Podres Poderes Lyrics in English Caetano Veloso
Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Podres Poderes by Caetano Veloso from Portuguese to English.
Enquanto os homens exercem seus podres poderes
While men wield their rotten powers
Motos e fuscas avançam os sinais vermelhos
Motorcycles and Beetles run red lights
E perdem os verdes
And miss the green lights
Somos uns boçais
We are fools
Queria querer gritar setecentas mil vezes
I wish I wanted to shout seven hundred thousand times
Como são lindos, como são lindos os burgueses
How beautiful they are, how beautiful the bourgeois are
E os japoneses
And the Japanese
Mas tudo é muito mais
But everything is much more
Será que nunca faremos senão confirmar
Will we never do anything but confirm
A incompetência da América católica
The incompetence of Catholic America
Que sempre precisará de ridículos tiranos?
That will always need ridiculous tyrants?
Será, será que será, que será que será
Will it be, will it be, will it be, will it be
Será que esta minha estúpida retórica
Will my stupid rhetoric
Terá que soar, terá que se ouvir
Have to sound, have to be heard
Por mais zil anos?
For more zillion years?
Enquanto os homens exercem seus podres poderes
While men wield their rotten powers
Índios e padres e bichas, negros e mulheres
Indigenous people and priests and f*ggots, Black people and women
E adolescentes
And teenagers
Fazem o carnaval
Make carnival
Queria querer cantar afinado com eles
I wish I wanted to sing in tune with them
Silenciar em respeito ao seu transe, num êxtase
Be silent in respect to their trance, in an ecstasy
Ser indecente
Be indecent
Mas tudo é muito mau
But everything is very bad
Ou então cada paisano e cada capataz
Or else each civilian and each overseer
Com sua burrice fará jorrar sangue demais
With their stupidity will make too much blood flow
Nos pantanais, nas cidades, caatingas
In the Pantanals, in the cities, Caatingas
E nos Gerais?
And in the Gerais?
Será que apenas os hermetismos pascoais
Will only the Paschal hermeticisms
Os tons, os mil tons, seus sons e seus dons geniais
The tones, the thousand tones, their sounds and their brilliant gifts
Nos salvam, nos salvarão dessas trevas
Save us, will save us from these darknesses
E nada mais?
And nothing more?
Enquanto os homens exercem seus podres poderes
While men wield their rotten powers
Morrer e matar de fome, de raiva e de sede
To die and kill from hunger, from rage and from thirst
São tantas vezes gestos naturais
Are so often natural gestures
Eu quero aproximar o meu cantar vagabundo
I want to bring my vagabond song closer
Daqueles que velam pela alegria do mundo
To those who watch over the joy of the world
Indo mais fundo
Going deeper
Tins e bens e tais
Sounds and goods and such
Será que nunca faremos senão confirmar
Will we never do anything but confirm
A incompetência da América católica
The incompetence of Catholic America
Que sempre precisará de ridículos tiranos?
That will always need ridiculous tyrants?
Será, será que será, que será que será
Will it be, will it be, will it be, will it be
Será que esta minha estúpida retórica
Will my stupid rhetoric
Terá que soar, terá que se ouvir
Have to sound, have to be heard
Por mais zil anos?
For more zillion years?
Ou então cada paisano e cada capataz
Or else each civilian and each overseer
Com sua burrice fará jorrar sangue demais
With their stupidity will make too much blood flow
Nos pantanais, nas cidades, caatingas
In the Pantanals, in the cities, Caatingas
E nos Gerais?
And in the Gerais?
Será que apenas os hermetismos pascoais
Will only the Paschal hermeticisms
Os tons, os mil tons, seus sons e seus dons geniais
The tones, the thousand tones, their sounds and their brilliant gifts
Nos salvam, nos salvarão dessas trevas
Save us, will save us from these darknesses
E nada mais?
And nothing more?
Enquanto os homens exercem seus podres poderes
While men wield their rotten powers
Morrer e matar de fome, de raiva e de sede
To die and kill from hunger, from rage and from thirst
São tantas vezes gestos naturais
Are so often natural gestures
Eu quero aproximar o meu cantar vagabundo
I want to bring my vagabond song closer
Daqueles que velam pela alegria do mundo
To those who watch over the joy of the world
Indo mais fundo
Going deeper
Tins e bens e tais
Sounds and goods and such
(Uh, uh)
(Uh, uh)
Indo mais fundo
Going deeper
Tins e bens e tais
Sounds and goods and such
(Uh, uh)
(Uh, uh)
Indo mais fundo
Going deeper
Tins e bens e tais
Sounds and goods and such
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lyrics © Tratore, TERRA ENTERPRISES, INC., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
CAETANO EMMANUEL VIANA TELES VELOSO
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boçais — boors / oafs
Boçais is the plural of bocal, meaning 'boorish', 'oafish', or 'stupid'. It's a strong and somewhat archaic term to describe someone lacking refinement or intelligence.
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