I think this is originally by Amália and based on a poem by Camões, but I like this version a lot. That pianist really needs to sort his posture out though. I’ve never really been that interested in Camané but the Humanos videos I’ve been watching have really made me warm to him.
English
Portuguese
Com que voz chorarei meu triste fado Que em tão dura paixão me sepultou Que mor não seja a dor que me deixou o tempo Que me deixou o tempo de meu bem desenganado De meu bem desenganado
With what voice will I cry my sad Fado That has entombed me in this hard passion May the love not be pain that allowed me the time Allowed me the time of my disenchanted lover Of my disenchanted lover
Mas chorar não se estima neste estado Aonde suspirar nunca aproveitou Triste quero viver, pois se mudou em tristeza Pois se mudou em tristeza a alegria do passado A alegria do passado De tanto mal, a causa é amor puro Devido a quem de mim tenho ausente Por quem a vida e bens dele aventuro
But crying isn’t appreciated in this state Where I never took the time to breathe I want to live sadly because it turned into sadness It turned into sadness, the happiness of the past The happiness of the past Pure love is the cause of so much evil Owning to the one who is away from me For whom I risk life and all its benefits
Com que voz chorarei meu triste fado Que em tão dura paixão me sepultou Que mor não seja a dor que me deixou o tempo Que me deixou o tempo de meu bem desenganado De meu bem desenganado, desenganado
With what voice will I cry my sad Fado That has entombed me in this hard passion May the love not be pain that allowed me the time Allowed me the time of my disenchanted lover Of my disenchanted lover
Ouvi uma canção recentemente chamada “Tu Não Prendas o Cabelo”. É muito portuguesa. Fiz uma pesquisa para saber mais sobre a origem e por acaso a história é cativante! A canção foi escrita por um compositor chamado José Pinhal. Pinhal não teve grande sucesso na sua vida. Tinha perdido uma perna na guerra colonial. A guerra acabou quando o cantor tinha 22 anos. Que desperdício da vida é a guerra. Durante a sua vida, o Pinhal encontrou pouco sucesso. Editou 3 álbuns em cassete e cantou em espetáculos, romarias e festas regionais. Quando faleceu num acidente rodoviária com 41 anos o mundo esqueceu-se dele.
Mas a história não acabou com a sua morte, porque duas décadas depois, uma fã do cantor carregou as suas músicas na internet e a sua fama espalhou-se boca-a-boca. Em 2016 nasceu um grupo de tributo chamado “José Pinhal Post-Mortem Experience”. A história deste cantor até chegou à imprensa estrangeira (mas confesso que eu não sabia nada disso!) e tem sido assunto de documentários na internet e na RTP.
While I was looking for a video of that (there isn’t one!) I found a version from Canta-me uma história so I decided to translate that instead. This is a cover from João Sábita and he’s changed the bulk of the lyrics to match his personality (which I’ll talk more about tomorrow).
This should be fun. The subtitles are written in dialect and I’m not sure I’m going to be able to transcribe it all. Cover me, I’m going in!
English
Portuguese
Tu não prendas o cabelo Eu gosto de solto vê-lo, pois te fica bem, quando nele dá no vento
Don’t tie up your hair I like to see it loose Because it suits you When the wind catches it
Que lindo é o teu cabelo Que chega até a cintura És a minha estranha loucura És lenha da minha fogueira Tens um sorriso à maneira*
Your hair is so lovely It goes down to your waist You’re my strange madness You’re the wood for my bonfire You have a smile that’s just right
Tu és o meu arroz de tamboril Tu és a isca do meu anzol Tu és os remos do meu candil Os teus olhos alumiam como o farol
You are my Arroz de Tamboril** You are the bait on my fishing hook You are the oars on my fishing boat*** Your eyes lit up like the lighthouse
Tu és o meu bicho de estimação Tu és o meu gazol**** de gerador Tu és o cordel do meu estendal Tu és o meu amor da carnaval
You are my pet You are the fuel for my generator You are the cord of my washing line You are my carnival love
***Tricky one, this. A candil is a kind of lamp so why the hell would it have oars? Well, the clue is that João Cabita was performing the song at a Carnival in Nazaré and he must have added this in to give it extra colour because a Barco de candil is a very pretty, colourful, traditional boat which… well, information is a bit sparse about it on the internet, but maybe typical to Nazaré specifically(?) According to this guy’s web page, it is maybe called that because they have a lamp attached so you can go fishing by lamplight (“Pesca do candil”).
