Pau Donés, born and raised in Barcelona, worked for various groups before being able to take on his current project, Jarabe de Palo. He began at age 15 with his brother Marc, with whom he formed a group known as J.& Co.Band and later another one named Dentaduras Postizas. During this period, he completed his musical tracks in Barcelona with a job at an advertising firm.
His greatest success came to him after a trip to Cuba, where he was inspired to write La Flaca which became the title of his first album, "La Flaca," in 1996. A year later came the big surprise: millions of albums were sold around the world, and "La Flaca" became the song of the summer in 1997.
After this great success on his first album, Pau was determined to show that the band would not be a one-hit wonder, and with this idea, he launched Depende (1998), which was produced by Joe Dworniak in Moody Studios in London over two months. This album featured collaborations with the likes of Ketama and continued with Jarabe de Palo's ironic and ingenious lyrics, which managed to connect with the Hispanic public and even made inroads among Italians.
In 2001 they released De vuelta y vuelta, their most conceptual album. It showed a change in the band with the first music video of the album, in which Pau appears shaving his head, shedding his long-haired features. This album featured collaborations with the likes of Antonio Vega, Jovanotti, Vico C, and Celia Cruz.
In 2003 the band tried to show a change to more positive songs with their album Bonito, which featured the likes of Los Mártires del Compás, the singer-songwriter Elena Andujar, and their Italian friend, Jovanotti.
In the autumn of 2004, the band announced that they would go on tour with their new album, 1 m2 (Un metro cuadrado (A Square Meter)) featuring the likes of Jorge Drexler, Lucrecia, and Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders).
The group has received great awards such as Premios de la Música, Premio Ondas, and Grammy nominations. They have collaborated with La Vieja Trova Santiaguera, Antonio Vega, Vico C and Celia Cruz (soundtrack of El milagro de P. Tinto). Pau has also composed tracks for Ricky Martin and starred in a music video with Alanis Morissette.
On 9 June 2020, Donés died near Barcelona after five years of dealing with colon cancer, causing the band to split up shortly after.
Agua
Jarabe de Palo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Si por ti daría la vida?
Si confundo tu sonrisa
Por camelo si me miras
Razón y piel
Difícil mezcla
Agua y sed
¿Cómo quieres ser mi amiga
Si por ti me perdería?
Si confundo tus caricias
Por camelo si me mimas
Pasión y ley
Difícil mezcla
Agua y sed
Serio problema
Cuando uno tiene sed
Pero el agua no está cerca
Cuando uno quiere beber
Pero el agua no está cerca
¿Qué hacer?
Tú lo sabes
Conservar
La distancia
Renunciar
A lo natural
Y dejar
Que el agua corra
¿Cómo vas a ser mi amiga
Cuando esta carta recibas
Un mensaje hay entre líneas
¿Cómo quieres ser mi amiga?
Cuando uno tiene sed
Pero el agua no está cerca
Cuando uno quiere beber
Pero el agua no está cerca
The lyrics to "Agua" by Jarabe de Palo are a contemplation on the complexities of romantic relationships, and how they can often involve conflicting desires and emotions. The song begins with the singer calling out the paradoxical nature of wanting to be friends with someone they are deeply in love with, who they would give their life for. The lyrics also express the difficulty of differentiating between genuine affection or just an act. Furthermore, the song highlights how passion and logic are often at odds, causing a serious internal conflict.
The chorus is centered around the metaphor of water and thirst, creating a perfect parallel for the theme of the song. The singer acknowledges the challenge of having a strong desire (thirst) for someone, but they are not within reach (out of water). The solution provided in the chorus is to keep a distance and let the situation run its course.
In the final part of the song, the singer acknowledges the subtext to their message, implying that their desire goes beyond mere friendship, and that the fact that the other person received the letter indicates a mutual understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
¿Cómo quieres ser mi amiga
Why do you want to be my friend?
Si por ti daría la vida?
Would you give your life for me?
Si confundo tu sonrisa
I mistake your smile
Por camelo si me miras
I'm deceived by your gaze
Razón y piel
Reason and passion
Difícil mezcla
A difficult mixture
Agua y sed
Water and thirst
Serio problema
A serious problem
Si por ti me perdería?
Would I lose myself for you?
Si confundo tus caricias
I mistake your caresses
Por camelo si me mimas
I'm deceived by your affection
Pasión y ley
Passion and law
Agua y sed
Water and thirst
Serio problema
A serious problem
Cuando uno tiene sed
When one is thirsty
Pero el agua no está cerca
But water is not close by
Cuando uno quiere beber
When one wants to drink
¿Qué hacer?
What to do?
Tú lo sabes
You know it
Conservar
Preserve
La distancia
The distance
Renunciar
To give up
A lo natural
To natural instincts
Y dejar
And let
Que el agua corra
The water flow
¿Cómo vas a ser mi amiga
How can you be my friend
Cuando esta carta recibas
When you receive this letter
Un mensaje hay entre líneas
There's a message between the lines
¿Cómo quieres ser mi amiga?
Why do you want to be my friend?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Unison Rights S.L., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Pau Dones Cirera
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@johanahenao1729
Cómo quieres ser mi amiga
si por ti daría la vida,
si confundo tu sonrisa
por camelo si me miras.
razón y piel, difícil mezcla,
agua y sed, serio problema.
Cómo quieres ser mi amiga
si por ti me perdería,
si confundo tus caricias
por camelo si me mimas.
pasión y ley, difícil mezcla,
agua y sed, serio problema…
Cuando uno tiene sed
pero el agua no está cerca,
cuando uno quiere beber
pero el agua no está cerca.
Qué hacer, tú lo sabes,
conservar la distancia,
renunciar a lo natural,
y dejar que el agua corra.
Cómo vas ser mi amiga
cuando esta carta recibas,
un mensaje hay entre lineas,
cómo quieres ser mi amiga.
Cuando uno tiene sed
pero el agua no está cerca,
cuando uno quiere beber
pero el agua no está cerca.
@aratis76
Lo entendí muy tarde: Yo soy piel, sed y pasión. Tú eres razón, agua y ley. Por ello no logramos coincidir, pero te amo con todo ese frenesí que soy capaz.
@ospina553
La peor forma de extrañar a alguien es estar sentado a su lado y saber que nunca la vas a tener
@linafranca8793
"Razón y piel, difícil mezcla. Agua y sed, serio problema". ¡Qué poeta! Me encanta <3
@evelynloor7025
Que hacer, tu lo sabes, renunciar a lo natural, conservar la distancia, y dejar que el agua corra!
Que frase!
@amandacastroalbarracin2761
No se puede ser amigo, de quien quieres con el corazón...
@alvaromarin7044
una de las canciones mas exitosas de jarabe de palo.. letras románticas que siguen vigentes
@roxannamarin4152
Aun no puedo describir lo que esta canción causa en mi
@snoopyteampink
Se me encoge el corazón cada vez q escucho esta canción, es una maravilla, la letra, el ritmo, los instrumentos, el video.. TODO, cada segundo deja un rastro de sensibilidad, y sobre todo cuando uno entiende lo q quiere expresar, agua y sed... querer y no estar al alcanze
@Akire098
Jarabe de Palo es, sin duda, una de las bandas que conserva ese estilo propio e original. Realmente, sus letras tiene un valor de conciencia. Jarabe de Palo, gracias. Hicieron que mis noches sean menos frías.
@amaurys1000
La canción de la FRIENDZONE.