A Terra Gira – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Os Quatro e Meia

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the nuances of Portuguese through Os Quatro e Meia's "A Terra Gira", a song that poignantly captures the feeling of being out of step with the world. Explore introspective lyrics and rich musicality while learning about Portuguese culture and language.

[English]

I don’t know

Neither how nor when I arrived here

Unaware

I find myself living in a rush

And the world keeps moving

Without looking at us

We want everything

But we live everything alone

The earth spins in the opposite direction

We get dizzy, lost without direction

Running until we run out of breath

And life keeps getting pushed aside

And the two of us keep dreaming

I hardly saw myself

On the way here

Without counting

Running blindly

Not knowing where I’ll end up

And the world keeps moving

Without looking at us

We want everything

But we live everything alone

The earth spins in the opposite direction

We get dizzy, lost without direction

Running until we run out of breath

And life keeps getting pushed aside

And the two of us keep dreaming

...

And the earth spins in the opposite direction

We get dizzy, lost without direction

Running until we run out of breath

And life keeps getting pushed aside

And the two of us keep dreaming

The earth spins in the opposite direction

We get dizzy, lost without direction

Running until we run out of breath

And life keeps getting pushed aside

And the two of us keep dreaming

And the two of us keep going (And the two of us keep going)

And the two of us keep going (And the two of us keep going)

And the two of us keep dreaming

Barely touching the sheets

With the moon lighting up this little room

In an instant, we both fall asleep

But soon it’s time to wake up

...

[Portuguese]

Eu não sei

Nem como, nem quando, aqui cheguei

Sem saber

Dou por mim a viver a correr

E o mundo segue

Sem olhar para nós

Queremos tudo

Mas vivemos tudo a sós

A terra gira em contramão

Ficamos tontos sem direção

Corremos até nos faltar o ar

E a vida vai ficando pra depois

E continuamos os dois a sonhar

Mal me vi

No caminho até chegar aqui

Sem contar

Corro às cegas

Sem saber onde chegar

E o mundo segue

Sem olhar para nós

Queremos tudo

Mas vivemos tudo a sós

A terra gira em contramão

Ficamos tontos sem direção

Corremos até nos faltar o ar

E a vida vai ficando pra depois

E continuamos os dois a sonhar

E a terra gira em contramão

Ficamos tontos sem direção

Corremos até nos faltar o ar

E a vida vai ficando pra depois

E continuamos os dois a sonhar

A terra gira em contramão

Ficamos tontos sem direção

Corremos até nos faltar o ar

E a vida vai ficando pra depois

E continuamos os dois a sonhar

E continuamos os dois (E continuamos os dois)

E continuamos os dois (E continuamos os dois)

E continuamos os dois a sonhar

E mal nos encostamos aos lençóis

Com a lua iluminando este T2

Num instante, adormecemos os dois

Mas logo chega a hora de acordar

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
gira /ˈʒi.ɾɐ/ A2	verb - to turn or revolve
contramão /kõ.tɾɐˈmɐ̃w/ B1	noun - counterflow, opposite direction
direção /dżiˈʁɐ̃sɐ̃/ A2	noun - direction, guidance
sair /saˈiɾ/ A2	verb - to go out, leave
falta /ˈfal.tɐ/ B1	noun - lack, shortage
vida /ˈvi.ðɐ/ A2	noun - life
sonhar /sõˈɲaɾ/ B1	verb - to dream
encostar /ẽʃtõˈstaɾ/ B2	verb - to lean on, to rest against
lua /ˈlu.ɐ/ A1	noun - moon
a /a/ A1	article - the (feminine definite article)
nos /nõs/ A1	pronoun - we, us
quero /ˈke.ɾu/ A2	verb - to want
tudo /ˈtu.dʊ/ A1	pronoun - everything

Key Grammar Structures

• Nem como, nem quando, aqui cheguei

  ➔ Use of negative adverbs 'nem' to express 'neither/nor' in a list

  ➔ 'Nem' is used to connect two negative options, emphasizing that neither is true.

• A terra gira em contramão

  ➔ Use of the verb 'girar' in present tense with preposition 'em' to indicate direction

  ➔ 'Girar' means 'to turn' or 'to spin', and 'em contramão' indicates moving in the opposite direction.

• Corremos até nos faltar o ar

  ➔ Use of the verb 'faltar' in infinitive form to indicate lack or deficiency

  ➔ 'Faltar' means 'to lack' or 'to be missing'. Here, it indicates running until one runs out of breath.

• E a vida vai ficando pra depois

  ➔ Use of the present continuous 'vai ficando' to express an ongoing process

  ➔ 'Vai ficando' is a colloquial way to say 'is becoming' or 'is gradually' in a continuous aspect.

• E continuamos os dois a sonhar

  ➔ Use of the verb 'continuar' with infinitive to express ongoing action

  ➔ 'Continuar' means 'to continue' and is used with an infinitive verb to show ongoing action.