Gilberto Gil
Back in Bahia lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Portuguese
- Level
- Beginner
- Released
- 1972
- Genre
- Bossa Nova
- Length
- 4:39
Lá em Londres, vez em quando me sentia longe daqui
Back in London, from time to time I felt far from here
Vez em quando, quando me sentia longe, dava por mim
Every now and then, when I felt distant, I found myself
Puxando o cabelo, nervoso
Pulling my hair, anxious
Querendo ouvir Celly Campelo pra não cair
Wanting to hear Celly Campelo to keep from falling
Naquela fossa
Into that pit
Em que vi um camarada meu de Portobello cair
Where I saw a buddy of mine from Portobello fall
Naquela falta
Into that lack
De juízo que eu não tinha nem uma razão pra curtir
Of sense that I had no reason to enjoy
Naquela ausência
In that absence
De calor, de cor, de sal, de sol, de coração pra sentir
Of warmth, of color, of salt, of sun, of a heart to feel
Tanta saudade
So much longing
Preservada num velho baú de prata dentro de mim
Preserved in an old silver chest inside of me
Digo num baú de prata porque prata é a luz do luar
I say in a silver chest because silver is the light of the moonlight
Do luar que tanta falta me fazia junto com o mar
The moonlight that I missed so much along with the sea
Mar da Bahia
Sea of Bahia
Cujo o verde, vez em quando, me fazia bem relembrar
Whose green, once in a while, felt good to remember
Tão diferente
So different
Do verde, também tão lindo, dos gramados, campos de lá
From the green, also so beautiful, of the lawns, fields over there
Ilha do Norte
Island of the North
Onde não sei se por sorte ou por castigo, dei de parar
Where I don't know if by luck or by punishment, I ended up
Por algum tempo
For some time
Que afinal passou depressa, como tudo tem de passar
That in the end passed quickly, like everything must pass
Hoje eu me sinto
Today I feel
Como se ter ido fosse necessário para voltar
As if having left was necessary to return
Tanto mais vivo
So much more alive
De vida mais vivida, dividida pra lá e pra cá
With a life more lived, shared here and there
Diga, João
Say, João
Digo num baú de prata porque prata é a luz do luar
I say in a silver chest because silver is the moonlight
Do luar que tanta falta me fazia junto com o mar, é
Of the moonlight that I missed so much along with the sea, yes
Mar da Bahia
Bahia's sea
Cujo verde, vez em quando, me fazia bem relembrar
Whose green, now and then, made me feel good to remember
Tão diferente
So different
Do verde, também tão lindo, dos gramados, campos de lá
From the green, also so beautiful, of the meadows, fields from there
Ilha do Norte
North Island
Onde não sei se por sorte ou por castigo, dei de parar
Where I don't know if by luck or by punishment, I ended up
Por algum tempo
For some time
Que afinal passou depressa, como tudo tem de passar
That after all flew by quickly, like everything has to pass
Hoje eu me sinto
Today I feel
Como se ter ido fosse necessário para voltar
As if having gone was necessary to come back
Tanto mais vivo
So much more alive
De vida mais vivida, dividida pra lá e pra cá
Of a life more lived, split here and there
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- puxando
- pullingA2
- razão
- reasonA2
- sentir
- feelA2
- tanta
- so muchA2
- sol
- sunA1
- velho
- oldA1
- londres
- London
- vez
- turnB1
- sentia
- felt
- longe
- farA1
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About this song
Gilberto Gil was a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter associated with Tropicália and other innovative trends in Brazilian music. He is known for expanding Brazilian musical language through late-1960s and 1970s recordings and for combining an active political career, including serving as Brazil’s minister of culture, with ongoing work as a recording artist.