O Que É O Que É? – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Gonzaguinha
• Album: Raizes Do Samba

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the heartwarming philosophy of Gonzaguinha's 'O Que É O Que É?'. This beloved Brazilian song invites you to embrace life with the simple, pure joy of a child, reminding us of the beauty in living, learning, and being happy. It's a perfect gateway to understanding the uplifting spirit of MPB.

[English]

I'll stick with the purity of children's answers

It's life, it's beautiful and it's beautiful!

From the heart!

To live

And not be ashamed to be happy

To sing, and sing, and sing

The beauty of being an eternal learner

Oh my God

I know (And I know)

That life should be much better, and it will be

But that doesn't stop me from repeating

It's beautiful, it's beautiful and it's beautiful

Let's go, people!

To live

And not be ashamed to be happy

To sing, and sing, and sing

The beauty of being an eternal learner

Oh my God

I know (And I know)

That life should be much better, and it will be

But that doesn't stop me from repeating

It's beautiful, it's beautiful and it's beautiful

And life?

And what is life, tell me brother

Is it a heartbeat?

Is it a sweet illusion?

But what about life?

Is it wonder or is it suffering?

Is it joy or lament?

What is it, what is it, my brother?

There are those who say our life is nothing in the world

It's a drop, it's a time that doesn't even last a second

There are those who say it's a deep divine mystery

It's the creator's breath in an attitude full of love

You say it's struggle and pleasure

He says life is living.

She says it's better to die

Because she's not loved, and the verb is to suffer

I only know that I trust the girl

And in the girl I place the strength of faith

It is we who make life

As it comes, or as we can, or as we want

Always desired

No matter how wrong it is

Nobody wants death

Only health and luck

And the question goes around

And the head stirs

I'll stick with the purity of children's answers:

It's life, it's beautiful and it's beautiful

To live

And not be ashamed to be happy

To sing, and sing, and sing

The beauty of being an eternal learner

Oh my God

I know (And I know)

That life should be much better, and it will be

But that doesn't stop me from repeating

It's beautiful, it's beautiful and it's beautiful

Let's go, people!

To live

And not be ashamed to be happy

To sing, and sing, and sing

The beauty of being an eternal learner

Oh my God

I know (And I know)

That life should be much better, and it will be

But that doesn't stop me from repeating

It's beautiful, it's beautiful and it's beautiful

Beautiful!

To live

And not be ashamed to be happy

To sing, and sing, and sing

The beauty of being an eternal learner

Oh my God

I know (And I know)

That life should be much better, and it will be

But that doesn't stop me from repeating

It's beautiful, it's beautiful and it's beautiful...

...

[Portuguese]

Eu fico com a pureza das respostas das crianças

É a vida, é bonita e é bonita!

No gogó!

Viver

E não ter a vergonha de ser feliz

Cantar, e cantar, e cantar

A beleza de ser um eterno aprendiz

Ah meu Deus

Eu sei (E eu sei)

Que a vida devia ser bem melhor, e será

Mas isso não impede que eu repita

É bonita, é bonita e é bonita

Simbora, povo!

Viver

E não ter a vergonha de ser feliz

Cantar, e cantar, e cantar

A beleza de ser um eterno aprendiz

Ah meu Deus

Eu sei (E eu sei)

Que a vida devia ser bem melhor, e será

Mas isso não impede que eu repita

É bonita, é bonita e é bonita

E a vida?

E a vida o que é, diga lá meu irmão

Ela é a batida de um coração?

Ela é uma doce ilusão?

Mas e a vida?

Ela é maravilha ou é sofrimento?

Ela é alegria ou lamento?

O que é, o que é, meu irmão?

Há quem fale que a vida da gente é um nada no mundo

É uma gota, é um tempo que nem dá um segundo

Há quem fale que é um divino mistério profundo

É o sopro do criador numa atitude repleta de amor

Você diz que é luta e prazer

Ele diz que a vida é viver.

Ela diz que melhor é morrer

Pois amada não é, e o verbo é sofrer

Eu só sei que confio na moça

E na moça eu ponho a força da fé

Somos nós que fazemos a vida

Como der, ou puder, ou quiser

Sempre desejada

Por mais que esteja errada

Ninguém quer a morte

Só saúde e sorte

E a pergunta roda

E a cabeça agita

Fico com a pureza das respostas das crianças:

É a vida, é bonita e é bonita

Viver

E não ter a vergonha de ser feliz

Cantar, e cantar, e cantar

A beleza de ser um eterno aprendiz

Ah meu Deus

Eu sei (E eu sei)

Que a vida devia ser bem melhor, e será

Mas isso não impede que eu repita

É bonita, é bonita e é bonita

Simbora, povo!

Viver

E não ter a vergonha de ser feliz

Cantar, e cantar, e cantar

A beleza de ser um eterno aprendiz

Ah meu Deus

Eu sei (E eu sei)

Que a vida devia ser bem melhor, e será

Mas isso não impede que eu repita

É bonita, é bonita e é bonita

Bonito!

