A Banda – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Chico Buarque

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the enduring charm of Chico Buarque's "A Banda," a masterpiece of Brazilian popular music. This song offers a glimpse into the cultural and political landscape of Brazil in the 1960s, while its universal theme of music's ability to bring joy and unity makes it a timeless piece. Learning "A Banda" provides an opportunity to connect with the rich tradition of MPB and appreciate the poetic storytelling inherent in Brazilian music.

[English]

I was aimlessly in life

My love called me

To see the band pass by

Singing things about love

My suffering people

Said goodbye to pain

To see the band pass by

Singing things about love

The serious man, who counted money, stopped

The lighthouse keeper, who boasted, stopped

The girlfriend, who counted the stars, stopped

To see, hear, and give way

The sad girl, who lived in silence, smiled

The sad rose, which lived closed, opened up

And all the kids got excited

To see the band pass by

Singing things about love

I was aimlessly in life

My love called me

To see the band pass by

Singing things about love

My suffering people

Said goodbye to pain

To see the band pass by

Singing things about love

The old weak man forgot his tiredness and thought

That he was still young enough to go out on the terrace and danced

The ugly girl leaned out the window

Thinking that the band was playing for her

The joyful march spread through the avenue and insisted

The full moon, which lived hidden, appeared

My whole city got dressed up

To see the band pass by

Singing things about love

But to my dismay

What was sweet ended

Everything took its place

After the band passed

And each one in their corner

And in every corner, a pain

After the band passed

Singing things about love

After the band passed

Singing things about love

After the band passed

Singing things about love

After the band passed

Singing things about love...

...

[Portuguese]

Estava à toa na vida

O meu amor me chamou

Pra ver a banda passar

Cantando coisas de amor

A minha gente sofrida

Despediu-se da dor

Pra ver a banda passar

Cantando coisas de amor

O homem sério, que contava dinheiro, parou

O faroleiro, que contava vantagem, parou

A namorada, que contava as estrelas, parou

Para ver, ouvir e dar passagem

A moça triste, que vivia calada, sorriu

A rosa triste, que vivia fechada, se abriu

E a meninada toda se assanhou

Pra ver a banda passar

Cantando coisas de amor

Estava à toa na vida

O meu amor me chamou

Pra ver a banda passar

Cantando coisas de amor

A minha gente sofrida

Despediu-se da dor

Pra ver a banda passar

Cantando coisas de amor

O velho fraco se esqueceu do cansaço e pensou

Que ainda era moço pra sair no terraço e dançou

A moça feia debruçou na janela

Pensando que a banda tocava pra ela

A marcha alegre se espalhou na avenida e insistiu

A lua cheia, que vivia escondida, surgiu

Minha cidade toda se enfeitou

Pra ver a banda passar

Cantando coisas de amor

Mas para meu desencanto

O que era doce acabou

Tudo tomou seu lugar

Depois que a banda passou

E cada qual no seu canto

E em cada canto uma dor

Depois da banda passar

Cantando coisas de amor

Depois da banda passar

Cantando coisas de amor

Depois da banda passar

Cantando coisas de amor

Depois da banda passar

Cantando coisas de amor...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
banda /ˈbanda/ A1	noun - band (musical group)
amor /aˈmoʁ/ A1	noun - love
vida /ˈvida/ A1	noun - life
dor /doʁ/ A2	noun - pain
gente /ˈʒẽtʃi/ A2	noun - people
sorrir /soˈʁiʁ/ A2	verb - to smile
pensar /pẽˈsaʁ/ A2	verb - to think
cidade /siˈdadʒi/ B1	noun - city
estrela /esˈtɾela/ B1	noun - star
triste /ˈtɾiʃtʃi/ B1	adjective - sad
passar /paˈsaʁ/ B1	verb - to pass
dançar /dɐ̃ˈsaʁ/ B1	verb - to dance
cansar /kɐ̃ˈzaʁ/ B2	verb - to tire
alegre /aˈleɡɾi/ B2	adjective - happy
lugar /luˈɡaʁ/ B2	noun - place
esconder /eskõˈdeʁ/ B2	verb - to hide
surgir /suʁˈʒiʁ/ B2	verb - to appear

Key Grammar Structures

• Estava à toa na vida

  ➔ Past continuous tense.

  ➔ The phrase "Estava" indicates an ongoing action in the past.

• Pra ver a banda passar

  ➔ Infinitive form used to express purpose.

  ➔ The phrase "Pra ver" indicates the intention behind the action.

• A minha gente sofrida

  ➔ Adjective used to describe a noun.

  ➔ The adjective "sofrida" describes the noun "gente".

• O homem sério, que contava dinheiro, parou

  ➔ Relative clause providing additional information.

  ➔ The clause "que contava dinheiro" gives more detail about "o homem sério".

• A moça triste, que vivia calada, sorriu

  ➔ Past simple tense.

  ➔ The verb "sorriu" indicates a completed action in the past.

• Mas para meu desencanto

  ➔ Phrase indicating contrast.

  ➔ The word "Mas" introduces a contrasting idea.

• Depois que a banda passou

  ➔ Subordinate clause indicating time.

  ➔ The clause "Depois que a banda passou" indicates when the action occurred.