****Whether he’s referring to Gazol the brand of liquid petroleum gas or it’s just short for gasolina I’m not sure.
Well that was fun. I feel a bit guilty that I haven’t done the original song, but I wanted the challenge of trying to unravel their accents
This is another António Variações cover by Humanos and it’s a banger.
The lyrics are pretty paradoxical: “I only want to be where I’m not, I only want to go where I’m not going”. Even the title is a bit hard to render into english: “Estou Além” means “I am beyond” but that isn’t any good. How about “I’ve gone beyond”. Nah, that sounds like he’s died. Well, he has, but I am pretty sure that didn’t happen till after he wrote it. Maybe something like “I’m far out” or “I’m out there!” Too trippy? “I’m miles away”? Nah, it sounds like he’s just daydreaming. I think I like “I’m elsewhere” best but I’m not sure I could defend that in a court of law. If anyone has any better ideas, let me know in the comments.
English
Portuguese
Não consigo dominar Este estado de ansiedade A pressa de chegar P’ra não chegar tarde
Não sei do que é que eu fujo Será desta solidão Mas porque é que eu recuso Quem quer dar-me a mão
I can’t control This state of excitement The rush to arrive To not arrive late
I don’t know what I’m running from Maybe this loneliness But why do I refuse Anyone who gives me their hand
Vou continuar a procurar A quem eu me quero dar Porque até aqui eu só
Quero quem quem eu nunca vi Porque eu só quero quem Quem não conheci
I’ll keep on searching For someone I want to give myself to Because up to now, I only
Want who, who I’ve never seen Because I only want The one I’ve never met
Porque eu só quero quem Quem eu nunca vi Porque eu só quero quem Quem não conheci
Porque eu só quero quem Quem eu nunca vi
Because I only want who I’ve never seen Because I only want The one I’ve never met
Because I only want who I’ve never seen
Esta insatisfação Não consigo compreender Sempre esta sensação Que estou a perder
Tenho pressa de sair Quero sentir ao chegar Vontade de partir P’ra outro lugar
This insatisfaction I can’t understand Always this sensation That I am missing out
I’m in a hurry to leave I want to feel at the departure An urge to leave For somewhere else
Vou continuar a procurar O meu mundo O meu lugar Porque até aqui eu só
Estou bem aonde eu não estou Porque eu só quero ir Aonde eu não vou
I’ll keep on looking My world My place Because up to now I only
I am on my way to where I am not Because I only want to go To where I am not going
Porque eu só estou bem Aonde eu não estou Porque eu só quero ir Aonde eu não vou
Porque eu só estou bem Aonde não estou
Because I’m only OK When I’m where I’m not Because I only want to go Where I’m not going
Because I’m only OK When I’m where I’m not
Esta insatisfação Não consigo compreender Sempre esta sensação Que estou a perder
Tenho pressa de sair Quero sentir ao chegar Vontade de partir P’ra outro lugar
This insatisfaction I can’t understand Always this sensation That I am missing out
I’m in a hurry to leave I want to feel at the departure An urge to leave For somewhere else
Vou continuar a procurar A minha forma O meu lugar Porque até aqui eu só
Estou bem aonde eu não estou Porque eu só quero ir Aonde eu não vou
I’ll keep on looking My form My place Because up to now I only
I am on my way to where I am not Because I only want to go To where I am not going
Porque eu só estou bem Aonde eu não estou Porque eu só quero ir Aonde eu não vou
Porque eu só estou bem Aonde não estou
Estou bem aonde eu não estou Porque eu só quero ir Aonde eu não vou
Because I’m only OK When I’m where I’m not Because I only want to go Where I’m not going
Because I’m only OK When I’m where I’m not
I am on my way to where I am not Because I only want to go To where I am not going
Porque eu só estou bem Aonde eu não estou Porque eu só quero ir Aonde eu não vou
Porque eu só estou bem Aonde eu não estou Porque eu só quero ir Aonde eu não vou
Because I’m only OK When I’m where I’m not Because I only want to go Where I’m not going Because I’m only OK When I’m where I’m not Because I only want to go Where I’m not going
Porque eu só estou bem Aonde eu não estou Porque eu só quero ir Aonde eu não vou
Porque eu só estou bem Aonde eu não estou Porque eu só quero ir Aonde eu não vou
Because I’m only OK When I’m where I’m not Because I only want to go Where I’m not going
Because I’m only OK When I’m where I’m not Because I only want to go Where I’m not going
Mais uma tradução! Após de mergulhar no mar de política, mereço uns dias de diversão não achas? Esta cancão é incrível. Por um lado, lembra-me daquela colaboração entre Dulce Pontes e os Moonspell: Um homem de barba a rugir no palco e depois a mulher abre a boca e rebenta com tudo. Por outro lado, também tem letras interessantes com umas expressões idiomáticas úteis.
