Happy Birthday, Beto Guedes!
In honor of Beto Guedes’s 71st birthday, my translation of his song “O Sal da Terra” (“Salt of the Earth”) from his 1981 album “Contos da Lua Vaga” (“Tales from the Wandering Moon”).
“The Salt of the Earth”
Go ahead, I want to tell you no secret
I’m talking about this floor in our house
Come on, it’s time to straighten up
Time, I want to live 200 more years
I don’t want to hurt my fellow beings
Which doesn’t mean I want to hurt myself
We’re going to need everyone
To banish oppression from the world
To build new life
We’re gonna need a lot of love
Happiness lives next door
And those who aren’t fools can see
Peace on Earth love
Feet on the earth
Peace on Earth love
Salt of the
Earth, you are the most beautiful of planets
They’re abusing you for money
You who are the ship our sister
Sing, live your life in harmony
And feed us with your fruits
You who are the apple for humans
We’re gonna need everyone
One plus one is always more than two
To better join our efforts
Just share the bread better
Recreate paradise now
To deserve those who come after
Let love be born
Let love flow
Let love grow
Let love live
Salt of the earth
[I am convinced that where the lyrics say “your fruits” (“teus frutos”) - and that’s obviously what the video shows and all the lyrics sources say - he actually sings “their grief” (“seus lutos”). This changes the meaning of that line quite a bit…]