Gaivota – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Amália Rodrigues

Lyrics & Translation

Experience the profound emotion of Fado with Amália Rodrigues' "Gaivota." This song, a beautiful expression of longing and saudade, uses rich imagery to convey deep personal feelings, offering a window into Portuguese culture and the power of music to capture the human heart.

[English]

If a seagull came

To bring me Lisbon's sky

In the drawing it would make

...

In that sky where the gaze

Is a wing that cannot fly

Fades away and falls into the sea

That perfect heart

Would beat within my chest

...

My love, in your hand

In that hand where my

Perfect heart fit perfectly

...

If a Portuguese sailor

Wanderer of the seven seas

Were perhaps the first

To tell me what he imagined

If a new sparkle in your gaze

Would intertwine with mine

That perfect heart

...

Would beat within my chest

My love, in your hand

In that hand where my

Perfect heart fit perfectly

When saying goodbye to life

All the birds in the sky

Would give me, in farewell

Your final gaze

That look which was only yours

Love, you were the first

...

That perfect heart

Would die within my chest

...

My love, in your hand

In that hand where my

Perfect heart was beating

So true

[Portuguese]

Se uma gaivota viesse

Trazer-me o céu de lisboa

No desenho que fizesse

Nesse céu onde o olhar

É uma asa que não voa

Esmorece e cai no mar

Que perfeito coração

No meu peito bateria

Meu amor na tua mão

Nessa mão onde cabia

Perfeito o meu coração

Se um português marinheiro

Dos sete mares andarilho

Fosse quem sabe o primeiro

A contar-me o que inventasse

Se um olhar de novo brilho

No meu olhar se enlaçasse

Que perfeito coração

No meu peito bateria

Meu amor na tua mão

Nessa mão onde cabia

Perfeito o meu coração

Se ao dizer adeus à vida

As aves todas do céu

Me dessem na despedida

O teu olhar derradeiro

Esse olhar que era só teu

Amor que foste o primeiro

Que perfeito coração

No meu peito morreria

Meu amor na tua mão

Nessa mão onde perfeito

Bateu o meu coração

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
gaivota /ɡajˈvɔtɐ/ B1	noun - seagull
céu /sɛu/ A2	noun - sky
olhar /oˈʎaʁ/ B1	verb - to look
coração /koɾaˈsɐ̃w/ A2	noun - heart
amor /aˈmoʁ/ A1	noun - love
mão /mɐ̃w/ A2	noun - hand
mar /maʁ/ A1	noun - sea
perfeito /pɛʁˈfejtu/ B1	adjective - perfect
despedida /dɨʃpeˈdida/ B2	noun - farewell
brilho /ˈbɾiʎu/ B1	noun - brightness
vida /ˈvidɐ/ A1	noun - life
saber /saˈbeʁ/ B1	verb - to know
contar /kõˈtaʁ/ A2	verb - to tell
inventar /ĩvẽˈtaʁ/ B2	verb - to invent
bater /baˈteʁ/ B1	verb - to beat

Key Grammar Structures

• Se uma gaivota viesse

  ➔ Subjunctive mood with 'se' + past subjunctive of 'vir' (viesse)

  ➔ Expresses a hypothetical or wishful action in the past ('if' clause).

• Que perfeito coração

  ➔ Use of 'que' as a relative pronoun to describe 'coração', with 'perfeito' as an adjective.

  ➔ Using 'que' to connect clauses and describe 'coração' (heart), emphasizing its perfection.

• Nessa mão onde cabia

  ➔ Use of 'onde' as a relative adverb meaning 'where' to specify location.

  ➔ Using 'onde' to specify a location related to 'mão' (hand).

• Se ao dizer adeus à vida

  ➔ Use of 'ao' + infinitive ('dizer') and the preposition 'a' with 'vida' to form an idiomatic expression.

  ➔ Combination of preposition 'a' with the infinitive 'dizer' to indicate 'saying' something to or about 'vida' (life).

• Que perfeito coração

  ➔ Use of the adjective 'perfeito' before 'coração' to describe its state, forming a predicate.

  ➔ Adjective 'perfeito' describes the 'coração', emphasizing its ideal or complete state.

• No meu peito bateria

  ➔ Use of 'no' as a contraction of 'em' + 'o' to specify location; 'bateria' as the verb 'to beat' in the present tense.

  ➔ Prepositional contraction 'no' indicates 'in my chest'; 'bateria' as the verb meaning 'to beat' or 'throb'.