Português
Inglês
Eu não nasci em berço d’ouro Felizmente há quem pense no amor e no apreço como um bem mais valioso E o preço que eu penso que valha Aos olhos de muita gente nem um terço calha Tenho o passado presente, com meu futuro na mente Perguntam se sou vidente ou mais um canalha Mas venha só um que tente meter-se na minha frente Derrubar tudo o que penso só pra ver que falha
I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth* Luckily there are those who think of love and appreciation as a more valuable good And the price I think it’s worth It isn’t worth a third in the eyes of others I have the past present with my future in mind They ask if I’m a visionary or just another lowlife But just let one person get in my way To tear down everything only to see that he fails
Vivo como antigamente, alguém que represente Porque eu baixo a cabeça quando a mãe me ralha Se pra ti eu sou diferente, então fica ciente Que esta vida te deu tudo e tu só comes palha Fui forjado p’rá batalha, eu tenho um compromisso Fiz-me homem de vontades e a fome nem deu por isso Se queres ouvir verdades então fica submisso Não venhas para aqui com frases só p’ra encher chouriço
I live like back in the day, someone who respresents Because I hang my head when my mother tells me off If I’m different from you, then be aware That this life gave you everything and you only eat straw I was forged for battle, I have a commitment I made myself a man of will and the hunger didn’t even notice If you want to hear truths then keep quiet Don’t come round here with phrases just to pass the time of day**
E é assim que guardo a meu lado Os olhos de quem me ama As vozes de quem chama por mim E quando tudo chegar ao fim Direi adeus sorrindo
And that’s how I keep at my side The eyes of those who love me The voices of those who call for me And when everything comes to an end I’ll say goodbye, smiling
Puto mimado, beijocas das tias e vias nos olhos do meu pai babado Lágrimas frias entre as melodias sempre que me ouvias a cantar o fado Todos os dias vos tive a meu lado minha raíz que foi presa sem nós Vivi feliz porque não sabia as saudades que iria ter dos meus avós Ouçam a minha voz, vós aí em cima eu fiz esta rima pra vos ver sorrir Se há coisa que a vida ensina, é que a dor em si É ter de aceitar a sina de vos ver partir Mas assim não, não dá p’ra não sentir A cicatriz é grande e marca o tempo que os perdi Protegem-me a cada passo que dou e eu agradeço Beijando sempre o meu braço quando vou dormir
Spoiled child, kisses from the aunties and you used to see in the eyes of my doting father*** Cold tears among the melodies whenever you hear me sing fado Every day I had you at my side my root that was trapped without us I lived happy because I didn’t know how much I would miss my grandparents Listen to my voice, you up there, I made this rhyme just so I could see you smile If life teaches us anything its that pain itself Is having to accept the inevitability of seeing you go The scar is deep and marks the time I lost them They protect me every step I take and I thank them Always kissing my arm when i go to sleep
Nem tudo foram favas contadas Se achavas que eu vinha queixar das minhas amarguras De portas fechadas e cartas rasgadas de amor acreditem há vidas mais duras Eu fico grato pelo facto de ter no momento exacto Histórias de vitórias pelos meus actos E há que ver que só vivo a vida se for destaque Vim para tapar os fracassos sem me enterrar em buracos
It wasn’t all preordained**** If you thought I was coming to complain about my bitterness of closed doors and torn up love letters, believe me there are harder lives I’m grateful for the fact of having at the exact moment Stories and victories of my actions And you have to see I only live life if I’m at the forefront I came to cover the weaknesses without burying myself in holes
