Cartagena Lyrics Translation in English
Gragoatá
Portuguese Lyrics
English Translation
Retrato meio azulado
Portrait somewhat bluish
De noite longa e cacimba no ar
Of a long night and mist in the air
Trapiche estendido no rio
Extended wharf on the river
Ao afago lunar
To the lunar caress
Fervendo num cheiro marino
Boiling in a sea breeze
Tainha da guarda pra gente jantar
Guard's mullet for us to dine
Esconjura magia certeira
Conjures up precise magic
Pra me enfeitiçar
To enchant me
Então era Sol
So it was the Sun
Água do mar
Sea water
Bem na medida pra eu me afogar
Just right for me to drown
Era o inverno
It was winter
Que vento sul anuncia ao chegar
That south wind announces upon arrival
Era forró
It was forró
Era ijexá
It was ijexá
Bem no compasso pra gente embolar
Right in step for us to dance
Era estrada
It was a road
Rumo incerto pra eu caminhar
Uncertain path for me to walk
Torpor e desembaraço
Torpor and disentanglement
O vinho barato que é bom de beber
The cheap wine that's good to drink
Dois corpos trançados na rede ao amanhecer
Two bodies entwined in the hammock at dawn
Silêncio e olho mareja
Silence and eyes welling
Eu viro de lado
I turn to the side
Que é pra ela não ver
So she doesn't see
Desgraço toda despedida
I ruin every farewell
Ao acontecer
As it happens
Então era Sol
So it was the Sun
Água do mar
Sea water
Bem na medida pra eu me afogar
Just right for me to drown
Era o inverno
It was winter
Que vento sul anuncia ao chegar
That south wind announces upon arrival
Era forró
It was forró
Era ijexá
It was ijexá
Bem no compasso pra gente embolar
Right in step for us to dance
Era estrada
It was a road
Rumo incerto pra eu caminhar
Uncertain path for me to walk
Do jeito que veio
The way she came
Ela se enveredou
She ventured
Partindo sem saber se ia voltar
Leaving without knowing if she would return
Em algum cais de Cartagena
In some dock of Cartagena
Quem eu gosto aportou
The one I like arrived
No mar do Caribe fez seu lar
In the Caribbean Sea, made her home
Eu compus um relicário
I composed a reliquary
Que confessa toda dor
That confesses all the pain
Da gente só se ver quando sonhar
We only see each other in dreams
Então virei poeta
So I became a poet
Entortando todo amor
Twisting all love
Que a vida me insistia apresentar
That life insisted on presenting to me
E o inverno sempre teima em voltar
And winter always insists on returning
Então era Sol e água do mar
So it was the Sun and sea water