Estranha forma de vida – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Amália Rodrigues

Lyrics & Translation

Immerse yourself in the soulful melodies of Fado with Amália Rodrigues' "Estranha Forma de Vida." This iconic song, steeped in Portuguese tradition, offers a profound exploration of saudade and the human heart's complexities. By listening, you can connect with the emotional depth of the Portuguese language and culture, experiencing the timeless art of Fado.

[English]

It was by God's will

That I live in this longing

That all my sighs are mine

That all my yearning is mine

It was by God's will

That this strange way of life

Has this heart of mine

Living a lost life

Who could give it the power?

Strange way of life

Independent heart

A heart I can't command

You live lost among us

Stubbornly bleeding

Independent heart

I won't follow you anymore

Stop, stop beating

If you don't know where you're going

Why do you insist on running?

I won't follow you anymore

...

If you don't know where you're going

Stop, stop beating

I won't follow you anymore

...

[Portuguese]

Foi por vontade de Deus

Que eu vivo nesta ansiedade

Que todos os ais são meus

Que é toda a minha saudade

Foi por vontade de Deus

Que estranha forma de vida

Tem este meu coração

Vive de vida perdida

Quem lhe daria o condão?

Estranha forma de vida

Coração independente

Coração que não comando

Vives perdido entre a gente

Teimosamente sangrando

Coração independente

Eu não te acompanho mais

Para, deixa de bater

Se não sabes onde vais

Por que teimas em correr?

Eu não te acompanho mais

Se não sabes onde vais

Para, deixa de bater

Eu não te acompanho mais

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
vontade /võˈtaðɨ/ B1	noun - will, desire
ansiedade /ɐ̃nziˈadad(ɨ)/ B2	noun - anxiety, nervousness
saudade /sawˈdaðɨ/ B2	noun - longing, nostalgia
forma /ˈfɔʁmɐ/ A2	noun - shape, form
vida /ˈviðɐ/ A1	noun - life
coração /kɐˈɾɐsɐ̃w/ B1	noun - heart
vida /ˈviðɐ/ A1	noun - life
condão /kɐ̃ˈdɐ̃w/ C1	noun - magical power, charm
independente /ĩdɨpẽˈdẽt(ɨ)/ C1	adjective - independent
bater /bɐˈtɛɾ/ A2	verb - to beat, to strike
perder /pɨˈdɛɾ/ B1	verb - to lose
correndo /kʊˈʁɐ̃du/ B2	verb - running

Key Grammar Structures

• Foi por vontade de Deus

  ➔ Use of the preposition 'por' to indicate cause or reason

  ➔ 'Por' indicates the reason for an action, meaning 'because of' or 'due to'.

• Que todos os ais são meus

  ➔ Use of the relative pronoun 'que' to connect clauses

  ➔ 'Que' connects two parts of a sentence, translating to 'that' in English.

• Tem este meu coração

  ➔ Use of 'este' as a demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this'

  ➔ 'Este' is used to specify something close to the speaker, meaning 'this'.

• Vive de vida perdida

  ➔ Use of 'de' to indicate 'living of' or 'living from'

  ➔ 'De' indicates the source or basis of the living, meaning 'living from' or 'based on'.

• Vives perdido entre a gente

  ➔ Use of 'entre' to mean 'among' or 'between'

  ➔ 'Entre' is used to specify being among or within a group or location.

• Se não sabes onde vais

  ➔ Use of 'se' as a conditional or reflexive pronoun

  ➔ 'Se' can express reflexive meaning 'oneself' or introduce conditional sentences.

• Para, deixa de bater

  ➔ Use of the imperative form 'deixa de' to mean 'stop doing' or 'cease'

  ➔ 'Deixa de' is an imperative phrase meaning 'stop' or 'cease', telling someone to halt an action.