E é assim que guardo a meu lado Os olhos de quem me ama As vozes de quem chama por mim E quando tudo chegar ao fim Direi adeus sorrindo
And that’s how I keep at my side The eyes of those who love me The voices of those who call for me And when everything comes to an end I’ll say goodbye, smiling
E é assim que guardo a meu lado Os olhos de quem me ama As vozes de quem chama por mim E quando tudo chegar ao fim Direi adeus sorrindo de obrigado
And that’s how I keep at my side The eyes of those who love me The voices of those who call for me And when everything comes to an end I’ll say goodbye, smiling thank you
*Actually, “Nascer em berço de ouro” means to be born in a golder cradle, but this is the nearest english equivalent
**Encher chouriço(s) is another expression: busy-work, filling up time by talking or doing something without any real purpose. In brasil they would say encher linguiça.
***I’m not sure this is an expression as such, but pai babado sounds like it should mean drooling father. Seems like a weird choice of words, but it’s actually a way of saying doting father, and that makes a lot more sense in context!
****Favas contadas is an expression meaning something inevitable
OK, having had that confusion about the authorship of “Quero É Viver”, I might as well do a translation of it. This version, by Humanos, is absolutely amazing! I love Sara’s too, but this is a real contrast in the tone. It’s much more in-your-face, more defiant and less dreamy. I’d always thought of it as sounding like someone just wanting to survive something, but with this arrangement it sounds more like someone trying to squeeze every last drop of life. Well, I think a lot of Variações’s songs are like that (check out “O Corpo é que Paga“, for example!), so that shouldn’t surprise me.
Camané is a great choice of vocalist too, because his voice has that same wobble in it as Variações, but he’s a better singer than (Sorry, I know Variações is a god, but it’s true).
Also, Camané’s eyebrows are always on fleek.
OK, Let’s do this! Headphones all the way up!
Portuguese
English
Vou viver até quando eu não sei que me importa o que serei quero é viver Amanhã, espero sempre um amanhã e acredito que será mais um prazer
I’m going to live Until when, I don’t know What does it matter to me what I’ll be I want to really live Tomorrow I always look forward to another tomorrow And I believe it will be Another pleasure
e a vida é sempre uma curiosidade que me desperta com a idade interessa-me o que está para vir a vida em mim é sempre uma certeza que nasce da minha riqueza do meu prazer em descobrir encontrar, renovar, vou fugir ou repetir
And life is always a curiosity That opens my eyes with age Interests me in what is to come Life in me is always a certainty That’s born of my abundance From the pleasure I take in discovery Find, renew, escape or repeat
Oh God, that’s good. It’s making me want to go and listen to more Clã and more Camané.
O blogue de hoje é mais uma tradução. O título não segue o acordo ortográfico mas não me importa. A palavra “efe(c)tivamente” é cognata com a palavra inglesa “effectively” mas tem um valor ligeiramente diferente porque é usada muitas vezes em situações nas quais usamos “really”. Lê a segunda definição nesta página para mais informações.
Portuguese
English
Adoro o campo as árvores e as flores Jarros e perpétuos amores Que fiquem perto da esplanada de um bar Pássaros estúpidos a esvoaçar Adoro as pulgas dos cães Todos os bichos do mato O riso das crianças dos outros Cágados de pernas para o ar
I love the field, the trees, the flowers Jugs and everlasting loves That are close to the tables of a bar Stupid birds, fluttering I love the dogs’ fleas All the woodland creatures The laugh of children and others Terrapins with their legs in the air
Efectivamente escuto as conversas Importantes ou ambíguas Aparentemente sem moralizar
Effectively, I listen to important and ambiguous conversations Apparently without moralising.
