Chico Buarque
A voz do dono e o dono da voz lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Portuguese
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 1981
- Genre
- Bossa Nova, Samba
- Length
- 3:28
Até quem sabe a voz do dono
Even those who know the owner's voice
Gostava do dono da voz
Loved the owner of that voice
Casal igual a nós, de entrega e de abandono
A couple like us, of devotion and abandonment
De guerra e paz, contras e prós
Of war and peace, downsides and upsides
Fizeram bodas de acetato - de fato
They made weddings of acetate - indeed
Assim como os nossos avós
Just like our grandparents did
O dono prensa a voz, a voz resulta um prato
The owner compresses the voice, the voice becomes a dish
Que gira para todos nós
That spins for all of us
O dono andava com outras doses
The owner was with other doses
A voz era de um dono só
The voice belonged to just one owner
Deus deu ao dono os dentes
God gave the owner teeth
Deus deu ao dono as nozes
God gave the owner the nuts
Às vozes Deus só deu seu dó
To the voices, God only gave his sorrow
Porém a voz ficou cansada após
But the voice grew tired after
Cem anos fazendo a santa
A hundred years of making the saint
Sonhou se desatar de tantos nós
Dreamed of untangling so many knots
Nas cordas de outra garganta
In the strings of another throat
A louca escorregava nos lençóis
The madwoman slipped on the sheets
Chegou a sonhar amantes
She even dreamed of lovers
E, rouca, regalar os seus bemóis
And, hoarse, would delight in her sharps
Em troca de alguns brilhantes
In exchange for a few diamonds
Enfim a voz firmou contrato
Finally, the voice signed a contract
E foi morar com novo algoz
And went to live with a new tormentor
Queria se prensar, queria ser um prato
Wanted to be crushed, wanted to be a dish
Girar e se esquecer, veloz
To spin and forget, so fast
Foi revelada na assembléia - atéia
It was revealed at the assembly - atheistic
Aquela situação atroz
That atrocious situation
A voz foi infiel, trocando de traquéia
The voice was unfaithful, switching its trachea
E o dono foi perdendo a voz
And the owner started losing their voice
E o dono foi perdendo a linha - que tinha
And the owner began to lose the line - that he had
E foi perdendo a luz e além
And it was losing the light and beyond
E disse: minha voz, se vós não sereis minha
And I said: my voice, if you won't be mine
Vós não sereis de mais ninguém
You won't belong to anyone else
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- sabe
- knows
- voz
- voiceA1
- dono
- ownerB1
- gostava
- liked
- casal
- couple
- igual
- equalA2
- entrega
- delivery
- abandono
- abandonment
- guerra
- warA2
- paz
- peace
Test yourself
How much of A voz do dono e o dono da voz 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.