Maracatu Atômico
Chico Science & Nação Zumbi in Afrociberdelia [MPB/Manguebeat]
O bico do beija-flor beija a flor, beija a flor,
E toda fauna-flora grita de amor;
Quem segura o porta-estandarte tem a arte, tem a arte
E aqui passa com raça, eletrônico, o maracatu atômico
The beak of the hummingbird beaks the bud, beaks the bud,
And all the fauna-flora screams out in love;
Those who wave in samba the standart have the art, they have the art
And here passes with race, electronic, the maracatu: atomic
Manamauê, auêia, aê color=#3366cc[/color]
Atrás do arranha-céu tem o céu, tem o céu;
E depois tem outro céu, sem estrelas.
Em cima do guarda-chuva, tem a chuva, tem a chuva,
Que tem gotas tão lindas que até dá vontade de comê-las!
Behind the skyscraper, the sky, there’s the sky, there’s the sky;
And beyond it there’s a whole other starless sky.
On top of the overhang, there’s the rain, there’s the rain,
Of water drops so beautiful that I’m even tempted to eat them!
Manamauê, auêia, aê color=#3366cc[/color]
No meio da couve-flor, tem a flor, tem a flor,
Que além de ser uma flor tem sabor;
Dentro do porta-luva, tem a luva, tem a luva,
Que alguém de unhas tão negras e tão afiadas esqueceu de pôr.
In the core of the cauliflower, there’s a flower, there’s a flower,
Which apart from being flower is full of flavour;
Inside of the glove compartment, there’s the glove, there’s the glove,
Which someone of nails so dark and sharp forgot to wear.
Manamauê, auêia, aê color=#3366cc[/color]
No fundo do para-raio, tem o raio, tem o raio,
Que caiu da nuvem negra do temporal;
Todo quadro negro é todo negro, é todo negro,
E eu escrevo seu nome nele só pra demonstrar o meu apego.
In the base of the lightning conductor, there’s the light, there’s the light,
That fell off from the darkest among all the stormy clouds;
And every single blackboard is all black, it is all black,
And I write down your name in its surface to show how much I really care.
Manamauê, auêia, aê color=#3366cc[/color]
O bico do beija-flor beija a flor, beija a flor,
E toda fauna-flora grita de amor;
Quem segura o porta-estandarte tem a arte, tem a arte
E aqui passa com raça, eletrônico, o maracatu atômico
The beak of the hummingbird beaks the bud, beaks the bud,
And all the fauna-flora screams out in love;
Those who wave in samba the standart have the art, they have the art
And here passes with race, electronic, the maracatu: atomic
Manamauê, auêia, aê color=#3366cc[/color]
Not all is translated literally, as I tried to keep to the beat, the alliterations and assonances — but the meaning is kept, overall. Here’s a link to the album, click any track name to listen to the song.
