Pica do 7 – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: António Zambujo
• Album: Rua da Emenda

Lyrics & Translation

"Pica do 7" by António Zambujo offers a charming entry point into Portuguese language and culture. Through its clever wordplay and delightful narrative about a Lisbon tram conductor, listeners can explore Portuguese slang and everyday expressions while enjoying Zambujo's unique blend of fado and popular music. The song's gentle humor and emotional depth make it a special piece for language learners.

[English]

Early in the morning, I jump out of the nest

And I head to the bus stop

Waiting at the stop for the 7

But not for the ride

Honestly, I didn't want to

But one day, I saw it pass by

And my skeptical heart

Dreamed again of a little electric tram

With every bell ring

From the click of that plier

In a frantic way

My skeptical heart reacts

If the train derails, the people complain

And I stay by the bell

Because a simple route, in my particular case

Is already my destiny

No one believes in the state

My heart ends up in

When the 7 catches me

I even think the password slips from my hand

Because in this career, in this fleeting life

Nothing excites me more than the thrill the 7's ride gives

What a sad fate and such an unlucky route

Crossing my schedule

With that of a Carris bus driver

If I asked him

If he has a free pass for someone's heart

God knows, maybe I’d break his heart too

No one believes in the state

My heart ends up in

When the 7 catches me

I even think the password slips from my hand

Because in this career, in this fleeting life

Nothing excites me more than the thrill the 7's ride gives

...

No one believes in the state

My heart ends up in

When the 7 catches me

I even think the password slips from my hand

Because in this career, in this fleeting life

Nothing excites me more than the thrill the 7's ride gives

Nothing excites me more than the thrill the 7's ride gives

...

[Portuguese]

De manhã cedinho eu salto do ninho

E vou pra a paragem

De bandolete à espera do 7

Mas não pela viagem

Eu bem que não queria

Mas um certo dia, vi-o passar

E o meu peito céptico

Por um pica de eléctrico voltou a sonhar

A cada repique que sôa

Do clique daquele alicate

Num modo frenético

O peito céptico, toca a rebate

Se o trem descarrila, o povo refila

E eu fico no sino

Pois um mero trajecto no meu caso concreto

É já o destino

Ninguém acredita no estado

Em que fica o meu coração

Quando o 7 me apanha

Até acho que a senha me salta da mão

Pois na carreira, desta vida vã

Mais nada me dá a pica que o pica do 7 me dá

Que triste fadário e que itinerário tão infeliz

Cruzar meu horário

Com o de um funcionário de um trem da Carris

Se eu lhe perguntasse

Se tem livre passe pra o peito de alguém

Vá-se lá saber, talvez eu lhe oblitere o peito também

Ninguém acredita no estado

Em que fica o meu coração

Quando o 7 me apanha

Até acho que a senha me salta da mão

Pois na carreira, desta vida vã

Mais nada me dá a pica que o pica do 7 me dá

Ninguém acredita no estado

Em que fica o meu coração

Quando o 7 me apanha

Até acho que a senha me salta da mão

Pois na carreira, desta vida vã

Mais nada me dá a pica que o pica do 7 me dá

Mais nada me dá a pica que o pica do 7 me dá

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
pica /ˈpikɐ/ B1	noun - a sudden, strong desire or enthusiasm
cedinho /seˈðiɲu/ A2	adverb - early
ninho /ˈniɲu/ A1	noun - nest
bandolete /bɐ̃duˈle.tɨ/ B2	noun - a strap or belt, especially one worn over the shoulder
repique /ʁɛˈpi.kɨ/ B1	noun - a ringing or tinkling sound
sôa /ˈso.ɐ/ B1	verb - to sound or ring
céptico /seˈptiku/ B2	adjective - skeptical or distrustful
frenético /fɾɛˈnetiku/ B2	adjective - frantic or frenzied
rebate /ʁɛˈβa.tɨ/ B1	verb - to beat or strike
descarrila /deʃ.kɐ.ʁiˈla/ B2	verb - to derail or go off the rails
refila /ʁɛˈfi.lɐ/ B1	verb - to flee or run away
fadário /fɐˈða.ʁi.u/ C1	noun - fate or destiny
itinerário /i.ti.nɛ.ˈɾa.ʁi.u/ B2	noun - itinerary or route
oblitere /o.bliˈtɛ.ʁɨ/ C1	verb - to erase or delete

Key Grammar Structures

• Eu bem que não queria

  ➔ Imperfect subjunctive mood expressing regret or hypothetical desire

  ➔ Conveys a hypothetical or unreal desire that the speaker does not wish to happen

• E vou pra a paragem

  ➔ Use of the simple present tense to indicate a habitual action or intend to go somewhere

  ➔ Indicates a habitual or planned action in the present or near future

• Por um pica de eléctrico voltou a sonhar

  ➔ Prepositional phrase indicating a reason or motivation followed by a verb in the infinitive

  ➔ Expresses a motive or reason for dreaming again, caused by a specific event

• Ninguém acredita no estado

  ➔ Use of the indefinite pronoun 'ninguém' (no one) with the present tense to indicate general disbelief

  ➔ Conveys the idea that no one believes or notices the state of the speaker's heart

• Mais nada me dá a pica que o pica do 7 me dá

  ➔ Use of comparative structures with 'mais nada' to emphasize that nothing else gives pleasure like the subject

  ➔ Highlights that nothing else brings the same pleasure as the 'pica do 7'