Our first song about wishes and preferences. The melody is more than a hundred years old, from the mountains of Peru.
Learn from Songs · Unit 9d: Wishes, regrets and preferences · A2–B1
El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)
A Peruvian melody with English words about freedom and choices: I’d rather… for preferences (I’d rather be free than rich), I’d rather… than…, prefer… to…, and I would if I could, with Philo, Sophia, Marcos and Demetria, and the condor of the Andes.
SOPHIA
PHILO
And the words?
SOPHIA
The English words are by Paul Simon. They are a list of choices: I’d rather be this than that, if only I could.
MARCOS
I’d rather be a lion than a mouse!
Before you listen: the song
Lima, 1913; Paris, 1965; New York, 1970
The melody of “El Cóndor Pasa” (“The Condor Passes”) was written in 1913 by the Peruvian composer Daniel Alomía Robles, for a musical play, inspired by the traditional music of the Andes. The condor, a huge bird that lives in the mountains, is a symbol of freedom. In 2004, Peru declared the song part of its national cultural heritage.
In 1965, in Paris, the young Paul Simon heard a group of Andean musicians, Los Incas, playing it with flutes and charango. He loved it, and in 1970 Simon & Garfunkel recorded it with new English words on their album Bridge over Troubled Water.
In the song, the singer lists his preferences, always choosing between two things: the free one and the trapped one, the strong one and the weak one, the natural one and the man-made one. He would choose freedom, if only he could.
I would, if I could.
Listen: the choices
PHILO
Listen once. The singer compares pairs of things. Which does he prefer each time? What do his choices have in common?
SOPHIA
Listen to the Andean flutes. Then answer Section A.
🦅 Listen to the song: “El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)” (melody by Daniel Alomía Robles, 1913; English words by Paul Simon), sung by Simon & Garfunkel (1970).Listen to the official recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “El Cóndor Pasa”, Simon & Garfunkel.Read the lyrics →
I’d rather: preferences
DEMETRIA
I’d rather walk. I’d rather be a lion than a sheep.
SOPHIA
would rather (’d rather) + base verb = would prefer: I’d rather stay at home tonight. To compare: I’d rather + verb + than + verb: I’d rather read than watch TV. Negative: I’d rather not.
Prefer: general preferences
MARCOS
I prefer tea to coffee. I prefer walking to driving.
SOPHIA
prefer + noun / -ing + to + noun / -ing for general preferences. would prefer + to + verb for a particular situation: I’d prefer to sit outside. Careful: prefer… to, not prefer… than!
I would if I could
PHILO
Would you come? I would if I could, but I can’t.
SOPHIA
A short second conditional, very common in speech: I would if I could = I want to, but it isn’t possible. Also: I’d help you if I could. I’d love to, but…
Sophia’s comparison: Daedalus and Icarus
SOPHIA
Daedalus and his son Icarus were prisoners on Crete. Daedalus made wings of feathers and wax, so they could fly away like birds. They would rather risk the sky than stay in prison.
PHILO
And the psalmist: oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.
DEMETRIA
So the wish to fly like a bird is very old.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| would rather + base verb | would prefer (now) | I’d rather walk. |
| would rather… than… | choosing between two actions | I’d rather read than watch TV. |
| prefer… to… | general preferences | I prefer tea to coffee. |
| would prefer + to + verb | a particular situation | I’d prefer to sit outside. |
| I would if I could | a wish that isn’t possible | I’d help you if I could. |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. Where does the melody come from?
2. What is the condor a symbol of?
3. What does the singer do in the song?
4. What do his choices have in common?
5. Where did Paul Simon first hear the melody?
6. Which instruments can you hear?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. I’d walk than take the bus.
8. I’d rather read watch TV.
9. I prefer tea coffee.
10. I’d prefer sit outside, please.
11. I’d help you if I , but I can’t.
12. I’d rather go out tonight. I’m tired. (negative)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “I’d rather to stay at home.”
14. “I prefer swimming to running.”
15. “I prefer tea than coffee.”
16. “I’d rather walk than drive.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Would you rather…? In pairs, ask and answer: Would you rather be a bird or a fish? Would you rather live in the mountains or by the sea? Explain why.
Discuss. 1. What does freedom mean to you? 2. Why do you think the condor is a symbol of freedom? 3. Is it right for a singer to borrow a melody from another culture?
Write (60–80 words). I’d rather… Write a short poem like the song: five pairs of choices, each with I’d rather… than…, and finish with I would, if I could.