Vai Lá – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Carolina Deslandes

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and Carolina Deslandes' 'Vai Lá' offers a unique opportunity to delve into the nuances of Portuguese. The song's direct and colloquial language provides a great way to learn expressions of frustration and empowerment. What makes this song special is its raw honesty and its role as an anthem for anyone who has felt unjustly portrayed in a relationship, making the learning process both emotional and empowering.

[English]

Go on, tell them I'm the crazy one

That I'm unbalanced

I took your clothes

And left them at the entrance

Go on, tell them, go on, tell them, go on

That she's just your friend and you got home early yesterday

I don't know if it's a lie, out of shame or fear

Go on, tell them, go on, tell them, go on

I'm the crazy one

And your ex was too

Look at the coincidence

You should think

If you're just unlucky

Or if you're the problem?

Say I ask for peace, but only know how to live in war

Am I the crazy one or are you screwing up?

Say I ask for peace, but only know how to live in war

Am I the crazy one or are you screwing up?

So go on, tell them

Go on, tell them, go on

So go on, tell them

Go on, tell them, go on

Go explain it to your friends

Go tell them who was lying

Called me sick

And ended things overnight

Go on, tell them, go on, tell them, go on

That I messed with your things

And talked behind your back

The problem isn't the questions

You're just afraid of the answers

Go on, tell them, go on, tell them, go on

I'm the crazy one

And your ex was too

Look at the coincidence

You should think

If you're just unlucky

Or if you're the problem?

Say I ask for peace, but only know how to live in war

Am I the crazy one or are you screwing up?

Say I ask for peace, but only know how to live in war

Am I the crazy one or are you screwing up?

So go on, tell them

Go on, tell them, go on

So go on, tell them

Go on, tell them, go on

I'm the crazy one

And your ex was too

Look at the coincidence

You should think

If you're just unlucky

Or if you're the problem?

Say I ask for peace, but only know how to live in war

Am I the crazy one or are you screwing up?

Say I ask for peace, but only know how to live in war

Am I the crazy one or are you screwing up?

So go on, tell them

Go on, tell them, go on

So go on, tell them

Go on, tell them, go on

Am I the crazy one or are you screwing up?

Am I the crazy one or are you screwing up?

...

[Portuguese]

Vai lá dizer que sou a louca

Que sou desequilibrada

Peguei na tua roupa

E a deixei na entrada

Vai lá, diz lá, vai lá, diz lá, vai lá

Que ela é só tua amiga e que ontem chegaste cedo

Não sei se é mentira, por vergonha ou por medo

Vai lá, diz lá, vai lá, diz lá, vai lá

Eu sou a maluca

E a tua ex também era

Olha a coincidência

Devias pensar

Se és tu que tens azar

Ou serás tu o problema?

Diz que eu peço paz, mas só sei viver em guerra

Sou eu a louca ou és tu que fazes merda?

Diz que eu peço paz, mas só sei viver em guerra

Sou eu a louca ou és tu que fazes merda?

Então vai lá, diz lá

Vai lá, diz lá, vai lá

Então vai lá, diz lá

Vai lá, diz lá, vai lá

Explica lá aos teus amigos

Diz lá quem é que mentia

Me chamou de doente

E acabou da noite para o dia

Vai lá, diz lá, vai lá, diz lá, vai lá

Que mexi nas tuas coisas

E falei nas tuas costas

O mal não é das perguntas

Tu tens medo é das respostas

Vai lá, diz lá, vá lá, diz lá, vai lá

Eu sou a maluca

E a tua ex também era

Olha a coincidência

Devias pensar

Se és tu que tens azar

Ou serás tu o problema?

Diz que eu peço paz, mas só sei viver em guerra

Sou eu a louca ou és tu que fazes merda?

Diz que eu peço paz, mas só sei viver em guerra

Sou eu a louca ou és tu que fazes merda?

Então vai lá, diz lá

Vai lá, diz lá, vai lá

Então vai lá, diz lá

Vai lá, diz lá, vai lá

Eu sou a maluca

E a tua ex também era

Olha a coincidência

Devias pensar

Se és tu que tens azar

Ou serás tu o problema?

Diz que eu peço paz, mas só sei viver em guerra

Sou eu a louca ou és tu que fazes merda?

Diz que eu peço paz, mas só sei viver em guerra

Sou eu a louca ou és tu que fazes merda?

Então vai lá, diz lá

Vai lá, diz lá, vai lá

Então vai lá, diz lá

Vai lá, diz lá, vai lá

Sou eu a louca ou és tu que fazes merda?

Sou eu a louca ou és tu que fazes merda?

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
dizer /diˈzeɾ/ A1	verb - to say, to tell
ser /seɾ/ A1	verb - to be (essential state or identity)
louca /ˈlow.kɐ/ B1	adjective - crazy, mad (female) noun - madwoman, crazy person (female)
maluca /mɐˈlu.kɐ/ B1	adjective - crazy, mad (female) (synonym of louca) noun - madwoman, crazy person (female) (synonym of louca)
desequilibrada /dɨ.zɨ.ki.liˈbɾa.dɐ/ B2	adjective - unbalanced, unstable (female); mentally disturbed
amiga /ɐˈmi.ɡɐ/ A2	noun - friend (female)
mentira /mẽˈti.ɾɐ/ B1	noun - lie, falsehood
vergonha /vɨɾˈɡo.ɲɐ/ B1	noun - shame, embarrassment
medo /ˈme.du/ A2	noun - fear
ex /ɛʃ/ B1	noun - ex (partner)
coincidência /koj̃.siˈdẽ.si.ɐ/ B2	noun - coincidence
pensar /pẽˈsaɾ/ A1	verb - to think
azar /ɐˈzaɾ/ B1	noun - bad luck, misfortune
problema /pɾuˈble.mɐ/ A2	noun - problem, issue
paz /paʃ/ B1	noun - peace
guerra /ˈɡɛ.ʁɐ/ B1	noun - war, conflict
fazer /fɐˈzeɾ/ A1	verb - to do, to make
merda /ˈmɛɾ.dɐ/ C1	noun - shit (vulgar); mess, trouble (vulgar)
doente /duˈẽ.tɨ/ A2	adjective - sick, ill noun - sick person, patient

Key Grammar Structures

• Que sou desequilibrada

  ➔ Subjunctive mood with 'que' to express a subjective opinion or emotion

  ➔ 'Que' introduces a subordinate clause in the subjunctive mood to express the speaker's feeling

• Sou eu a louca

  ➔ Emphasis on the subject with 'a' after the verb 'sou' to highlight self-identification

  ➔ 'A' is used here as an emphatic particle to stress that the speaker considers herself 'the crazy one'

• Diz que eu peço paz

  ➔ Use of 'que' to introduce indirect speech (subordinate clause)

  ➔ 'Que' introduces an indirect statement indicating what someone says or thinks

• Peguei na tua roupa

  ➔ Preposition 'em' (contraction 'na') with article to indicate possession or location

  ➔ 'Na' is a contraction of 'em' and 'a', meaning 'in the' or 'on the', here indicating possession or location

• Devias pensar

  ➔ Use of the imperfect tense 'devias' (dever + subjunctive), expressing a recommendation or hypothetical situation

  ➔ 'Devias' is a form of 'dever' in the imperfect subjunctive, used here to give advice or hypothetical context

• Estou a viver em guerra

  ➔ Use of the à + infinitive construction to indicate ongoing actions or states in the present

  ➔ 'A viver' demonstrates ongoing action in the present with the verb 'viver'