Portuguese Ska! Skaudade?
The lyrics of this one remind me of X-Ray Spex: the idea that consumer society means everything – and everybody – is plastic and disposable. I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as X-Ray Spex, unfortunately, but each to their own. Chiclete is one of those annoying words that’s feminine in European Portuguese and masculine in Brazilian Portuguese. I think “Pastilha Elástica” is a more common way of describing chewing gum, but I guess it doesn’t sound as good in the song, so here we are!
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| E como tudo o que é coisa que promete A gente vê como uma chiclete Que se prova, mastiga e deita fora, sem demora Como esta música é produto acabado Da sociedade de consumo imediato Como tudo o que se promete nesta vida, chiclete | And like everything promising We see it like a chiclet That can be tasted, chewed and thrown away without delay Like this song is a finished product Of a consumer society Like everything promising in this life, chiclet |
| Chiclete Aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua Chiclete | Chiclet Aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua Chiclet |
| E nesta altura e com muita inquietação Faço um reparo e quero abrir uma excepção Um casse-tete* nunca será não, chiclete Pra que tudo continue sem parar Fundamental levar a vida a dançar Nesta vida que tanto promete, chiclete | And right now, and with a lot of agitation I make a correction and I want to make an exception It will never be a puzzle, chiclet So that everything continues without stopping It’s essential to go through life dancing In this life that promises so much, chiclet |
| Chiclete Aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua Chiclete | Chiclet Aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua Chiclet |
| E como tudo o que é coisa que promete A gente vê como uma chiclete Que se prova, mastiga e deita fora, sem demora Como esta música é produto acabado Da sociedade de consumo imediato Como tudo o que se promete nesta vida, chiclete | And like everything promising We see it as a chiclet That can be tasted, chewed and thrown away without delay Like this song is a finished product Of a consumer society Like everything promising in this life, chiclet |
| Chiclete Aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua Chiclete, chiclete, chiclete, chiclete Chiclete, chiclete, chiclete, chiclete Chiclete (Prova) Chiclete (Mastiga) Chiclete (Deita fora) Chiclete (Sem demora) | Chiclet Aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua-aua Chiclet, chiclet, chiclet, chiclet Chiclet, chiclet, chiclet, chiclet Chiclet (Taste) Chiclet (Chew) Chiclet (Throw away) Chiclet (No delay) |
*=This is french. Boooooo!
Luso 
Hi! The word “cassetete” in portuguese means “baton”, like those used by the police. I’m not sure what exactly they meant by this in the song, but I’m guessing since Portugal became free from the dictatorship just a few years before the release of this song, this is mentioning the police brutality felt at that time.
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Obrigado Sofia! Que interessante! Eu sei que casse-tete =quebra cabeça em francês e que usa-se a palavra na mesma maneira, mas o que disseste também faz todo o sentido. Obrigado pela informação!
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