Esquadros – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Adriana Calcanhotto

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the poetic depth of Adriana Calcanhotto's "Esquadros," a song that invites listeners to explore themes of perception, isolation, and connection. Through its evocative lyrics and melancholic melody, "Esquadros" offers a unique lens through which to reflect on our own experiences and potentially deepen an understanding of the Portuguese language.

[English]

I walk through the world paying attention

To colors I don't know the names of

Colors of Almodóvar

Colors of Frida Kahlo, colors

Walking in the dark

With careful attention to what my sister hears

Like a second skin, a callus, a shell

A protective capsule

Oh, oh, I want to arrive before

To signal the presence of everything

Filter its degrees

I walk through the world entertaining people

Crying on the phone

And seeing hunger painfully felt in children who are hungry

Through the window of the room

Through the car window

Through the screen, through the window

Who is she? Who is she?

I see everything framed

Remote control

I walk through the world

And what are cars rushing for?

Where are the children running to?

Traffic between two sides, on one side

I like opposites

I show my way, I reveal myself

Who do I sing for?

Through the window of the room

Through the car window

Through the screen, through the window

Who is she? Who is she?

I see everything framed

Remote control

I walk through the world and my friends, where are they?

My joy, my exhaustion

My love, where are you, where are you?

I woke up

No one beside me

Through the window of the room

Through the car window

Through the screen, through the window

Who is she? Who is she?

I see everything framed

Remote control

I walk through the world and my friends, where are they?

My joy, my exhaustion

My love, where are you, where are you?

I woke up

No one beside me

Through the window of the room

Through the car window

Through the screen, through the window

Who is she? Who is she?

I see everything framed

Remote control

I woke up, no one

...

[Portuguese]

Eu ando pelo mundo prestando atenção

Em cores que eu não sei o nome

Cores de Almodóvar

Cores de Frida Kahlo, cores

Passeio pelo escuro

Com muita atenção no que minha irmã ouve

E como uma segunda pele, um calo, uma casca

Uma cápsula protetora

Ah, ah, eu quero chegar antes

Pra sinalizar o estar de cada coisa

Filtrar seus graus

Eu ando pelo mundo divertindo gente

Chorando ao telefone

E vendo doer a fome nos meninos que têm fome

Pela janela do quarto

Pela janela do carro

Pela tela, pela janela

Quem é ela? Quem é ela?

Eu vejo tudo enquadrado

Remoto controle

Eu ando pelo mundo

E os automóveis correm para quê?

As crianças correm para onde?

Transito entre dois lados, de um lado

Eu gosto de opostos

Exponho meu modo, me mostro

Eu canto para quem?

Pela janela do quarto

Pela janela do carro

Pela tela, pela janela

Quem é ela? Quem é ela?

Eu vejo tudo enquadrado

Remoto controle

Eu ando pelo mundo e meus amigos, cadê?

Minha alegria, meu cansaço

Meu amor, cadê, cadê você?

Eu acordei

Não tem ninguém ao lado

Pela janela do quarto

Pela janela do carro

Pela tela, pela janela

Quem é ela? Quem é ela?

Eu vejo tudo enquadrado

Remoto controle

Eu ando pelo mundo e meus amigos, cadê?

Minha alegria, meu cansaço

Meu amor, cadê, cadê você?

Eu acordei

Não tem ninguém ao lado

Pela janela do quarto

Pela janela do carro

Pela tela, pela janela

Quem é ela? Quem é ela?

Eu vejo tudo enquadrado

Remoto controle

Eu acordei, não tem ninguém

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
pelo /ˈpe.lo/ A2	preposition - through, by, along
janela /ʒaˈne.lɐ/ A2	noun - window
mundo /ˈmũ.du/ A2	noun - world
cores /ˈkɔ.ʁis/ A2	noun (plural) - colors
andando /ɐ̃ˈdɐ̃.du/ B1	verb - walking, moving
andor /ˈɐ̃.du/ B2	noun - walk, stroll
palavra /paˈla.vɾɐ/ A2	noun - word
andamento /ɐ̃ˈdɐ.tʃi.nu/ B2	noun - progress, course, pace
gente /ˈʒẽ.tʃi/ A2	noun - people
caminho /kɐˈmi.ɲu/ A2	noun - path, way
vida /ˈvi.dɐ/ A1	noun - life

Key Grammar Structures

• Eu ando pelo mundo prestando atenção Em cores que eu não sei o nome

  ➔ Relative clauses with 'que'

  ➔ The clause "que eu não sei o nome" is a relative clause modifying "cores". "Que" acts as the relative pronoun, meaning 'that/which'. This line showcases how a relative pronoun connects a subordinate clause to a noun.

• Pra sinalizar o estar de cada coisa

  ➔ Infinitive as a noun (o estar)

  ➔ Here, "estar" (to be) is preceded by the definite article "o", which turns the verb into a noun. It means 'the being' or 'the state of being'. This demonstrates the nominalization of verbs.

• Eu ando pelo mundo divertindo gente Chorando ao telefone E vendo doer a fome nos meninos que têm fome

  ➔ Gerunds expressing simultaneous actions

  ➔ The gerunds "divertindo", "chorando", and "vendo" indicate actions happening concurrently with "ando" (I walk). They describe how she walks through the world: entertaining people, crying on the phone, and seeing the hunger pains of hungry children. Using gerunds adds flow and immediacy to the description.

• Quem é ela?

  ➔ Interrogative pronouns

  ➔ "Quem" is an interrogative pronoun meaning "who". This simple question is grammatically correct and used for inquiring about someone's identity.

• E os automóveis correm para quê?

  ➔ Preposition 'para' with 'quê' (for what/why)

  ➔ The combination "para quê" means "for what purpose?" or simply "why?". The preposition "para" indicates purpose or direction, and it precedes the interrogative pronoun "quê".

• Minha alegria, meu cansaço Meu amor, cadê, cadê você?

  ➔ Repetition for emphasis

  ➔ The repetition of "cadê" (where is) intensifies the feeling of longing and searching. The speaker is not just asking where her love is, but emphatically expressing the absence of these essential parts of her life.