“Segura nega” (Bebeto, 1975)

Today’s translation marks the start of a new partnership with the incredible podcast Brazuca Sounds hosted by Leandro Vignoli. All fans of Brazilian music should definitely check it out and if you’re not a fan of Brazilian music, the podcast will make you one!

Without a doubt, the most difficult part of this song to translate is the word “nega.” I’ve brushed up against this and similar terms before in this blog, but what it really boils down to is that “nega” literally means “Black woman/girl” but is used to refer affectionately to women/girls more generally. In Brazilian Portuguese it is definitely a term of endearment, whether by lovers, friends, or even family members, mostly by people of color, but not exclusively. (The male version “nego” works similarly.) There are racial overtones to the word in Portuguese, but they are not, as Leandro also correctly stresses, pejorative. However, those overtones obviously come through more strikingly in English, so I’ve chosen to eliminate the racial part entirely and just go with “girl.”

This song’s original title was “Cutuca nega” but the dictatorship censored the word “cutuca” (“poke, prod, nudge”) since presumably they thought it was sexual innuendo. Bebeto did record a version in the 1990s with “cutuca” and I’ve mixed the two below, partially to capture that. There’s no doubt that the title of the song is just “Segura/Cutuca nega” but a lot of the available lyrics and translations by others insert a “the” in the middle: “Segura a nega” which would more literally translate as “Hang/hold on to the girl” or “Hold the girl.” Since that does seem to me to capture the gist of the song’s meaning, I’ve chosen to translate “Segura nega” as if it were “Segura a nega” somewhat echoing how the title heard by native Portuguese speakers as both “hold/hang (on to) the girl” and “hold on, girl” at the same time. Most importantly: I really like how “Hold the girl” seems to capture all the various meanings of “segura” (hang on to, hold on to, hold) and “cutuca” (more of an active poking, prodding, or potentially physically holding).

Finally, there are two prominent idiomatic expressions in this song, both of which I’ve tried to replace with a close English equivalent. But for those interested in literal translations: (1) “macaco velho não bota mão na cumbuca” is literally “old monkeys don’t put their hand into a pot/bowl” with a sense of wise older monkeys/people not getting involved in something dangerous that they shouldn’t. Leandro correctly points out that this expression exists in English, but I had never heard it before he mentioned it and don’t know that many Americans would recognize it as literally translated; (2) “cutuca a onça com uma vara curta” is to poke a jaguar with a short stick - and yes the lyrics use the same word for “poke” that was in the original title - but since there are few jaguars in the US, I’ve gone with something more familiar (although this isn’t the first time Brazilian jaguars have appeared here).

Listen to the song (1975 with “segura”)
Listen to the song (2009 with “cutuca”)
Listen to the podcast episode!

“Segura nega”

Cutuca nega
Cutuca nega

A gente pra viver bem nesse mundo
Tem que ser um pouco mais inteligente
Como já dizia a minha velha avó
Macaco velho não bota mão na cumbuca
Com o meu avô eu aprendi
Que não se cutuca a onça com uma vara curta
Mas quando a minha mãe vinha me dizer
Pra tomar cuidado com esse mundo louco
Eu não quis ouvir, eu não quis ouvir
Só fui ouvir um tio malandro que eu tenho
Quando ele me dizia

Segura a nega, meu
Segura a nega
Segura a nega, viu
Segura a nega

A gente pra viver bem nesse mundo
Tem que ser um pouco mais inteligente
Como já dizia a minha velha avó
Macaco velho não bota mão na cumbuca
Com o meu avô eu aprendi
Que não se cutuca a onça com uma vara curta
Mas quando a minha mãe vinha me dizer
Pra tomar cuidado com esse mundo louco
Eu não quis ouvir, eu não quis ouvir
Só fui ouvir um tio malandro que eu tenho
Quando ele me dizia, “e aí garoto”

Cutuca nega, viu
Cutuca nega (não dá moleza, não)
Cutuca nega, viu
Cutuca nega (é)

É verdade que o machão moderno gosta de gravata e de trabalho?
Não. (Não?)
É verdade que a mulher moderna gosta é de carro e de dinheiro?
É. (Ah, tem certeza.)
Como já dizia o velho Vicente
Sempre que puder, meu filho

Cutuca a nega, viu
Cutuca a nega (não dá moleza, não)
Cutuca a nega, viu
Cutuca a nega (é)

Eu passei a minha vida toda cutucando as negas
Eu passei a minha vida toda segurando a nega
E agora meu, o que faço eu?

Segura a nega (é)
Segura a nega, viu

O velho tinha razão

“Hold the girl”

Poke the girl
Poke the girl

For us to live well in this world
We have to be a little smarter
Like my old grandma used to say
Old monkeys don’t twist the lion’s tail
From my grandpa I learned
That you don’t poke a bear with a short stick
But when my mom came to tell me
To be careful in this crazy world
I refused to listen, I didn’t want to listen
I only listened to this scoundrel uncle of mine
When he told me

Hang on to the girl, man
Hang on to the girl
Hang on to the girl, see
Hang on to the girl

For us to live well in this world
We have to be a little smarter
Like my old grandma used to say
Old monkeys don’t twist the lion’s tail
From my grandpa I learned
That you don’t poke a bear with a short stick
But when my mom came to tell me
To be careful in this crazy world
I refused to listen, I didn’t want to listen
I only listened to this scoundrel uncle of mine
When he told me, “and so boy”

Poke the girl, see
Poke the girl (don’t go easy, no)
Poke the girl, see
Poke the girl (right)

Is it true that modern he-men like ties and work?
No. (No?)
Is it true that modern women like cars and money?
Right. (Ah, for sure.)
Like old Vicente used to say
Whenever you can, my son

Poke the girl, see
Poke the girl (don’t go easy, no)
Hang on to the girl, see
Hang on to the girl (right)

I spent my whole life poking girls
I spent my whole life holding girls
And now, man, what do I do?

Hold the girl (right)
Hold the girl, see

The old man was right