Brazilian Independence Day
Source: Lucaseisinger, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Today, in honor of the 199th anniversary of Brazil’s independence, another song from Renato Russo, written in 1978, but only released on Legião Urbana’s 1987 album, “Que País É Este” (“What Country Is This”).
“What Country Is This”
In the slums, in the Senate
Dirt everywhere
Nobody respects the Constitution
But everyone believes in the nation’s future
What country is this?
What country is this?
What country is this?
In the Amazon, in Araguaia
In the Baixada Fluminense
Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais
And in the Northeast all in peace
In death I rest
But my blood runs free
Staining the papers, documents loyal
To the boss’s rest
What country is this?
What country is this?
What country is this?
What country is this?
Third World if it’s a joke overseas
But Brazil will be rich
We’re gonna make a million
When we sell the souls
Of our Indians in an auction
What country is this?
What country is this?
What country is this?
What country is this?