Adoro as pegas e os pederastas que passam Finjo nem reparar Na atitude tão clara e tão óbvia De quem anda a enganar Adoro esses ratos de esgoto Que disfarçam ao pilar Como se fossem mafiosos convictos Habituados a controlar
I love the whores* and the pederasts who pass by I pretend not to notice In the clear, obvious attitude Of one who is being deceptive I love those sewer rats Who hide behind the pillar As if they were convicted mafiosos Used to being iin control
Efectivamente gosto de aparência Imponente ou inequívoca Aparentemente sem moralizar
Effectively I like imposing or unequivocal appearance Apparently without moralising
Efectivamente gosto de aparência Aparentemente sem moralizar Aparentemente escuto as conversas
Effectively I like appearance apparently without moralising Apparently I listen to conversation
Efectivamente sem moralizar Efectivamente, sem moralizar Aparentemente, sem moralizar Efectivamente
Effectively without moralising Effectively, wothout moralising Apparently, without moralising Effectively
*This could be translated a few different ways but I guess this is the one he means, unless the paedos were chasing a magpie!
This song is actually by Maximiano de Sousa (aka “Max”) but I don’t think there’s a video of him performing it so I went with this cover by Raul Solnado instead. Max is from Funchal, and he says his wife is from Ponta do Sol, a few miles up the south coast. Another nearby town – Camacha – is mentioned too.
As you can see – or maybe you can’t – Solnado is wearing a hat that I recognise as a Maderian style, and I think the clothes are specific to the island too. The set shows a traditional house and I’m pretty sure the musical instruments the guys at the back are using are Brinquinhos*. Solnado is a mainlander from Lisbon so this is definitely cultural appropriation and he would be cancelled if he did this today. Quite right too. Throw him in jail!
I am publishing this on the 3rd of February to commemorate the birthday of another island girl – my wife. Since my birthday is on the 6th of May, she is numerically an older woman for the next 3 months. Feliz Aniversário, velha linda!
Portuguese
English
Casei c’uma velha Da ponta do sol Deitei-a na cama e o raio da velha rasgou-me o lençol Tornei-a a deitar Tornou a rasgar Perdi a cabeça e atirei co’a velha de perna p’ró ar
I married an old lady From Ponta do Sol I laid her in bed but that blasted old lady Tore my sheet** I laid her down again She ripped the sheets again I lost my head and threw the old lady and she landed upside down
A tua mãe foi às lapas O teu pai aos caranguejos Ficaste sozinha em casa, fui*** dar-te abraços e beijos Ó menina da Camacha Diz de mim o que quiseres Menos que não tenho jeito p’ra agasalhar as mulheres
Your mother went to the limpets Your dad to the crabs You stayed at home alone, I went to give you hugs and kisses Oh girl of Camacha Tell me what you want from me Unless I’m just don’t have the knack of taking care of women
*More about traditional Madeiran instruments here if you’re interested.
**I had a little trouble following the action here: When he says “rasgou-me o lençol” did she actually make a hole in the sheets or just tear them away from him? I checked on r/portuguese just to be sure and it’s the former. And then how am I supposed to understand “atirei (com a) velha“? Is he throwing himself on her? No, apparently not. “Atirar com” isn’t in my handy guide to verbs with prepositions, but “atirar-se a” is, and that means to throw yourself at someone in an attack. No, my informant told me atirei com means that he just threw, shoved or otherwise propelled the old lady away. The “com” emphasises the force and “brusquidão” of the “sova” or “arremesso” he gave her (3 new items in the word hoard!), so she ended up “de pernas para o ar” – upside down. Probably not literally, but it wasn’t a graceful landing. Hmm… I think it’s one of those songs that’s really fun to listen to but just try not too hard to think about what it is he’s actually describing.
