Portas Do Sol Lyrics in English Nena

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Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Portas Do Sol by Nena from Portuguese to English.

You don't give me a sign

I'm going along the waterfront, looking at the river

I hear the radio playing

And it's playing what brought us together

I pass through Chiado

History all around, what once shook

One day, my love

Now gone, in Rossio

Whether you forget it or keep it

Sooner or later

You'll remember

That we were like Lisbon

And if this doesn't sound right

Then I don't know

What else will go

What else will come

We saw this landscape

Like a mirage, but it wasn't

There at the lookout

Of Portas do Sol

A 'we' emerged

Now I sing in Sintra

And even if I'm lying, they say

That this line I speak, with a broken heart

Is for you

Whether you forget it or keep it

Sooner or later

You'll remember

That we were like Lisbon

And if this doesn't sound right

Then I don't know

What else will go

What else will come

And whether you're here or abroad

A 'before' in the now

On a postcard

It says 'don't love someone

Who dreams beyond Portugal'

Whether you forget it or keep it

Sooner or later

You'll remember

That we were like Lisbon

And if this doesn't sound right

Then I don't know

What else will go

What else will come

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SONG MEANING

Take a sunset stroll along the Tagus and you will hear the heartbeat of this song. The narrator drifts from the riverside road to the book-lined streets of Chiado, with the radio replaying the melody that once united two lovers. Each Lisbon landmark becomes a living postcard of their romance: the bustling Rossio, the panoramic Miradouro das Portas do Sol, the misty hills of Sintra. What sounds like a sightseeing tour is really a map of memories, trembling with the aftershocks of a love that has slipped into the past.

The city is more than scenery, it is a mirror. Just like Lisbon, their relationship was layered with history, beauty, and sudden quakes. The chorus insists, "quer tu esqueças ou guardes... vais-te lembrar" – whether you try to forget or choose to keep it, sooner or later the memories return. Nostalgia mingles with acceptance while the singer hints at the courage it takes to dream beyond borders. In the end, the open gate of Portas do Sol shines as a symbol of possibility: a reminder that some vistas, and some loves, are too breathtaking to ever truly fade.

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Nena Portas Do Sol Lyrics