
Chico Buarque
Pivete lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Portuguese
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 1978
- Genre
- Bossa Nova, Samba
- Length
- 2:29
Monsieur have money pra mangiare
Monsieur has money to eat
Olere, olará
Olere, olará
Só pra mangiare
Just to eat
No sinal fechado
At the red light
Ele vende chiclete
He sells gum
Capricha na flanela
Polish it well
E se chama Pelé
And he’s called Pelé
Pinta na janela
Paints by the window
Batalha algum trocado
Battles for some change
Aponta um canivete
Points a pocket knife
E até
And so
Dobra a Carioca, olerê
Turn down Carioca, olerê
Desce a Frei Caneca, olará
Go down Frei Caneca, olará
Se manda pra Tijuca
Head over to Tijuca
Sobe o Borel
Climb up Borel
Meio se maloca
Half gets cozy
Agita numa boca
Vibe in a spot
Descola uma mutuca
Score a little something
E um papel
And a paper
Sonha aquela mina, olerê
Dream of that girl, olerê
Prancha, parafina, olará
Board, wax, oh wow
Dorme gente fina
Sleeps fine folks
Acorda pinel
Wakes up crazy
Pinel, pinel
Crazy, crazy
Zanza na sarjeta
Dancing in the gutter
Fatura uma besteira
Bills for nonsense
E tem as pernas tortas
And has crooked legs
E se chama Mané
And is called Mané
Arromba uma porta
Kicks down a door
Faz ligação direta
Makes a direct call
Engata uma primeira
Shift into first gear
E até
And until
Dobra a Carioca, olerê
Turn at Carioca, olerê
Desce a Frei Caneca, olará
Head down Frei Caneca, olará
Se manda pra Tijuca
Make your way to Tijuca
Na contramão
Against the flow
Dança para-lama
Dance, mud and all
Já era para-choque
It was already a bumper
Agora ele se chama
Now he goes by the name
Airtão
Airtão
Sobe no passeio, olerê
Step up on the sidewalk, olerê
Pega no Recreio, olará
Catch it at the playground, olará
Não se liga em freio
Don't hold back on the brakes
Nem direção
Nor on direction
No sinal fechado
At the red light
Ele transa chiclete
He chews gum
E se chama pivete
And he's called little dude
E pinta na janela
And he paints on the window
Capricha na flanela
Put some flair on the cloth
Descola uma bereta
Score a beretta
Batalha na sarjeta
Battle in the gutter
E tem as pernas tortas
And it has crooked legs
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- monsieur
- mister
- mangiare
- eat
- olere
- smell
- olará
- alas
- só
- only
- sinal
- signalB2
- vende
- sellA1
- capricha
- comply
- pinta
- paintB1
- janela
- windowA1
Test yourself
How much of Pivete 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.