O Meu Amor Foi Para o Brasil – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Ana Moura
• Album: Moura (Deluxe Version)

Lyrics & Translation

[Portuguese]

[English]

O meu amor foi pro Brasil nesse vapor

My love went to Brazil on that steamship

Gravou a fumo o seu adeus no azul do céu

He etched his farewell in smoke on the blue sky

Quando chegou ao Rio de Janeiro

When he arrived in Rio de Janeiro

Nem uma linha escreveu

He didn't write a single line

Já passou um ano inteiro

A whole year has passed

Deixou promessa de carta de chamada

He left a promise of an invitation letter

Nesta barriga deixou uma semente

In this belly, he left a seed

A flor nasceu e ficou espigada

The flower was born and grew tall

Quer saber do pai ausente

She wants to know about her absent father

E eu não lhe sei dizer nada

And I don't know what to tell her

Anda perdido no meio das caboclas

He's lost among the cabocla women

Mulheres que não sabem o que é pecado

Women who don't know what sin is

Os santos delas são mais fortes do que os meus

Their saints are stronger than mine

Fazem orelhas moucas do peditório dos céus

They turn a deaf ear to the heavens' begging

Já deve estar por lá amarrado

He must be tied down there

Num rosário de búzios que o deixou enfeitiçado

In a rosary of cowrie shells that has bewitched him

O meu amor foi seringueiro no Pará

My love was a rubber tapper in Pará

Foi recoveiro nos sertões do Piauí

He was a backlands trader in the backlands of Piauí

Foi funileiro em terras do Maranhão

He was a tinsmith in the lands of Maranhão

Alguém me disse que o viu

Someone told me they saw him

Num domingo a fazer pão

Making bread on a Sunday

O meu amor já tem jeitinho brasileiro

My love already has a Brazilian way

Meteu açúcar com canela nas vogais

He put sugar and cinnamon in the vowels

Já dança o forró e arrisca no pandeiro

He already dances the forró and tries his hand at the tambourine

Quem sabe um dia vem arriscar outros carnavais

Who knows, maybe one day he'll try other carnivals

Anda perdido no meio das mulatas

He's lost among the mulatto women

Já deve estar noutros braços derretido

He must be melted in other arms already

Já sei que os santos delas são milagreiros

I already know their saints are miracle workers

Dançam com alegria no batuque dos terreiros

They dance joyfully in the drumming of the terreiros

Mas tenho esperança que um dia a saudade bata

But I have hope that one day longing will knock

E ele volte para os meus braços caseiros

And he'll return to my homely arms

Está em São Paulo e trabalha em telecom

He's in São Paulo and works in telecommunications

Já deve ter doutor escrito num cartão

He must have "Doctor" written on a card

À noite samba no ó do borogodó

At night he sambas in the essence of "borogodó"

Esqueceu o Solidó, já não chora a ouvir Fado

He's forgotten Solidó, he no longer cries listening to Fado

Não sei o que digo, ele era tão desengonçado

I don't know what I'm saying, he was so awkward

Se o vir já não quero, deve estar um enjoado

If I see him, I don't want him anymore, he must be a bore

Está em São Paulo e trabalha em telecom

He's in São Paulo and works in telecommunications

Já deve ter doutor escrito num cartão

He must have "Doctor" written on a card

À noite samba no ó do borogodó

At night he sambas in the essence of "borogodó"

Esqueceu o Solidó, já não chora a ouvir Fado

He's forgotten Solidó, he no longer cries listening to Fado

Não sei o que digo, ele era tão desengonçado

I don't know what I'm saying, he was so awkward

Se o vir já não quero, deve estar um enjoado

If I see him, I don't want him anymore, he must be a bore

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
amor /ɐˈmoɾ/ A1	noun - love
azul /ɐˈzuɫ/ A1	adjective - blue noun - blue color
escreveu /iʃ.kɾeˈvew/ A2	verb - wrote (3rd person past tense)
inteiro /ĩˈtej.ɾu/ A2	adjective - whole, entire
flor /floɾ/ A1	noun - flower
saber /sɐˈbeɾ/ A1	verb - to know
perdido /pɨɾˈdi.du/ B1	adjective - lost
mulheres /muˈʎɛ.ɾɨʃ/ A1	noun - women
pecado /pɨˈka.ðu/ B2	noun - sin
santos /ˈsɐ̃.tus/ B1	noun - saints
forte /ˈfɔɾ.tɨ/ A2	adjective - strong
amarrado /ɐ.maˈʁa.ðu/ B1	adjective - tied, bound
enfeitiçado /ẽ.fɐj.ˈsi.sa.ðu/ B2	adjective - bewitched, enchanted
jeitinho /ʒɐjˈtiɲu/ B2	noun - little way, knack
brasileiro /bɾɐ.ziˈlej.ɾu/ A2	adjective - Brazilian
saudade /sɐwˈda.dɨ/ C1	noun - nostalgia, longing
braços /ˈbɾa.sus/ A1	noun - arms
caseiros /kaˈzej.ɾus/ B1	adjective - homely, homemade

Key Grammar Structures

• O meu amor foi pro Brasil nesse vapor

  ➔ Preposition of movement: 'foi para' indicating 'went to'

  ➔ The preposition "para" is used to indicate destination or direction in Portuguese.

• Já passou um ano inteiro

  ➔ Present perfect tense: 'Já passou' indicating an action that has already occurred

  ➔ The phrase "já passou" uses the present perfect tense to express that a certain amount of time has elapsed since an event.

• Deixou promessa de carta de chamada

  ➔ Past tense of 'deixar' (to leave / to forget) and noun phrase structure

  ➔ The verb "deixar" in the past tense indicates that someone left or made a promise, combined with the noun phrase "promessa de carta de chamada" (promise of a calling letter).

• Quer saber do pai ausente

  ➔ Present tense of 'querer' (to want) + infinitive

  ➔ The verb "querer" is conjugated in the present tense to express desire, followed by the infinitive "saber" (to know).

• Ando perdido no meio das caboclas

  ➔ Present tense of 'andar' (to walk / to be) indicating ongoing state

  ➔ The verb "andar" in the present tense indicates the speaker is currently lost or wandering.

• Quem sabe um dia vem arriscar outros carnavais

  ➔ The phrase "quem sabe" uses the subjunctive (or conditional) expression for uncertainty or possibility

  ➔ The phrase "quem sabe" means "who knows" and introduces a clause expressing doubt, possibility, or speculation.

• Já deve estar noutros braços derretido

  ➔ Modal verb 'dever' in the present tense indicating probability or assumption

  ➔ The verb "dever" in the present tense suggests the speaker believes it is likely or assumed that someone is in other arms, possibly already moved on.

• Esqueceu o Solidó, já não chora a ouvir Fado

  ➔ Preterite tense of 'esquecer' (to forget) + present tense of 'chorar' (to cry)

  ➔ The verb "esquecer" is conjugated in the preterite tense to indicate a completed action of forgetting, and "chorar" is in the present tense to show ongoing emotion.