Minha Historia – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Chico Buarque
• Album: Construção

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a journey into the rich lyrical world of Brazilian Portuguese with Chico Buarque's "Minha História." This song offers a powerful insight into social critique and raw human emotion, making it an excellent piece to understand not only the language but also the historical and cultural depth of Brazil during a challenging era. Its artful adaptation and poignant storytelling make it a special and enduring work for language learners.

[English]

He came without much talk, without much explanation

All I know is he spoke, smelled, and loved the sea

I know he had a tattoo on his arm and gold in his tooth

And my mother gave herself to this man completely, hopelessly

He left just as he came, no one knows where

And left my mother with a gaze that grew farther each day

Waiting, still, stuck to the stone of the port

In her only old dress that grew shorter each day

When at last I was born, my mother wrapped me in a cloak

She dressed me as if I were, somehow, a kind of saint

But since she couldn’t recall lullabies, the poor woman

She soothed me by singing cabaret songs

My mother didn’t hesitate to alert the whole neighborhood

To show that there was much more than a simple child there

And I’m not sure if out of irony or out of love

She decided to name me after Our Lord

My story is this name that I still carry with me today

When I go from bar to bar, flip tables, shout, drink, and fight

Thieves and lovers, my drinking and suffering companions

They know me only by my name, Menino Jesus (Baby Jesus)

Thieves and lovers, my drinking and suffering companions

They know me only by my name, Menino Jesus (Baby Jesus)

[Portuguese]

Ele vinha sem muita conversa, sem muito explicar

Eu só sei que falava e cheirava e gostava de mar

Sei que tinha tatuagem no braço e dourado no dente

E minha mãe se entregou a esse homem perdidamente

Ele, assim como veio, partiu, não se sabe pra onde

E deixou minha mãe com o olhar cada dia mais longe

Esperando, parada, pregada na pedra do porto

Com seu único velho vestido cada dia mais curto

Quando enfim eu nasci, minha mãe embrulhou-me num manto

Me vestiu como se eu fosse, assim, uma espécie de santo

Mas por não se lembrar de acalantos, a pobre mulher

Me ninava cantando cantigas de cabaré

Minha mãe não tardou alertar toda a vizinhança

A mostrar que ali estava bem mais que uma simples criança

E não sei bem se por ironia ou se por amor

Resolveu me chamar com o nome do Nosso Senhor

Minha história é esse nome que ainda hoje carrego comigo

Quando vou bar em bar, viro a mesa, berro e bebo e brigo

Os ladrões e as amantes, meus colegas de copo e de cruz

Me conhecem só pelo meu nome de Menino Jesus

Os ladrões e as amantes, meus colegas de copo e de cruz

Me conhecem só pelo meu nome de Menino Jesus

Key Grammar Structures

• Ele vinha sem muita conversa, sem muito explicar

  ➔ Use of gerunds after prepositions.

  ➔ The phrases 'sem muita conversa' and 'sem muito explicar' use the gerund ('conversa', 'explicar') after the preposition 'sem' (without). This is a common construction in Portuguese to indicate a lack of something.

• Sei que tinha tatuagem no braço e dourado no dente

  ➔ Use of 'ter' + noun to express possession.

  ➔ The sentence uses the verb 'ter' (to have) followed by a noun to indicate possession. 'tatuagem no braço' means 'tattoo on the arm' and 'dourado no dente' means 'gold in the tooth'.

• Mas por não se lembrar de acalantos, a pobre mulher

  ➔ Use of the infinitive after a preposition ('de').

  ➔ The phrase 'se lembrar de acalantos' uses the infinitive 'lembrar' (to remember) after the preposition 'de'. This is a common construction in Portuguese when a verb requires a preposition before another verb.

• Me ninava cantando cantigas de cabaré

  ➔ Gerund as adverbial modifier.

  ➔ "cantando cantigas de cabaré" functions as an adverbial modifier, describing *how* she was rocking the child. The gerund 'cantando' (singing) modifies the verb 'ninava' (rocked).