Happy Birthday, São Paulo!
On this 469th birthday of the wonderful city of São Paulo, a translation of Tom Zé’s song from his 1990 album Cantando com a Plateia (Singing with the Audience). The title of the song (“São São Paulo, Meu Amor”) plays on the double meaning of “São” (“saint” and also “sound” as in healthy). So the title could be “Sound São Paulo, My Love” or “Saint São Paulo, My Love” or even “Healthy St. Paul, My Love” if we were to actually translate the place names.
“Sound São Paulo, My Love”
Healthy São Paulo so much pain
Saint São Paulo my love
There are eight million inhabitants
Moving in every corner
Who courteously pummel each other
Dying at full speed
And loving with all hatred
They hate each other lovingly
There are eight million inhabitants
Clustered solitude
Through a thousand chimneys and cars
Buttoned in installments
However with all the defects
I carry you in my heart
Sound São Paulo so much pain
Healthy São Paulo my love
Save us for heaven’s sake
Sinners invaded
Every city center
Armed with rouge and lipstick
Sending good natured kudos
In an assault against decency
The protected family
Curses repressed
A preacher who condemns
A bomb per fortnight
However with all the defects
I carry you in my heart
Saint São Paulo, so much pain
Sound São Paulo my love
Saint Anthony was fired
From cupid’s ministers
Armed with electronics
They get married on TV
Concrete flowers grow
Open sky nobody sees
In Brasília it’s summers off
In Rio it’s swimming in the ocean
The whole country on vacation
Here it’s only work
However with all the defects
I carry you in my chest
Saint São Paulo so much pain
Sound São Paulo my love