TU Lyrics in English by Alok, Matheus & Kauan
Zé povinho is a colloquial and somewhat pejorative Brazilian Portuguese expression that literally translates to "Joe Public" or "common folk." It refers to ordinary, often nosy or gossipy people who might judge or talk about others.
In the context of Alok's song, the phrase "Deixa esse zé povinho falar" (Let these common folk talk) encourages listeners to ignore external opinions and societal judgments, emphasizing living in the moment and focusing on personal desires rather than what others might say. It's an interesting and culturally specific term that adds a defiant edge to the lyrics.
Alok's "TU" narrows one night down to a single pronoun. The opening lines set the terms — "Eu sei que outra não pode fazer / O que você fez em segundos" ("I know no one else could do what you did in seconds") — and by the second verse the decision is already made: "Te asseguro que depois de hoje / Na minha vida, é só tu" ("I promise you that after today, in my life it's only you"). Matheus & Kauan bring the sertanejo half of it, so the evidence offered is physical rather than romantic: "É o jeito que tu dança, ô lá-lá-lá" and "É o jeito que tu beija" ("it's the way you dance, oh la-la-la", "it's the way you kiss").
The rest of the song is aimed at everyone watching. "Larga tudo e deixa o mundo pra lá / Deixa esse zé povinho falar" ("Drop everything and leave the world behind, let those nobodies talk") — zé povinho is Brazilian Portuguese for the small-minded gossips, the people whose opinion the singer spends the night deliberately ignoring. One thing to listen for as you learn: the song uses both Brazilian words for "you", the você of the opening verse and the tu of the chorus, and it is tu that ends up as the title.
