Pica is a fascinating word in Portuguese because it carries multiple meanings, making it both intriguing and central to this song's clever wordplay.
In the context of the song, it refers to two things: first, the 'pica de eléctrico' is the ticket inspector or conductor of the tram (the 'sete'). Second, and more evocatively, 'a pica que o pica do sete me dá' means the excitement, thrill, or 'buzz' that the ticket inspector of tram 7 gives the singer. This double meaning is what makes the word so memorable and enticing, hinting at a playful and passionate narrative.
Pica do 7 is a playful Lisbon love story on rails. The singer wakes up cedinho (very early), not because she is eager to reach work, but to catch the tram 7 and its irresistible ticket inspector — the pica. With her headband on and ticket in hand, she waits at the stop, secretly hoping for the moment his metal punch goes clic-clac. Each tiny hole he pierces in her ticket pierces her once-skeptical heart as well, turning a dull commute into a daily dose of butterflies.
The word pica means both “ticket puncher” and “thrill,” and that double meaning powers the whole song. Every time the inspector checks fares, her pulse races; if the tram derails, the crowd may grumble, but she would still be floating. She even jokes about “obliterating” his chest, mirroring how he stamps tickets. Beneath the humor lies a gentle observation: in the crowded, routine carreira (route) of life, sometimes the smallest encounters provide the biggest spark. António Zambujo wraps this cheeky crush in swingy Portuguese phrasing, inviting listeners to smile at how love can ride in on the most ordinary ride of all.
António Zambujo is one of Portugal's most celebrated voices, a singer who has gently reinvented fado for a new generation. Born in 1975 in Beja, in the southern Alentejo region, he grew up surrounded by the area's rich choral tradition known as Cante Alentejano and fell in love early with the great fado voices, above all Amália Rodrigues. He first trained on the clarinet as a child and won his first fado contest at just sixteen.
His warm, understated style blends fado with jazz, bossa nova and Brazilian music, and it has earned him awards at home and Latin Grammy nominations abroad. This song comes from his album Cidade, written and composed entirely by fellow Portuguese musician Miguel Araújo, who also joins him on the track.