UPDATE – Well, i was joking about the violence and really imagining it as a kind of slapstick scene, but I am told I should consider it might be much more suggestive. That the legs in the air and the ripping of sheets and the warming up of the women could all be interpreted as taking about his sexual prowess, broadcast in an age when you couldn’t really say this sort of things directly. OK, well, that gives a whole new spin on things!
***Online lyrics say “foi” but I think that’s a typo because it doesn’t make any sense. Oh wait, it says fui in the subtitles doesn’t it! Oh well, glad to know I was right about that!
Translation time! This one of from Cara de Espelho, the new band I mentioned in yesterday’s post about Perdo da Silva Martins. This is one of the singles from the album, or would be if singles were still a thing. It’s a track that got released early. I have to hold my hands up, I totally misunderstood the title, but if you follow the footnotes you’ll see how I gradually came to understand what they meant by Corridinho.
I also wasn’t sure at first what they were saying about “separating” all these different types of people. If you just read the first verse it sounds like he’s complaining about there being too many immigrants or tourists in the country. Of course, that doesn’t tend to be the way Pedro de Silva Martins thinks: his work with Deolinda gave the impression that he was fairly left wing and had quite an open attitude to other people, so it would be surprising if he was now backing CHEGA, but who knows, we all get more right wing as we get older. And of course he’s entitled to his point of view. By the end though, it seems pretty clear that he’s saying “there’s more that unites us than divides us”, which I think is probably a healthier way to look at life, and certainly more fun.
Português
Inglês
Separando o africano do cigano Do chinês, do indiano, ucraniano, muçulmano, do romeno ou tirolês Como vês Sobra muito, muito pouco português, ó pá
Separating the african from the gypsy From the chinese, the indian, ucranian, muslim, from the romanian or tirolean As you see There’s very, very little portuguese left, oh man!
Separando o cristão do taoista, do judeu do islamita, do ateu ou do budista, do baptista mirandês Como vês Sobra muito, muito pouco português, ó pá
Separating the christian from the taoist, from the jew, from the islamist, from the atheist or from the buddhist, from the mirandese baptist As you see There’s very, very little portuguese left, oh man!
E que tal juntar a malta numa boa* A um corridinho** de Lisboa Volta e meia*** e roda o par**** Triste é quem fica a ver dançar
And how about we get all the cool people together For a Lisbon corridinho From time to time and spin the pair Anyone who just watches the dance is sad
Separando o celta do visigodo, O huno do ostrogodo, o romano do suevo, ou o mouro do gaulês Como vês Sobra muito, muito pouco português, ó pá
Separating the celt from the visigoth, The hun from the ostrogoth, the roman from the suebian, or the moor from the gaul As you see There’s very, very little portuguese left, oh man!
Se tu queres ainda separar o gay, Da lésbica, do straight, da mulher, gente de bem, Ou de quem sofre de gaguez Como vês Sobra muito, muito pouco português, ó pá
If you stull want to separate the gay, From the lesbian, from the straight, from the woman, good people, Or from people who stutter As you see There’s very, very little portuguese left, oh man!
E que tal juntar a malta numa boa A um corridinho***** de Lisboa Volta e meia e roda o par Triste é quem fica a ver dançar
And how about we get all the cool people together For a Lisbon corridinho From time to time and spin the pair Anyone who just watches the dance is sad
Ora tenta separar o teu genoma, tu tens tanto de Lisboa como de Rabat ou Doha, tudo soma no que és Como vês Sobra muito, muito pouco português, ó pá Se ainda te faz muita confusão
Well try and separate your genome, You have as much of Lisbon as of Rabat or Doha, It all adds up to who you are As you see, There’s very, very little portuguese left, oh man!
Vai, separa o fótão do protão, do electrão Até desvaneceres de vez Como vês Sobra muito, muito pouco português, ó pá
If it still really confuses you Go, separate the photon from the proton, from the electron Until you disappear for good As you see There’s very, very little portuguese left, oh man!
