Music #1: Seu Jorge - São Gonça

Hi there!

Here's another post, but now it's something different. I decided to post a music:  I think it is also helpful! I will post some musics from now on, with different styles, so you can know more of our culture and learn some Portuguese with it. ;)

Today's music: Seu Jorge - São Gonça

I chose this song, first because it's a nice song, and second because Seu Jorge is a nice example of the Carioca's culture (Carioca - from Rio). He's a great musician and he used to be very poor, and even lived 3 years as a homeless. His first album was released in 1998 with the band Farofa Carioca. 

My opinion about his songs/lyrics is that they express the soul of a simple Carioca, they have rhythm, the lyrics are usually about the everyday life.
The context of this music is, apparently, that his girlfriend decided to give a break on the relationship or she's simply mad at him because (apparently) he got home late and didn't call her. So he tries to explain what happened: there was a traffic jam at the bridge (that really exists - it's the bridge that connects Rio de Janeiro to Niterói), and he couldn't call her because the public telephone was not working, but he remarks that he's not forcing her to believe him, it's up to her to believe him or not ("Mas você crê se quiser"). 

So as you see, very simple lyrics, but he found a way of making it a great song! ;)

Ok, enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4X0iZnIvQs

[1997 (mil novecentos e noventa e sete) – Farofa Carioca]

Pretinha[i]

Faço tudo pelo nosso amor

Faço tudo pelo bem do nosso bem (meu bem)

A saudade é minha dor

Que anda arrasando com meu coração

Não duvide que um dia

Eu te darei o céu

Meu amor junto com um anel

Pra gente se casar

No cartório ou na igreja

Se você quiser

Se não quiser, tudo bem (meu bem)

Mas tente compreender

Morando em São Gonçalo você sabe como é

Hoje a tarde a ponte engarrafou

E eu fiquei a pé

Tentei ligar pra você

O orelhão[ii] da minha rua

Estava escangalhado

Meu cartão tava zerado[iii]

Mas você crê se quiser...

Pretinha

Faço tudo pelo nosso amor

Faço tudo pelo bem do nosso bem (meu bem, neném, aiai – faz isso comigo não)

A saudade é minha dor

Que anda arrasando com meu coração

Não duvide que um dia

Eu te darei o céu

Meu amor junto com um anel

Pra gente se casar

No cartório ou na igreja

Se você quiser

Se não quiser, tudo bem (meu bem)

Mas tente compreender

Morando em São Gonçalo você sabe como é

Hoje a tarde a ponte engarrafou

E eu fiquei a pé

Tentei ligar pra você

O orelhão da minha rua

Estava escangalhado

Meu cartão tava zerado

Mas você crê se quiser...

Mas tente compreender

Morando em São Paulo você sabe como é

Hoje a tarde a Marginal engarrafou

E eu fiquei a pé

Tentei ligar pra você

O orelhão da minha rua

Estava escangalhado

Meu cartão tava zerado

Mas você crê se quiser...

------------ Translation (attempt) -----------

Blakie (?),

I do everything for our love

I do everything for the good of our good  [my love, baby, don’t do that with me]

This longing is my pain

That is is messing up with my heart

Don’t doubt that one day

I will give you the sky

my love with a ring

For us to get married

At the registry office or at the church

Only if you feel like

If you don’t feel like, that’s fine (my love)

But try to understand

Living in São Gonçalo, you know how it is

Today there was a traffic jam at the bridge

And I had to go by foot*

I tried to call you

But my street’s public telephone was broken

My telephone card was empty

But you believe me only if you feel like.

* Dear readers, you know how difficult it is to translate lyrics, and sometimes it’s impossible to translate the exact same thing, either because my English knowledge is not broad enough or because it simply can’t be translated. I did it just for you to have an idea, ok?

---

[i] Pretinha: diminutive of black (blakie?); he’s referring to his girlfriend who’s black. So it’s a loving way to call the girlfriend – if his girlfriend were white (and he being black) he could also call her “branquinha” (branco = white). However, don’t start calling every black person you know in Brasil of pretinho/pretinha, it may also sound as prejudice/racism. So be careful. ;)

[ii] Orelhão: public telephone – literally it means big ear, I guess it’s because our public telephones look like big ears. 

[iii] Meu cartão tava zerado: My card was empty – that is, the public telefone card. “Tava” is Estava (was), and zerado comes from Zero. If you are broke (no Money) you can tell your friend “Estou zerado”  (I’m empty, with ‘zero’ money) ;).