“Tem coca aí na geladeira” (Bezerra da Silva, 1999)
In honor of what would have been this samba icon’s 98th birthday, I’ve translated a song that’s typical of his subject matter: life in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Bezzera was known as “A voz do morro” (literally the voice of the hills, but “hill” here refers to the favelas which in Rio are almost always on the steep sides of the mountains). This song starts with one of the most common ways (mostly young male) people greet each other, not just in the favelas, but throughout Brazil: “Aí, meu irmão.” The first word is literally “there” but stands in for something more like “how’s it goin’ over there?” Bezerra’s typical irony is the backbone of this song about a party busted by the police, notably playing on the fact that what I’ve translated below as “coke there in the” in Portuguese sounds exactly like “cocaine” (“coca aí na”/ “cocaína”). The aural pun is obviously totally lost in English, but I’ve added it as an alternative when the verse repeats.
“Tem Coca aí na geladeira”
Aí, meu irmão!
(Cagueta é a imagem do cão)
(Aí que é que ele foi arrumar)
(Só porque o samba era no morro ele caguetou os irmão)
Fui num samba lá no morro
Nunca vi tanta limpeza
Era proibido cafungar
Fumar bagulho e beber cerveja
O responsável, assim dizia
Na minha festa não tem bebedeira
Porque aqui no meu barraco
Só tem Coca aí na geladeira
Tem Coca aí na geladeira
Tem Coca aí na geladeira
Tem Coca aí na geladeira
Olha, tem Coca aí na geladeira
A polícia foi informada
Que o dono da festa era vapor
E o bagulho estava entocado
Dentro do congelador
Aí, o delegado partiu pra lá
Pra dar um flagoroso perfeito
Dizendo: "Isso não está direito!"
Vou acabar com a bandalheira
Mas quando abriu a geladeira
O doutor gritou, muito injuriado
Esse caguete caguetou errado
Porque aqui não tem sujeira
Parece até festa de bíblia
Só tem Coca aí na geladeira
Tem Coca aí na geladeira
Tem Coca aí na geladeira
Tem Coca aí na geladeira
Tem Coca aí na geladeira
“There’s Coke in the fridge”
Hey, my brother!
(A snitch is a real dog)
(Just look what he’s done)
(Just because the samba was in the slum he ratted out his brothers)
I went up the hill for some samba
I’ve never seen things so clean
Nobody was allowed to snort
Smoke joints or drink beer
So the one in charge said
At my party there’s no drinking
Because here in my shack
There’s only Coke in the fridge
There’s Coke in the fridge
There’s cocaine fridge
There’s Coke in the fridge
Look, there’s cocaine fridge
The police were told
That the host of the party was a lookout
That the weed was stashed
Inside the freezer
So the deputy went that way
To execute the perfect bust
Saying: “This isn’t right!”
I’m gonna finish that place off!
But when they opened the fridge
The cop screamed, really injured
That snitch ratted wrong
Because there’s no dirt here
It almost seems like a bible party cuz
There’s only Coke in the fridge
There’s Coke in the fridge
There’s cocaine fridge
There’s Coke in the fridge
There’s cocaine fridge