E que tal juntar a malta numa boa A um corridinho de Lisboa volta e meia e roda o par
Pois…
And how about we get all the cool people together For a Lisbon corridinho From time to time and spin the pair
Sure…
* Numa boa seems to be an expression like “na boa” and “de boa” – basically, cool. OK, I hadn’t heard of that
**OK, I’ll put my hand up, I thought corridinho was related to corrida and that they were talking about some sort of group run. LOL. No, running is quite popular in portugal but in a song about bringing everyone together, a group run would be a bit of a weird way to do it.
***Volta e meia is another expression, meaning once in a while
****It took me a while to work this one out. Roda o par….? Wheel the pair? A pair of wheels? Are they going on a bike ride? What? It doesn’t even flow into the next line. Then I realised, obviously, roda is a verb, so it means “spin” or “rotate”. Rotating the pair: it’s a dance move, I think. I can only really find it in descriptions of brazilian dances like the chupim (part way down this page for example), but there aren’t that many written descriptions of dances so the fact that I couldn’t find an example from portugal doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
*****And so we come full circle: Corridinho is a kind of dance popular in the Algarve. The Wikipedia entry for it doesn’t include the phrase “roda(r) a par”, but both words appear individually multiple times. You can see examples on youtube like this one – which has some excellent saia rodada action.
Translation Time! I got interested in this song because of the audiobook I’m listening to. It’s a non-fiction book about a road-trip through Portugal. The writer pulls up in a town where there’s a big party in full swing and Tony Carreira is playing. He mentions this song being “The seventh encore” and says it is a huge favourite of emigrantes. OK, well, my curiosity is piqued.
(Edit) OK, I just finished the translation and I am sold. OK, I know it’s a bit sentimental, but I don’t care. It’s got heart, it’s got singalongability. What’s not to like?
Portuguese
English
Lembro-me de uma aldeia perdida na beira A terra que me viu nascer Lembro-me de um menino que andava sozinho Sonhava vir um dia a ser
I remember a lost village on the margin The land that saw my birth I remember a little boy who walked alone He dreamed one day he’d become
Sonhava ser cantor de cantigas de amor Com a força de Deus venceu Nessa pequena aldeia O menino era eu
He dreamed of being a singer of love songs With God’s strength, he won through In that little village I was that little boy
E hoje a cantar em cada canção Trago esse lugar no meu coração Criança que fui e homem que sou E nada mudou
And today singing each song I carry that place in my heart Child that I was, and man that I am And nothing has changed.
E hoje a cantar não posso esquecer Aquele lugar que me viu nascer Tão bom recordar aquele cantinho E os sonhos de menino
And today, singing, I can’t forget That place that saw my birth Its so good to remember that little place And the dreams of the little boy
Tenho a vida que eu quis Nem sempre feliz, mas é a vida que eu escolhi Infeliz no amor, mas, no fundo, cantor A vida deu-me o que eu pedi
I have the life that I wanted Not always happy but it’s the life I chose Unlucky in love but at heart a singer Life gave me what I asked for
Se eu pudesse voltar de novo a sonhar Faria o mesmo, podem crer E aquele menino Eu voltaria a ser
If I could go back to the dream again I’d do the same, believe me And that little boy I would be again
E hoje a cantar em cada canção Trago esse lugar no meu coração Criança que fui e homem que sou E nada mudou
And today singing each song I carry that place in my heart Child that I was, and man that I am And nothing has changed.
E hoje a cantar não posso esquecer Aquele lugar que me viu nascer Tão bom recordar aquele cantinho E os sonhos de menino
And today, singing, I can’t forget That place that saw my birth Its so good to remember that little place And the little boy dreams
E hoje a cantar em cada canção Trago esse lugar no meu coração Criança que fui e homem que sou E nada mudou
And today singing each song I carry that place in my heart Child that I was, and man that I am And nothing has changed.
E hoje a cantar não posso esquecer Aquele lugar que me viu nascer Tão bom recordar aquele cantinho E os sonhos de menino
And today, singing, I can’t forget That place that saw my birth Its so good to remember that little place And the little boy dreams
E hoje a cantar em cada canção Trago esse lugar no meu coração Criança que fui e homem que sou E nada mudou
And today singing each song I carry that place in my heart Child that I was, and man that I am And nothing has changed.
