Carolina Deslandes is definitely growing on me. Her lyrics seem really well-crafted. Her voice doesn’t have the earth-shattering power of Sara Correia (the last portuguese singer I went to see), but she’s a different kind of singer and her voice works for the kind of music she’s making. I really like this one.
When I found the lyrics I saw they had transcribed it with “luta” in place of “puta”. You can find videos of her singing it that way on Rádio Comercial, but this video is bleeped out and I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have bleeped luta, so I’m changing it back to what I think must be the original. Como é Linda a Puta de Vida is the name of a book by Miguel Esteves Cardoso, and I don’t know if she pinched the line from him or if it has older roots.
| Português | Inglês |
|---|---|
| Esfolar os joelhos A achar que sabia voar Ignorar os conselhos Que no fim nos iam salvar | Skinning your knees And finding you don’t know how to fly Ignoring the advice That would save us in the end |
| Ser abandonada Não ter onde arrumar o amor Não querer saber de nada E saber-te ao pormenor | Being abandoned Not having a place to put love Not wanting to know anything And knowing yourself in detail |
| Como é linda e caótica A puta da vida, amor Vê lá bem a nossa sorte Vê lá bem o nosso azar Como é linda e caótica A puta da vida, amor Viver a fintar a morte Hoje saímos pra dançar | It’s so beautiful and chaotic The bitch of life, my love. Just look at our good luck Just look at our bad luck It’s so beautiful and chaotic The bitch of life, my love. Living to trick death Today we’re going out dancing |
| Partir o coração Dar razão a quem nos avisou Uma desilusão Uma ferida que nunca sarou | Breaking your heart Proving the people who warned us right A disappointment A wound that never healed |
| Ser traído, chorar Desatar os nós da garganta Querer esquecer e lembrar Quando a saudade é tanta, tanta | Being betrayed, crying Untying the knots in our throat* Wanting to forget and remember When there’s so, so much longing** |
| Como é linda e caótica A puta da vida amor Vê lá bem a nossa sorte Vê lá bem o nosso azar Como é linda e caótica A puta da vida amor Viver a fintar a morte Hoje saímos pra dançar | It’s so beautiful and chaotic The bitch of life, my love. Just look at our good luck Just look at our bad luck It’s so beautiful and chaotic The bitch of life, my love. Living to trick death Today we’re going out dancing |
* Um nó da garganta is what english speakers would call “a lump in the throat”, so she’s talking about grief, panic or some other strong emotion
`**Should I even be translating “saudade” at this point?
Luso 