Desconstruindo Amélia – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Pitty
• Album: Chiaroscope

Lyrics & Translation

[Portuguese]

[English]

Já é tarde, tudo está certo

It's already late, everything's in place

Cada coisa posta em seu lugar

Every item put where it should be

Filho dorme, ela arruma o uniforme

The son's asleep, she’s tidying up his uniform

Tudo pronto pra quando despertar

Everything ready for when he wakes up

O ensejo a fez tão prendada

Chance made her so capable

Ela foi educada pra cuidar e servir

She was raised to care and serve

De costume, esquecia-se dela

Usually, she forgot about herself

Sempre a última a sair

Always the last to leave

Disfarça e segue em frente todo dia até cansar

Masks her feelings and keeps going every day until she’s exhausted

E eis que de repente ela resolve então mudar

Then suddenly, she decides to change

Vira a mesa, assume o jogo, faz questão de se cuidar

She flips the script, takes control, makes a point of taking care of herself

Nem serva, nem objeto, já não quer ser o outro

Not a servant, not an object, she no longer wants to be the other

Hoje ela é um também

Today, she’s one too

...

...

A despeito de tanto mestrado

Despite her many degrees

Ganha menos que o namorado

She earns less than her boyfriend

E não entende o porquê

And doesn’t understand why

Tem talento de equilibrista

She’s got the balance of an acrobat

Ela é muitas, se você quer saber

She’s many, if you wanna know

Hoje aos 30 é melhor que aos 18

At 30, she’s better than at 18

Nem Balzac poderia prever

Not even Balzac could have predicted

Depois do lar, do trabalho e dos filhos

After home, work, and kids

Ainda vai pra night ferver

She still goes out at night to have fun

Disfarça e segue em frente todo dia até cansar

Masks her feelings and keeps going every day until she’s exhausted

E eis que de repente ela resolve então mudar

Then suddenly, she decides to change

Vira a mesa, assume o jogo, faz questão de se cuidar

She flips the script, takes control, makes a point of taking care of herself

Nem serva, nem objeto, já não quer ser o outro

Not a servant, not an object, she no longer wants to be the other

Hoje ela é um também

Today, she’s one too

...

...

Disfarça e segue em frente todo dia até cansar

Masks her feelings and keeps going every day until she’s exhausted

E eis que de repente ela resolve então mudar

Then suddenly, she decides to change

Vira a mesa, assume o jogo, faz questão de se cuidar

She flips the script, takes control, makes a point of taking care of herself

Nem serva, nem objeto, já não quer ser o outro

Not a servant, not an object, she no longer wants to be the other

Hoje ela é um também

Today, she’s one too

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
despertar /despeʁˈtaʁ/ B2	verb - to wake up, to awaken
prontamente /pʁɔ̃tamente/ C1	adverb - immediately, promptly
objetos /obuˈʒtuʃ/ B2	noun - objects, things
cuidar /kuˈdaʁ/ B1	verb - to take care of
serva /ˈseɾvɐ/ B2	noun - maid, servant
jogo /ˈʒoɡu/ A2	noun - game
escritório /es.kʁi.toˈɾi.u/ B2	noun - office
talento /taˈlẽtu/ B2	noun - talent, ability
equilibrista /i.ki.ljβɾisˈta/ C1	noun - tightrope walker, acrobat
prever /pɾeˈveʁ/ C1	verb - to foresee, to predict
cuidado /kuˈðaðu/ A2	noun - care
jogo /ˈʒoɡu/ A2	noun - game
mudar /muˈdaʁ/ B1	verb - to change, to alter

Key Grammar Structures

• Já é tarde, tudo está certo

  ➔ Adverb of time + verb "ser" + adjective

  ➔ The sentence uses the adverb "já" (already) to indicate that something is already the case. "É" is the third-person singular present tense of the verb "ser" (to be). "Certo" is an adjective (correct, right).

• O ensejo a fez tão prendada

  ➔ Object pronoun + verb "fazer" + adverb "tão" + adjective

  ➔ "A" is the object pronoun referring to Amelia. "Fez" is the third-person singular past tense of the verb "fazer" (to make, to do). "Tão" (so) intensifies the adjective "prendada" (gifted, skilled).

• Ela foi educada pra cuidar e servir

  ➔ Past passive voice + preposition "para" + infinitive verbs

  ➔ "Foi educada" is the past passive form of the verb "educar" (to educate). "Para cuidar e servir" indicates purpose (in order to take care and serve).

• Sempre a última a sair

  ➔ Adverb of frequency + definite article + adjective + infinitive

  ➔ "Sempre" (always) is an adverb of frequency. "A última" (the last one) is composed of a definite article and adjective. "A sair" (to leave) is an infinitive being used after a noun/pronoun.

• E eis que de repente ela resolve então mudar

  ➔ Exclamatory particle + relative pronoun + adverb + pronoun + verb + adverb + infinitive

  ➔ "E eis que" (and behold) is an exclamatory phrase. "De repente" (suddenly) is an adverb. "Resolve então mudar" (decides then to change) showcases verb conjugation and an infinitive.

• Vira a mesa, assume o jogo, faz questão de se cuidar

  ➔ Imperative verbs + direct object + reflexive pronoun + preposition + infinitive verb

  ➔ "Vira," "assume," and "faz" are imperative verbs (turn, assume, make/do). "Se cuidar" uses a reflexive pronoun "se", indicating she takes care of herself.

• Ganha menos que o namorado

  ➔ Verb "ganhar" (to earn) + adverb "menos" (less) + conjunction "que" (than) + noun (boyfriend)

  ➔ This sentence compares her earnings to her boyfriend's, using the comparative structure "menos que".