“Kilário” (Di Melo, 1975)
Source: Coletivo Sem Paredes FdE, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Tomorrow my friends at Brazuca Sounds will be releasing a bonus episode about this song and another by Di Melo. (The Anvil will release a translation of the other one tomorrow.) As Leandro notes on Brazuca Sounds, Di Melo likes to play with language. For example, the title of today’s song is a somewhat phonetic spelling (and apparently a “Japanese-ization” since he wrote the song there) of “clareou” which is the past tense of “clarear” which is the verb associated with daybreak. Unfortunately from a translation point of view, this key word for this song doesn’t work the same way in English. (Coincidentally, a recent post here about a Clara Nunes song uses the same root word.) If I were to try for a barebones “literal” translation of the verb, the song would start (and be titled and end) with something like “Day broke” or “It got light out” or even “The sun started to rise” but for obvious reasons I went a different direction and abandoned the verb. There’s more wordplay right away in the second verse because “it rained in my garden” is Brazilian slang for successfully picking someone up (like in a bar). It’s also worth noting that the 4th line refers to “natureza morta” which means “still life” as in a painting, but the Portuguese is much more evocative than the more subtle English, literally meaning “dead nature.” On the other hand, “still life” neatly picks up on a second meaning of these lines about a boring life. Check out Brazuca Sounds for a full breakdown of the song’s music and also a bigger picture view of the meaning of the lyrics.
“Kilário”
Kilário!
Raiou o dia, eu vi chover em minha horta
Ai, ai, meu Deus do céu
Quanto eu sofri ao ver a natureza morta
Ai, ai, meu Deus do céu
Quanto eu sofri ao ver a natureza morta
Dei a mandioca pra farinha
E o milho pra galinha
E o capim para a vaquinha
E o feijão, quem compra gosta
Dei a mandioca pra farinha
E o milho pra galinha
E o capim para a vaquinha
E o feijão, quem compra gosta
Kilário! (Kilário!)
Raiou o dia, eu vi chover em minha horta
Ai, ai, meu Deus do céu
Quanto eu sofri ao ver a natureza morta
Ai, ai, meu Deus do céu
Quanto eu sofri ao ver a natureza morta
Para demonstrar minha alegria
Fiz tremenda gritaria
Farra de noite, virei dia
Dei até festa na roça
Para demonstrar minha alegria
Fiz tremenda gritaria
Farra de noite, virei dia
Dei até festa na roça
Kilário! (Kilário!)
Raiou o dia, eu vi chover em minha horta
Ai, ai, meu Deus do céu
Quanto eu sofri ao ver a natureza morta
Ai, ai, meu Deus do céu
Quanto eu sofri ao ver a natureza morta
Ai, ai, meu Deus do céu
Quanto eu sofri ao ver a natureza morta
Kilário! (Kilário!)
“First light”
First light!
Daybreak, I saw it rain in my garden
Ai, ai, my god in heaven
How I’ve suffered seeing the still life
Ai, ai, my god in heaven
How I’ve suffered seeing the still life
I used the manioc for flour
And the corn for the chickens
And the grass for the calf
And the beans, those who buy them like them
I used the manioc for flour
And the corn for the chickens
And the grass for the calf
And the beans, those who buy them like them
First light! (First light!)
Daybreak, I saw it rain in my garden
Ai, ai, my god in heaven
How I’ve suffered seeing the still life
Ai, ai, my god in heaven
How I’ve suffered seeing the still life
To show my joy
I made a lot of noise
Party at night, I was up till dawn
I even had parties in the country
To show my joy
I made a lot of noise
Party at night, I was up till dawn
I even had parties in the country
First light!
Daybreak, I saw it rain in my garden
Ai, ai, my god in heaven
How I’ve suffered seeing the still life
Ai, ai, my god in heaven
How I’ve suffered seeing the still life
Ai, ai, my god in heaven
How I’ve suffered seeing the still life
First light! (First light!)