completed at a specific point in the past.

• Yo quería dormir contigo y tú no querías dormir sola

  ➔ Imperfect tense (quería) to express desires or intentions in the past.

  ➔ The imperfect "quería" indicates a desire or intention that was ongoing or habitual in the past, not necessarily fulfilled.

• Y nos dieron las diez y las once

  ➔ Preterite (dieron) - Action completed in the past.

  ➔ "Dieron" refers to the clock striking those hours, a definitive completed action in the past.

• Ojalá que volvamos a vernos

  ➔ Subjunctive (volvamos) after "ojalá que" expressing a wish or hope.

  ➔ "Ojalá que" is a set phrase that always requires the subjunctive mood to express a wish or hope that something will happen.

• Y hasta quito el azar / Otra vez el verano siguiente

  ➔ Preterite (quito) - Simple past action, completed.

  ➔ While slightly unusual phrasing, "quito" is being used in the preterite to express how even luck, or chance, brought him back that summer.

• Parecía como si / Me quisiera gastar el destino una broma macabra

  ➔ Imperfect Subjunctive (quisiera) after "como si" to express a hypothetical situation or unreal past.

  ➔ The phrase "como si" (as if) requires the subjunctive mood. "Quisiera" expresses the idea that destiny *seemed* to want to play a joke on him, but it's not a factual statement, it is a hypothetical.