“Toada” (Zé Renato, 2007)

Souce: TV Brasil, CC BY 3.0 BR <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/br/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons

Today I’ve translated a little tune in honor of the 70th birthday of Zé Renato (born José Renato Botelho Moschkovich), one of the members of the band Boca Livre (literally “free mouth” but used to refer to a place where people eat and drink for free). A “toada” is a melody, an air, even a folk song, or, as I’ve translated it here, a tune.

See my translation of “O mar serenou” for why I’ve kept “morena” as is. (Ironically, this song was apparently written about a blonde.)

Listen to the song sung by Zé Renato
Listen to the original Boca Livre version
(with all their customary tight harmonies)
Listen to the Anvil playlist
(now with 200 songs that I’ve translated here!)

“Toada”
Vem morena, ouvir comigo essa cantiga
Sair por essa vida aventureira
Tanta toada eu trago na viola pra ver você mais feliz

Escuta o trem de ferro alegre a cantar
Na reta da chegada pra descansar
No coração sereno da toada, bem querer

Tanta saudade eu já senti
Morena, mas foi coisa tão bonita
Da vida nunca vou me arrepender

Vem morena, vem morena
Vem morena, vem morena
Vem morena, vem morena

“Tune”
Come morena, listen to this song with me
Depart for this adventurous life
So many tunes I keep in my guitar so I can see you happier

Listen to the happy train singing
On the home stretch to rest
In the serene heart of the tune, fondness

I’ve felt so much longing
Morena, but it was such a beautiful thing
Life I will never regret

Come morena, come morena
Come morena, come morena
Come morena, come morena