Tempo De Estio Lyrics in English by Caetano Veloso
Estio translates to "summer" or "summertime." While verão is the more common word for summer in Portuguese, estio is a more poetic and less frequently used term, often found in literature or more artistic contexts.
In Caetano Veloso's song, "Tempo de Estio" literally means "Summertime." The use of estio evokes a sense of classic Brazilian summer, full of warmth, light, and the vibrant energy of Rio, making it a unique and evocative choice for the song's title and lyrics.
"Tempo De Estio" is Caetano Veloso's ode to appetite itself — a Rio summer where every craving gets named out loud. He opens on a run of blunt wants: "Quero comer" ("I want to eat"), "Quero mamar" ("I want to suckle"), "Quero preguiçar" ("I want to be lazy") — pleasure, hunger and idleness stacked with no shame attached, because summer heat ("É o calor") is treated as its own kind of happiness ("Felicidade").
The song then turns into a roll call of women's names sweeping through the city — Solanges, Leilas, Flávias, Patrícias, Sônias, Malenas, Anas, Marinas, Lúcias, Terezas, Glórias, Denises — over the refrain "Eu quero suas meninas" ("I want your girls"), Rio itself personified as endlessly generous. It's less a love song than a sun-drunk chant, repeating "Rio, tempo de estio" ("Rio, summertime") until the whole track becomes one long, unhurried vamp.