E hoje a cantar não posso esquecer Aquele lugar que me viu nascer Tão bom recordar aquele cantinho E os sonhos de menino
And today, singing, I can’t forget That place that saw my birth Its so good to remember that little place And the little boy dreams
E os sonhos de menino Meus sonhos de menino
And the little boy dreams My little boy dreams
In the first version of this I somehow confused my Carreiras and said David Carreira sang this. There is actually a singer with that name, but it’s a different guy!
Another translation – this one from Amália. It’s not one of my favourites but I’ve always been intrigued by the title: Cheira a Lisboa: It smells like Lisbon. OK, well let’s see what that smells like then. Cigarettes and roasted chestnuts mostly, I think, well, OK, there are worse smells.
It’s probably worth remembering the differerence between “cheirar a” and “cheirar de” which is discussed in this blog post from a couple of years back. I’ll translate “cheirar a” as “smells like” not “smells of”. And “Cheira bem” I will translate as “smells good” but it would be more literal to say “it smells well” because bem is an adverb, but that would sound stupid in english.
Portuguese
English
Lisboa já tem Sol mas cheira a Lua Quando nasce a madrugada sorrateira E o primeiro elétrico da rua Faz coro com as chinelas da Ribeira
Lisbon has sun but smells like the moon When the surreptitious dawn breaks And the first tram in the street Makes a chorus with the slippers of Ribeira
Se chove cheira a terra prometida Procissões têm o cheiro a rosmaninho Nas tascas da viela mais escondidas Cheira a iscas com elas e a vinho
If it rains it smells like the promised land Processions have a smell like rosemary In the most hidden backstreet bars It smells of Iscas com Elas and of wine
Um cravo numa água furtada Cheira bem, cheira a Lisboa Uma rosa a florir na tapada Cheira bem, cheira a Lisboa
A carnation hidden in the window It smells good, it smells like Lisbon A rose flourishing in the park It smells good, it smells like Lisbon
A fragata que se ergue na proa A varina que teima em passar Cheiram bem porque são de Lisboa Lisboa tem cheiros de flores e de mar
The frigate that rises up on the prow The fish seller who insists on passing by They smell good because they are from Lisbon Lisbon smells like flowers and the sea
Lisboa cheira aos cafés do Rossio E o fado cheira sempre a solidão Cheira a castanha assada se está frio Cheira a fruta madura quando é verão
Lisboa smells like Rossio cafés And fado always smells like solitude It smells like roasted chestnuts* when it’s cold It smells of ripe fruit when it’s summer
Nos lábios tem um cheiro de um sorriso Manjerico tem cheiro de cantigas E os rapazes perdem o juízo Quando lhes dá o cheiro a raparigas
On its lips it has the hint** of a smile Basil smells like songs And the boys lose their judgement When the smell of girls reaches*** them
Um cravo numa água furtada Cheira bem, cheira a Lisboa Uma rosa a florir na tapada Cheira bem, cheira a Lisboa
A carnation hidden in the window It smells good, it smells like Lisbon A rose flourishing in the park It smells good, it smells like Lisbon
A fragata que se ergue na proa A varina que teima em passar Cheiram bem porque são de Lisboa Lisboa tem cheiros de flores e de mar
The frigate that rises up on the prow The fish seller who insists on passing by They smell good because they are from Lisbon Lisbon smells like flowers and the sea
Cheira bem, cheira a Lisboa Cheira bem, cheira a Lisboa
It smells good, it smells like Lisbon It smells good, it smells like Lisbon
A fragata que se ergue na proa A varina que teima em passar Cheiram bem porque são de Lisboa Lisboa tem cheiros de flores e de mar
The frigate that rises up on the prow The fish seller who insists on passing by They smell good because they are from Lisbon Lisbon smells like flowers and the sea
*Ha! I told you so! She’s got half of it, anyway! The best half!
** I assume “um cheiro” can be “a hint” in this sense.
***I think “lhes dar” is equivalent to “dar a” (eles) which can have the sense of reaching or arriving at something
Luso 