Porto Côvo Lyrics in English Rui Veloso

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Porto Côvo by Rui Veloso from Portuguese to English.
Verse 1
Gnawing an orange on the cliff
Looking at the blue world ahead of me
Hearing a nightingale nearby
In the calm improv of sunset
Below, trembling fires in the tents
Offshore the waters shine like silver
And the breeze keeps telling old legends
Of pirate ports and bays
There was a peach tree on the island
Planted by a Vizier from Odemira
Who they say killed himself young for love
Here, in the place of Porto Côvo
Verse 2
The moon has already dropped over this peace
And reigns over all this glow
All around life delights itself
While a sea bream roasts on the embers
Far off, a ship's citadel
Lights up in the sea like a wish
Behind me the breath of fate
Brings me back the memory of the Alentejo
There was a peach tree on the island
Planted by a Vizier from Odemira
Who they say killed himself young for love
Here, in the place of Porto Côvo
Verse 3
Gnawing an orange on the cliff
Looking ahead at the dark blue
I could be a fish in the tide
Swimming with no past or future
There was a peach tree on the island
Planted by a Vizier from Odemira
Who they say killed himself young for love
Here, in the place of Porto Côvo
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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SONG MEANING

Picture yourself on a sun-kissed cliff in southern Portugal, peeling a juicy orange while the sea glitters below. Rui Veloso’s “Porto Côvo” invites us into that postcard moment. The singer observes the calm sunset, the breeze whispering tales of pirates, and campfires glowing on the beach. With each detail he paints a love letter to the tiny fishing village of Porto Côvo and to the wider Alentejo region that shaped his memories.

Amid the peaceful scenery arises a local legend: a pessegueiro (peach tree) allegedly planted by a Moorish vizier who died young for love. This story, woven into the lyrics like folklore told around a seaside bonfire, highlights how places collect myths that outlive us. The song balances pure tranquility—listening to a nightingale, watching a fish grill—against a bittersweet sense that time and destiny still breathe down our necks. Ultimately, “Porto Côvo” is about savoring the present, honoring the past, and feeling at one with the ocean’s timeless rhythm.

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