Não Devia – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: NUNO RIBEIRO, Loony Johnson

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the poignant beauty of "Não Devia" by Nuno Ribeiro and Loony Johnson, a song that blends heartfelt Portuguese lyrics with a gentle Afro-pop rhythm. This track offers a glimpse into the nuances of the Portuguese language through its exploration of love, regret, and the strength to move on, making it a compelling and educational listen.

[English]

I don't know if you can explain to me

Our feelings no longer speak anymore

Tell me if we could work out

Or if the days will be so dull

Without you, everything died inside me

Without you, everything feels so ordinary

That used to be the rhythm of our dance

But the beat has fallen silent

I don't know if it's worth fighting

I feel love is leaving us

That used to be the rhythm of our dance

But the beat has fallen silent

I don't know if it's worth fighting

I feel love is leaving us

I shouldn't have

I shouldn't have

But I gave my heart to someone who didn't deserve it

I shouldn't have

I shouldn't have

But I gave my heart to someone who didn't deserve it

I think it's not worth it

If it’s a scene, let’s end the act

Come on, try, try, try

Today, I try, try

I ask for help to stop feeling anymore

What matters to you so much

I’ve wasted too much time, too much

That used to be the rhythm of our dance

But the beat has fallen silent

I don't know if it's worth fighting

I feel love is leaving us

That used to be the rhythm of our dance

But the beat has fallen silent

I don't know if it's worth fighting (I don't know, no, I know)

I feel love is leaving us

I shouldn't have (I shouldn't have)

I shouldn't have (I never should have)

But I gave my heart to someone who didn't deserve it

I shouldn't have (I shouldn't have)

I shouldn't have (I never should have)

But I gave my heart to someone who didn't deserve it

...

No, no

I shouldn't have

...

I shouldn't have

...

[Portuguese]

Não sei se me consegues explicar

Nosso sentimento já não fala mais

Diz-me se pudemos resultar

Ou se os dias vão ser assim tão banais

Sem ti, tudo morreu em mim

Sem ti, tudo é banal assim

Essa era a batida da nossa dança

Mas o ritmo já não avança

Não sei se vale a pena lutar

Sinto que o amor nos vai deixar

Essa era a batida da nossa dança

Mas o ritmo já não avança

Não sei se vale a pena lutar

Sinto que o amor nos vai deixar

Eu não devia

Eu não devia

Mas entreguei meu coração a quem não merecia

Eu não devia

Eu não devia

Mas entreguei meu coração a quem não merecia

Acho que não vale a pena

Se é uma peça pomos fim à cena

Vu sabi mami tenta, tenta

Hoje a mami tenta, tenta

Eu peço ajuda pra não sentir mais

O que pra ti tanto faz

Já perdi tempo por demais, por demais

Essa era a batida da nossa dança

Mas o ritmo já não avança

Não sei se vale a pena lutar

Sinto que o amor nos vai deixar

Essa era a batida da nossa dança

Mas o ritmo já não avança

Não sei se vale a pena lutar (não sei, não, sei)

Sinto que o amor nos vai deixar

Eu não devia (eu não devia)

Eu não devia (eu nunca devia)

Mas entreguei meu coração a quem não merecia

Eu não devia (eu não devia)

Eu não devia (eu nunca devia)

Mas entreguei meu coração a quem não merecia

Não, não

Não devia

Não devia

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sentimento /seɪˈtɪmɛntu/ B1	noun - feeling or emotion
lutar /luˈtaʁ/ B1	verb - to fight or struggle
coração /koɾaˈsɐ̃w/ A2	noun - heart
banais /baˈnaj/ B2	adjective - trivial or commonplace
batida /baˈtidɐ/ B1	noun - beat or rhythm
amor /aˈmoʁ/ A1	noun - love
ajuda /aˈʒudɐ/ A2	noun - help or assistance
entregar /ẽtɾeˈɡaʁ/ B1	verb - to deliver or hand over
tentar /tẽˈtaʁ/ A2	verb - to try or attempt
tempo /ˈtẽpu/ A2	noun - time
peça /ˈpɛsɐ/ B1	noun - piece or part
cena /ˈsenɐ/ B1	noun - scene or setting
morrer /moˈʁɛʁ/ B1	verb - to die
vale /ˈvalɨ/ B2	verb - to be worth
sinto /ˈsĩtu/ A2	verb - to feel

Key Grammar Structures

• Eu não devia

  ➔ Use of the imperfect subjunctive with 'não devia' to express regret or mild criticism about a past action.

  ➔ The phrase '*não devia*' literally means 'should not have' and is used to express regret or moral obligation not fulfilled in the past.

• entreguei meu coração

  ➔ Use of the preterite tense 'entreguei' to indicate completed action in the past, with 'meu coração' as the direct object.

  ➔ In Portuguese, 'entreguei' is the first person singular past tense form of 'entregar', meaning 'I handed over' or 'I gave'.

• sinto que o amor nos vai deixar

  ➔ Use of the verb 'sinto' (I feel) in present tense, and 'vai deixar' (will leave) to express a future action or prediction.

  ➔ 'sinto' is the first person singular present indicative of 'sentir', meaning 'I feel'. 'Vai deixar' combines the auxiliary 'vai' (will) with the infinitive 'deixar' (to leave), forming a near future tense indicating a predicted future event.

• sem ti, tudo morreu em mim

  ➔ Use of 'morreu' in the past tense to indicate that 'everything' died or ceased to exist, with 'em mim' (in me) as the location or affected area.

  ➔ The verb 'morreu' is the third person singular past tense of 'morrer', meaning 'died'. The phrase 'em mim' literally means 'in me', indicating that the death or end is within the speaker or affecting them.

• essas era a nossa dança

  ➔ Use of 'era' (was) in imperfect tense to describe past habitual or ongoing states; noun phrase 'a nossa dança' (our dance).

  ➔ 'era' is the imperfect tense of 'ser', used here to describe a past ongoing or habitual state. 'A nossa dança' is a noun phrase meaning 'our dance', referring to the shared aspect of their relationship.

• não sei se vale a pena lutar

  ➔ Use of present tense 'sei' (I know) and infinitive 'lutar' (to fight), with 'se' (if) to express uncertainty or doubt about whether fighting is worthwhile.

  ➔ The phrase combines 'sei' (I know) in present tense with the infinitive 'lutar' (to fight), and the word 'se' (if) introduces a conditional clause expressing doubt about the value or worthiness of fighting.