Caetano Veloso
Onde eu nasci passa um rio lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Portuguese
- Level
- Beginner
- Released
- 1967
- Genre
- Bossa Nova
- Length
- 1:57
Onde eu nasci passa um rio
Where I was born, a river flows
Que passa no igual sem fim
That flows endlessly, just the same
Igual, sem fim, minha terra
Endlessly, my land
Passava dentro de mim
Flowing within me
Passava como se o tempo
Flowing as if time
Nada pudesse mudar
Could change nothing at all
Passava como se o rio
Flowing as if the river
Não desaguasse no mar
Did not empty into the sea
O rio deságua no mar
The river empties into the sea
Já tanta coisa aprendi
So many things I've learned
Mas o que é mais meu cantar
But what is most mine to sing
É isso que eu canto aqui
Is this that I sing here
Hoje eu sei que o mundo é grande
Today I know that the world is vast
E o mar de ondas se faz
And the sea is made of waves
Mas nasceu junto com o rio
But it was born alongside the river
O canto que eu canto mais
The song that I sing the most
O rio só chega no mar
The river only reaches the sea
Depois de andar pelo chão
After walking on the ground
O rio da minha terra
The river of my land
Deságua em meu coração
Flows into my heart
Key vocabulary
- nasci
- was born
- passa
- passesA2
- igual
- equalA2
- fim
- endA1
- terra
- earthB1
- passava
- passed
- dentro
- insideA1
- nada
- nothingA1
- pudesse
- could
- mudar
- changeA2
Test yourself
How much of Onde eu nasci passa um rio did you catch?
A quick quiz on the key words from this song.
About this song
Caetano Veloso is a Brazilian singer-songwriter associated with Tropicália and Brazilian popular music. Known for his genre-spanning career that has blended bossa nova, folk, and experimental rock, he is also recognized for his role in shaping the Tropicalist movement.