Viver

E não ter a vergonha de ser feliz

Cantar, e cantar, e cantar

A beleza de ser um eterno aprendiz

Ah meu Deus

Eu sei (E eu sei)

Que a vida devia ser bem melhor, e será

Mas isso não impede que eu repita

É bonita, é bonita e é bonita...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
vida /ˈvi.dɐ/ A1	noun - life
bonito /boˈni.tu/ A1	adjective - beautiful, pretty
viver /viˈveɾ/ A1	verb - to live
vergonha /veɾˈgɔ̃.ɲɐ/ B1	noun - shame
feliz /feˈlis/ A1	adjective - happy
cantar /kɐ̃ˈtaɾ/ A1	verb - to sing
beleza /beˈle.zɐ/ A2	noun - beauty
aprendiz /ɐpɾẽˈd͡ʒis/ B1	noun - apprentice, learner
saber /sɐˈbeɾ/ A1	verb - to know
melhor /meˈʎɔɾ/ A2	adjective - better
coração /koɾɐˈsɐ̃w̃/ A2	noun - heart
ilusão /iluˈzɐ̃w̃/ B2	noun - illusion
sofrimento /sofɾiˈmẽ.tu/ B1	noun - suffering
alegria /aleˈgɾi.ɐ/ A2	noun - joy, happiness
luta /ˈlu.tɐ/ B1	noun - struggle, fight
prazer /pɾɐˈzeɾ/ B1	noun - pleasure
morrer /moˈʁeɾ/ A1	verb - to die
amor /aˈmoɾ/ A1	noun - love
fé /ˈfɛ/ B1	noun - faith
pureza /puˈɾe.zɐ/ B1	noun - purity

Key Grammar Structures

• Viver E não ter a vergonha de ser feliz

  ➔ Infinitive as Noun/Imperative; `ter vergonha de` + Infinitive

  ➔ "Viver" (to live) acts as a noun or a general command/statement. The phrase "ter a vergonha de" means "to be ashamed of" doing something, followed by another infinitive like "ser feliz" (to be happy).

• A beleza de ser um eterno aprendiz

  ➔ Noun + Preposition `de` + Infinitive

  ➔ This structure, "A beleza de" (the beauty of) followed by an infinitive verb like "ser" (to be), indicates the 'beauty of being' something.

• Que a vida devia ser bem melhor, e será

  ➔ Conditional `dever` (should/ought to); Future tense `ser` (will be)

  ➔ "devia ser" is the imperfect conditional of 'dever' (to owe/should), meaning 'should be'. "será" is the simple future tense of 'ser' (to be), meaning 'will be'. This expresses a hope or belief about what life ought to be and what it will become.

• Mas isso não impede que eu repita

  ➔ Verbs of influence + Subjunctive mood (`impedir que` + subjunctive)

  ➔ The verb "impedir" (to prevent/impede) requires the subjunctive mood in the following clause. So, "impede que" (prevents that) is followed by "repita", the subjunctive form of 'repetir' (to repeat).

• E a vida o que é, diga lá meu irmão

  ➔ Interrogative pronoun `o que` (what); Imperative `diga` + colloquial particle `lá`

  ➔ "o que é" is a common way to ask "what is it?". "diga lá" is the imperative form of 'dizer' (to say/tell), meaning "tell me", with 'lá' adding emphasis or a colloquial touch.

• Há quem fale que a vida da gente é um nada no mundo

  ➔ Impersonal expression `Há quem` + Subjunctive; Colloquial `a gente` (we/people)

  ➔ "Há quem fale" literally means "there is who speaks" but is idiomatically used as "some people say" or "there are those who say", and it requires the subjunctive mood for 'falar' (to speak/say). "a vida da gente" is a common colloquial way to say "our life" or "people's life".

• Somos nós que fazemos a vida

  ➔ Emphatic structure `ser` + stressed pronoun + `que` (It is... who/that)

  ➔ This construction "Somos nós que fazemos" (It is us who make) emphasizes the subject. It literally means 'We are us who make', highlighting 'nós' (us) as the active agents.

• Como der, ou puder, ou quiser

  ➔ Future Subjunctive mood

  ➔ The verbs "der" (from `dar`, to give/happen), "puder" (from `poder`, to be able to), and "quiser" (from `querer`, to want) are all in the future subjunctive. This mood is used for uncertain future actions or conditions, often translated as "however it turns out", "however one can", "however one wants".

• Por mais que esteja errada

  ➔ Concessive conjunction `por mais que` + Subjunctive mood

  ➔ "Por mais que" is a concessive conjunction meaning "no matter how much", "however much", or "even though". It always requires the subjunctive mood in the following verb, so "esteja" is the subjunctive form of 'estar' (to be).