Christmas songs
Los peces en el río
The traditional Spanish Christmas carol «pero mira cómo beben los peces en el río» (“look how the fish in the river drink”), with a new story: five friends carry a paper star to the nativity, decorate it with little bells, a lantern and flowers, clap by the river and celebrate Christmas together.
Lyrics in Spanish with English translation
The English meaning is under each line.
La Virgen se está peinandoThe Virgin is combing her hairentre cortina y cortina;between curtain and curtain;los cabellos son de oro,her hair is made of gold,los peines de plata fina.the combs of fine silver.
Pero mira cómo bebenBut look how they drink,los peces en el río,the fish in the river,pero mira cómo bebenbut look how they drinkpor ver a Dios nacido.to see God born.Beben y bebenThey drink and drinky vuelven a beber,and drink again,los peces en el ríothe fish in the riverpor ver a Dios nacer.to see God be born.
Una estrella de papelA paper starlleva el grupo hasta el portal.leads the group to the nativity.Con un lazo y una cintaWith a bow and a ribbonhoy la quieren adornar.today they want to decorate it.
Uno trae las campanitas,One brings the little bells,otro enciende un farol.another lights a lantern.Los demás ponen las flores,The others put out the flowers,y se llena de color.and it fills with color.
Pero mira cómo bebenBut look how they drink,los peces en el río,the fish in the river,pero mira cómo bebenbut look how they drinkpor ver a Dios nacido.to see God born.Beben y bebenThey drink and drinky vuelven a beber,and drink again,los peces en el ríothe fish in the riverpor ver a Dios nacer.to see God be born.
La Virgen está lavandoThe Virgin is washingy tendiendo en el romero,and hanging clothes on the rosemary,los pajaritos cantandothe little birds singingy el romero floreciendo.and the rosemary blooming.
Una brisa mueve el agua,A breeze moves the water,tiembla el junco al compás.the reed trembles to the beat.Los amigos dan las palmasThe friends clap their handsy los peces vienen más.and more fish come along.
Pero mira cómo bebenBut look how they drink,los peces en el río,the fish in the river,pero mira cómo bebenbut look how they drinkpor ver a Dios nacido.to see God born.Beben y bebenThey drink and drinky vuelven a beber,and drink again,los peces en el ríothe fish in the riverpor ver a Dios nacer.to see God be born.
Ya se encienden las ventanas,Now the windows light up,suena alegre el cascabel.the jingle bell rings happily.Cinco amigos van cantandoFive friends go singingcon su estrella de papel.with their paper star.
Pero mira cómo bebenBut look how they drink,los peces en el río,the fish in the river,pero mira cómo bebenbut look how they drinkpor ver a Dios nacido.to see God born.Beben y bebenThey drink and drinky vuelven a beber,and drink again,los peces en el ríothe fish in the riverpor ver a Dios nacer.to see God be born.
Cinco amigos, una estrellaFive friends, a stary un abrazo al terminar.and a hug at the end.Con cariño y alegría,With love and joy,celebramos Navidad.we celebrate Christmas.
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How to say it
Spanish vowels are short and clear: a (ah), e (eh), i (ee), o (oh), u (oo). Capital letters mark the stressed syllable.
- los peces
- lohs PEH-sehs · the fish
- el río
- ehl RREE-oh · the river
- beben
- BEH-behn · they drink
- estrella
- ehs-TREH-yah · star
- campanitas
- kahm-pah-NEE-tahs · little bells
- Navidad
- nah-bee-DAHD · Christmas
Off-screen
Sing it with actions
- On «pero mira cómo beben» (“but look how they drink”), point at the river with your arm stretched out.
- On «beben y beben» (“they drink and drink”), put your hands together like a little fish opening and closing its mouth, and on «vuelven a beber» (“drink again”), do it again!
- In the verses about the Virgin, pretend to comb your hair slowly and then to wash and hang up clothes.
- When the group decorates the nativity, pretend to hang up the star, ring the little bells and light a lantern.
- On «los amigos dan las palmas» (“the friends clap their hands”), clap! At the end, a big hug to celebrate Christmas.
- Singing together:
- The chorus comes back four times: once your child knows it, pause before «beber» (“drink”) or «río» (“river”) so they can say it.
- Good for practicing:
- Keeping the beat with actions and claps, repeating a chorus and getting to know a Christmas tradition.
All the lyrics in the songbookLesson plan for the classroomMore songs with actions
Where it comes from
«Los peces en el río» (“The Fish in the River”) is a traditional Spanish Christmas carol by an unknown author. The verse «La Virgen está lavando y tendiendo en el romero» (“The Virgin is washing and hanging clothes on the rosemary”) was printed by Fernán Caballero in 1859 among Andalusian Christmas Eve verses, still without the fish chorus. Fish celebrating «por ver a Dios nacido» (“to see God born”) appear in 1903 in a songbook from Burgos, as «brincan y bailan los peces en el río» (“the fish in the river jump and dance”). The chorus sung today, «pero mira cómo beben» (“but look how they drink”), was collected in 1949 by folklorist Arcadio de Larrea in Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cádiz) as a Christmas Eve song. The verses about the star and the five friends in our video are new.
Sources:
- Fernán Caballero, Cuentos y poesías populares andaluces (Sevilla, 1859), p. 425 (opens external site)
- Federico Olmeda, Folk-lore de Castilla o Cancionero popular de Burgos (1903), «La Virgen es panadera» (registro del CSIC) (opens external site)
- Arcadio de Larrea, Misión 39 (1949), «Pero mira cómo beben», Sanlúcar de Barrameda (registro del CSIC) (opens external site)