“O Riso e a Faca” (Tom Zé, 1973)
Source: Sérgio Savarese from Sao Paulo City / Ipiranga, Brasil, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Tom Zé (born Antônio José Santana Martins) is a songwriter so into playing with language that some of his lyrics are really nothing more than words chosen for sound. One of his songs is really a study on the word “Hein?” (“Huh?”) and he admits in another that he is “explaining in order to confuse” us. The song I’ve translated below in honor of his 87th birthday today is a little more straightforward, but still shows off his linguistic playfulness (as well as his signature way of singing that calls attention to distinct words and syllables). “O Riso e a Faca” (“The Smile and the Knife”), from his 1973 album “Todos os Olhos” (“All the Eyes”), also shows how he even plays visually with words: notice the effect of all the “O”s on the album cover at the link below.
“The Smile and the Knife”
I want to be the smile and the tooth
I want to be the tooth and the knife
I want to be the knife and the cut
In a single red kiss
I made my nest in the ocean breeze
I only rest in a storm
I only sleep in a hurricane
I am the rabies and the vaccine
Pursuit of sin and counsel
Space between pain and comfort
The fight between the light and the mirror
I made my nest in the ocean breeze
I only rest in a storm
I only sleep in a hurricane
Space between pain and comfort