The first version of this song that I heard was by Caetano Veloso, and it was called "Olha O Menino" (the song's refrain), which makes a lot more sense than "Frases". But I believe the Jorge Ben version came first, and I'm not sure why Caetano would've changed the title. I'm also not sure what this song is really about. But I really love its rhythm, especially how it transitions from the intro (which isn't part of Caetano's version), and I think Ben's voice sounds particularly warm and soothing on this track.
My favorite lines of the song are the 3rd and 4th lines, "You know the rose is a flower...and the kid is a nobody," and the 7th and 8th, "For six thousand years man...making flowers and stars." The first two I like for their rhythm, and the way that "ninguem" (nobody) comes back to rhyme with "também" (too, also). The second two I enjoy more for the sentiment, as it often feels like we humans have a knack for missing how incredible life already is without us doing anything to it, and in the process create more stress and problems for ourselves. I also like the way Ben mixes us up the rhythm of the two lines, taking a slight pause at different points of each line.
Phrases
I just want God to help me And even more so the kid You know the rose is a flower The flower is a rose and the kid is a nobody.
Look at the kid, oh Look at the kid, oh oh oh
For six thousand years man has lived happily making wars and bullshit For six thousand years God has wasted time making flowers and stars
Look at the kid, oh Look at the kid, oh oh oh
I'm a sincere man Because I was born, grew up and live free I'm a sincere man Who wants to die, be born and live free [1]
Frases
Eu só quero que Deus me ajude O menino muito mais também Pois a rosa é uma flor A flor é uma rosa o menino não é ninguém
olha o menino ui olha o menino ui ui ui
Há seis mil anos o homem vive feliz fazendo guerras e asneiras Há seis mil anos Deus perde tempo fazendo flores e estrelas
olha o menino ui olha o menino ui ui ui
Eu sou um homem sincero Porque nasci e cresci e vivo livre Eu sou um homem sincero Que quero morrer nascer e viver livre
Notes
1. I don't know why Ben put death before birth and life in this line. The rhyme would have worked just as well if death came last.
Wherever they may go [1] Let's go to the world Let's go with faith With faith you laugh with with I wounded [2] I wounded Paulin The local saint [3] Who makes miracles Even with one eye closed
You have Samba [4] If you're not dying of hunger Whoever has Samba Always goes around fearless Whoever has Samba If you have Samba, come on over Come on over, come Samba
Vamos Pro Mundo
Prondé qui vão Vamos pro mundo Vamos com fé Com fé ri Con-con-feri Feri paulin Santu de casa Qui até d'olho fechadu Faz milagri
Que tem sambá Quandu de fome não morri Quem tem sambá Indu vai sempre sem medu Quem tem sambá Tem sambá, vem pra cá Vem pra cá, vem sambá
Notes
All the online lyrics for this song have the spelling mistakes that the version below has: endings with "u" instead of "o" - fechadu, Quandu, Indu, medu; "i" for "e" in milagri. I guess this would reflect that the person writing the song hasn't gone to school or doesn't quite know how to spell, because they are pure spelling mistakes that don't affect the sound of the words. There is also the first word of the song, "Prondé", which is a combining of "para onde" but also with the stress on a different syllable (the last), such that the last syllable sounds like "day" instead "gee" (soft g) like it normally would. I'm not sure how common the term is though, so I'm not sure if that also implies a social/class distinctinction or not or how much of a distinction. ^Back to Top
In this line, "With faith you laugh" sounds the same as "with with I wounded". I couldn't figure out a way to make the play on the sound without going far from the plain meaning of the verb, and I think it's easy enough to hear and appreciate the play on words when you listen to the song. ^Back to Top
This line was tricky..."Santo de casa" made me think of the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomblé, where a temple is called a "casa de Candomblé" and where priests and priestesses are called pai-de-santo and mãe-de-santo. And after all Novos Baianos (New Bahians) are from Bahia, the region where Candomblé is most prominent. But when I googled "santo de casa", I got all these results about "santo de casa não faz milagro", which is a saying equivalent to "no man is a prophet in his own country". I can't tell if they are trying to make a play on that saying with the subsequent lines. I guess it all hinges on whether "casa" is meant in the particular sense of Candomblé, or if it's just using "de casa" as a way of saying "local" or "hometown". I went with "local" because I like the way "local saint" sounds in English and because I think "local saint" could convey some of the meaning of "no man is a prophet in his own country", i.e. a saint who's classified as "local" sounds somewhat suspect in his holy powers. ^Back to Top
The word in the original is "sambá", which is not the way "samba" is usually spelled or pronounced (stress is normally on the first syllable). Googled this and there are various mentions of "sambá" being a word from which "samba" is derived, but the meanings given for the root word are various. It also seems to just be a casual way of saying "sambar" (to samba), most often in the phrase "vem sambá" (come and Samba). In this case, I think the most important thing is the connotation that when you talk about someone "having Samba", you're talking about them doing something, not just knowing about something or being able to do it. So to "have Samba" (tem samba) you "have to samba" (sambar, sambá). ^Back to Top
The sun is beautiful today, I went to look Almost got blinded We should move on silently… I hear the silent sound of the universe.
