
Chico Buarque
A Banda lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Portuguese
- Level
- Beginner
- Released
- 1966
- Genre
- MPB, Samba
- Length
- 2:11
Estava à toa na vida o meu amor me chamou
I was aimlessly in life when my love called me
Pra ver a banda passar cantando coisas de amor
To watch the band pass, singing songs of love
A minha gente sofrida despediu-se da dor
My suffering people said goodbye to pain
Pra ver a banda passar cantando coisas de amor
To watch the band pass, singing songs of love
O homem sério que contava dinheiro parou
The serious man who counted money stopped
O faroleiro que contava vantagem parou
The lighthouse keeper who boasted also stopped
A namorada que contava as estrelas
The girlfriend who counted the stars
Parou para ver, ouvir e dar passagem
Stopped to see, listen, and let it pass
A moça triste que vivia calada sorriu
The sad girl who lived in silence smiled
A rosa triste que vivia fechada se abriu
The sad rose that lived closed opened up
E a meninada toda se assanhou
And all the kids got excited
Pra ver a banda passar cantando coisas de amor
To see the band pass by singing love's songs
Estava à toa na vida o meu amor me chamou
I was idling in life when my love called me
Pra ver a banda passar cantando coisas de amor
To see the band pass by singing love's songs
A minha gente sofrida despediu-se da dor
My suffering people said goodbye to pain
Pra ver a banda passar cantando coisas de amor
To see the band pass by singing love's songs
O velho fraco se esqueceu do cansaço e pensou
The old weak man forgot his weariness and thought
Que inda era moço pra sair no terraço e dançou
That he was still young enough to go out on the terrace and danced
A moça feia debruçou na janela
The ugly girl leaned out the window
Pensando que a banda tocava pra ela
Thinking that the band was playing just for her
A marcha alegre se espalhou na avenida e insistiu
The joyful march spread through the avenue and insisted
A Lua cheia que vivia escondida surgiu
The full moon that had been hiding appeared
Minha cidade toda se enfeitou
My whole city dressed up
Pra ver a banda passar cantando coisas de amor
To see the band pass, singing songs of love
Mas para meu desencanto o que era doce acabou
But to my dismay, what was sweet came to an end
Tudo tomou seu lugar depois que a banda passou
Everything took its place after the band passed
E cada qual no seu canto em cada canto uma dor
And each in their corner, in every corner a pain
Depois da banda passar cantando coisas de amor
After the band passed, singing songs of love
Depois da banda passar cantando coisas de amor
After the band passed, singing songs of love
Depois da banda passar cantando coisas de amor
After the band passed, singing songs of love
Depois da banda passar cantando coisas de amor
After the band plays, singing things about love
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- toa
- slack
- vida
- lifeB1
- amor
- loveB2
- chamou
- calledB1
- ver
- seeA1
- banda
- bandA2
- passar
- passA2
- cantando
- singing
- coisas
- thingsA1
- gente
- peopleA2
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About this song
Chico Buarque is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, poet, novelist, and playwright associated with samba, bossa nova, and MPB. He is known for intricate harmonic work and lyrics that often engage politics and culture, including foundational recordings such as Construção and Calabar.