“Lego” (Janeiro feat. André Viamonte, 2024)
On this 51st anniversary of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, a translation of a song by someone who has been alive for less than half that time. This song, released last year as a single, is chock full of slang and cultural references. Vera Lagoa was the first female TV journalist in Portugal, known for her conservative views. While I’m not sure who Schmidtu is supposed to be or what the following words are, it appears to be playing with sounds and maybe also with German or English. I’ve left those three words “untranslated,” but it’s possible this is a play on something like “shit, you’re perfect, my little …” Regardless, there are definitely some interesting messages in here about childhood and other things. One interesting linguistic aspect: Portuguese distinguishes between two things that are both called “papaya” in English. There’s a smaller variety (“mamão”) that is sweeter and what we usually see in the US and a larger variety (“papaia”) that isn’t as sweet. Sometimes we call the former “Hawaiian papaya” and the latter “Mexican” or “Caribbean” papaya, but the truth is that they are simply two different cultivars of the same fruit (Carica papaya in Latin). So I changed one of those papayas to a pineapple (because something similar happens with that fruit, which in Portuguese can be either “ananás” or “abacaxi”). But Legos are Legos, the world over.
“Lego”
Deixas o lego no chão
Passas o charro na mão
Vês o teu tempo deixar de ser tempo
E ficar solidão
Mas deixas de ser ilusão
Já dizia a multidão
O lego é vermelho no chão
Tentar não custa
E ter pão p'ra malucos
Não consta do guião
Mas sente a verdade na mão
Enquanto te escrevo o perdão
Tu fazes uma decisão
Deixas o ego sentado
E partes em direção da razão
Inventas as tuas merdas dobrado
Em 24000 por canção
Mas continuas na mania da simulação
Desencontrado no meio de guito em vão
Isso é só porque não me dás o mar
Isso é só porque não mе dás o mar
Lego maior, construção
Verdades incoеrentes na coesão
De um tufão, que fica no chão
E não levanta enquanto não
Se confundir com tesão
Vera Lagoa já não, agora só Sul, alemão
Schmidtu perfictu malictu em confusão
Mas perdes-te na confissão
Ou na confecção
Consultas a constituição
Ouve, eu sou tudo, mamão
Papaia que queiras irmão
Verdade, vejo solução
Não fiques a olhar p'ro barco ir na tua direção
Eu tiro-te a pinta, cabrão
Sigo pela esquerda
Viro à direita, bombom
Mas se não me derem carvão
Não ardo, é mesmo explosão
Isso é só porque não me dás o mar
Isso é só porque não mе dás o mar
“Lego”
You leave the Lego on the ground
You pass the joint in your hand
You see your time stop being time
And become solitude
But you stop being an illusion
The multitude was already saying
The Lego is red on the ground
Trying costs nothing
And having time for nonsense
Isn’t in the script
But feel the truth in your hand
While I’m writing to forgive you
You make a decision
You leave your ego to the side
And head in the direction of reason
You make up twice as much shit
At 24000 per song
But you continue with your crazy simulation
Lost in the middle of useless cash
That’s just because you don’t give me the ocean
That’s just because you don’t give me the ocean
Bigger Lego, construction
Incoherent truths in the cohesion
Of a typhoon, which remains on the ground
And doesn’t rise while not
Being confused with arousal
Vera Lagoa no more, now just the South, German
Schmidtu perfictu malictu in confusion
But you lose yourself in confession
Or in confection
You check the constitution
Listen, I’m everything, papaya
Pineapple whatever you want brother
Truth, I see a solution
Don’t keep looking for the boat to go in your direction
I’ve got your number, bastard
I continue to the left
I turn to the right, bonbon
But if they don’t give me coal
I don’t burn, it’s really an explosion
That’s just because you don’t give me the sea
That’s just because you don’t give me the sea