You’re the flame and the fire Don’t let this life die You've come to understand hurt And wounds, sweet and beautiful youth made the tree, shade and bears fruit.
Bolado
O Sol hoje ta lindo eu vi e fui olhar Quase fico cego Precisamos sair pra outra em silêncio... Ouço o silencioso som do universo
És a chama e o fogo Não deixes morrer esta vida Já chegastes a compreender dor E ferida, doce e linda juventude fez a árvore, sombra e produz
Although it's much calmer and simpler than most of their tracks, this is one of my all-time favorite Novos Baianos songs, and (like with most of their songs) there were some parts to the lyrics that never made sense to me. But things started to make more sense after I found this other translation posted with a YouTube video of some guy playing the song on guitar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyZfqasmb8U. For example, I always thought the first part with "ca ca ca, na fe fe fe" was just random babble until I saw that translation mention coffee, and suddenly it made sense: ca-fe. Still, I interpreted some of those new discoveries differently, including the coffee mention. The YouTube translation talks about the coffee boiling in a bowl, but looking up "bolindo" led me to the verb "boler" meaning to move or stir. I chose stir not only because it seemed the most accurate verb to go along with coffee, but because I thought it reflected the atmosphere of early morning, when you would say that a house begins to stir. Other differences include using "buzz buzz" for "zunzum", and using "And then there's" for "Inda de lambuja", which from what I could tell translates roughly to "on top of that." I went with "And then there's" because I could never imagine a little kid saying "on top of that." Overall, I was psyched to see the YouTube write up refer to it as a modern day nursery rhyme, because that's definitely how I think about it, and I tried to make all of my choices support the simple yet playful wording and sound that I would associate with children's songs. I still have my doubts about the translation of the second to last stanza. I can't tell if the whole thing is meant to be a soccer reference, or if he's saying "entre nessa" (get in there) or "entrei nessa" (I went in there). The Brazilian lyrisc I found say "entre", but based on the rest of the line and section, "entrei" seems to make more sense, so that's what I've gone with. Either way I'm okay with leaving a little doubt as to the meaning. I think it'd be taking away some of the fun to completely decipher a Moraes Moreira song.
---LYRICS---
Crying time is over, everything looks pretty now So early in the morning, just the cah cah cah, in the fee fee fee In the stir stir stirry, in the stir stir stirring In the stir stir stirring In the stir stir stirring In the stir stir stirring
Maybe through a little hole, you got inside, woke me up in bed Took my heart and sat in my hand
Bee, little bee
Crying time is over, show me your buzz buzz, go buzz buzz for me
Bee, little hidden bee makes it pretty, makes a buzz buzz and honey Makes a buzz buzz and honey Makes a buzz buzz and honey
And then there's the little lamb, a present in its mouth Waking up all the people, such a soft bah, how softly And then there's the little lamb, a present in its mouth Waking up all the people, such a soft bah, how softly
Bee, little lamb
Crying time is over in the middle of the world I took a deep breath, everything went out for a corner I saw a frog in the pond, went in there where it's good
I went buzz buzz and that's it I went buzz buzz and that's it I went buzz buzz
---ORIGINAL---
Acabou chorare, ficou tudo lindo De manhã cedinho, tudo cá cá cá, na fé fé fé No bu bu li li, no bu bu li lindo No bu bu bolindo No bu bu bolindo No bu bu bolindo
Talvez pelo buraquinho, invadiu-me a casa, me acordou na cama Tomou o meu coração e sentou na minha mão
Abelha, abelhinha...
Acabou chorare, faz zunzum pra eu ver, faz zunzum pra mim
Abelho, abelhinho escondido faz bonito, faz zunzum e mel Faz zum zum e mel Faz zum zum e mel
Inda de lambuja tem o carneirinho, presente na boca Acordando toda gente, tão suave mé, que suavemente Inda de lambuja tem o carneirinho, presente na boca Acordando toda gente, tão suave mé, que suavemente
Abelha, carneirinho...
Acabou chorare no meio do mundo Respirei eu fundo, foi-se tudo pra escanteio Vi o sapo na lagoa, entre nessa que é boa
Fiz zunzum e pronto Fiz zum zum e pronto Fiz zum zum
