Chico Buarque
A foto da capa lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Portuguese
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 1993
- Genre
- Bossa Nova, Samba
- Length
- 2:37
O retrato do artista quando moço
The portrait of the artist when he was young
Não é promissora, cândida pintura
Is not a promising, candid painting
É a figura do larápio rastaquera
It's the figure of a rascal, a trickster
Numa foto que não era para capa
In a photo that wasn't meant for a cover
Uma pose para câmera tão dura
A pose for the camera so stiff
Cujo foco toda lírica solapa
Whose focus undermines all lyricism
Era rala a luz naquele calabouço
The light was dim in that dungeon
Do talento, a clarabóia se tampara
From talent, the skylight was covered
E o poeta que ele sempre se soubera
And the poet he always thought he was
Claramente não mirava algum futuro
Clearly didn't see any future
Via o tira da sinistra que rosnara
See the figure on the left that growled
E o fotógrafo frontal batendo a chapa
And the front photographer snapping the shot
É uma foto que não era para a capa
It’s a photo that wasn’t meant for the cover
Era a mera contracara, face obscura
It was just the mere back face, the dark side
O retrato da paúra quando o cara
The portrait of fear when the guy
Se prepara para dar a cara a tapa
Prepares to take a hit and stand tall
É uma foto que não era para a capa
It’s a photo that wasn’t meant for the cover
Era a mera contracara, face obscura
It was just the mere back face, the dark side
O retrato da paúra quando o cara
The portrait of fear when the guy
Se prepara para dar a cara a tapa
Prepares to take a hit and stand tall
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- retrato
- portraitB1
- artista
- artist
- moço
- young manA2
- promissora
- promising
- cândida
- candid
- pintura
- paintingA2
- figura
- figureA2
- larápio
- thief
- rastaquera
- hoodlum
- foto
- photoB1
Test yourself
How much of A foto da capa did you catch?
A quick quiz on the key words from this song.
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.