Cheira A Lisboa Lyrics in English by Amália Rodrigues

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Cheira A Lisboa by Amália Rodrigues from Portuguese to English.
Lisboa já tem Sol mas cheira a Lua
Lisbon already has sun but smells like the moon
Quando nasce a madrugada sorrateira
When the sneaky dawn is born
E o primeiro elétrico da rua
And the street's first tram
Faz coro com as chinelas da Ribeira
Joins in chorus with Ribeira's slippers
Se chove cheira a terra prometida
If it rains it smells like the promised land
Procissões têm o cheiro a rosmaninho
Processions carry the scent of rosemary
Nas tascas da viela mais escondidas
In the taverns of the most hidden alley
Cheira a iscas com elas e a vinho
It smells of iscas com elas and wine
Um cravo numa água furtada
A carnation in an attic window
Cheira bem, cheira a Lisboa
Smells good, smells like Lisbon
Uma rosa a florir na tapada
A rose blooming in the park
Cheira bem, cheira a Lisboa
Smells good, smells like Lisbon
A fragata que se ergue na proa
The frigate rising at the bow
A varina que teima em passar
The fishwife who insists on passing
Cheiram bem porque são de Lisboa
They smell good because they're from Lisbon
Lisboa tem cheiros de flores e de mar
Lisbon has scents of flowers and sea
Lisboa cheira aos cafés do Rossio
Lisbon smells of Rossio's cafés
E o fado cheira sempre a solidão
And fado always smells of loneliness
Cheira a castanha assada se está frio
It smells of roasted chestnut when it's cold
Cheira a fruta madura quando é verão
It smells of ripe fruit when it's summer
Nos lábios tem um cheiro de um sorriso
On its lips it has the scent of a smile
Manjerico tem cheiro de cantigas
Sweet basil smells of songs
E os rapazes perdem o juízo
And the boys lose their minds
Quando lhes dá o cheiro a raparigas
When the scent of girls hits them
Um cravo numa água furtada
A carnation in an attic window
Cheira bem, cheira a Lisboa
Smells good, smells like Lisbon
Uma rosa a florir na tapada
A rose blooming in the park
Cheira bem, cheira a Lisboa
Smells good, smells like Lisbon
A fragata que se ergue na proa
The frigate rising at the bow
A varina que teima em passar
The fishwife who insists on passing
Cheiram bem porque são de Lisboa
They smell good because they're from Lisbon
Lisboa tem cheiros de flores e de mar
Lisbon has scents of flowers and sea
Outro
Cheira bem, cheira a Lisboa
Smells good, smells like Lisbon
Cheira bem, cheira a Lisboa
Smells good, smells like Lisbon
A fragata que se ergue na proa
The frigate rising at the bow
A varina que teima em passar
The fishwife who insists on passing
Cheiram bem porque são de Lisboa
They smell good because they're from Lisbon
Lisboa tem cheiros de flores e de mar
Lisbon has scents of flowers and sea
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Imagine stepping onto Lisbon’s cobbled streets just as the first tram rattles by, slippers clap from the old riverside quarter and the sunrise paints everything gold. In “Cheira a Lisboa”, Amália Rodrigues turns these moments into a fragrant postcard, inviting us to breathe in a city where coffee mingles with sea spray, summer fruit and freshly fallen rain. Each verse is a sensory tour: gardens of carnations and basil, hidden taverns sizzling with liver and wine, processions scented with rosemary, and the ever-present tug of fado that smells faintly of solitude.

The song is more than a list of aromas; it is a celebration of Lisbon’s spirit. By linking every smell to a slice of everyday life—the flower seller, the persistent fish-hawking varina, the boys losing their heads over the perfume of girls—Amália shows how ordinary details weave a shared identity. “Cheira a Lisboa” reminds listeners that a city is not just seen or heard, it is inhaled, savoured and remembered, turning common scents into a lyrical map of home.

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