“Chata” (Da Cruz, 2026)
I often post song translations in honor of birthdays or other milestones, but the next couple of posts are translations of new songs for which the bands and singers don’t have full internet presences, making it harder to find biographical information. This song, for instance, comes from an album released in January 2026 called “Som Sistema” (literally “Sound System” but the words are in the wrong order for that to be the literal translation). In addition to being an absolute bop (seriously, listen to the song through the link below!), the title of this song presents an interesting challenge: “chata” is somewhere between boring and annoying, but it’s also kind of uncool (and literally means “flat” as in a two-dimensional plane). The word is extremely common in Brazil to describe people, things, and events. I’ve chosen to take advantage of the repeated word to translate it a couple of different ways. (I have not translated the rap by Magugu in the middle of the song since it’s mostly in Nigerian Pidgin, not Portuguese.)
“Chata”
Acho que amo você
Preciso falar pra você
A vida sorri pra você
Parece que o jogo virou pra você
Romance não é meu esquema
Não gosto de praia cinema
Mensagem que cheira problema
Sou chata, chata, chata
Meu sangue não é de barata
Não tenho medo de nada
Digo a verdade na lata
Sou chata, chata, chata
Cozinho sempre o mesmo rango
Sem paciência pro mano
Papo furado dá sono
Sou chata, chata, chata
Sem hobby só fica na boa
Só escuta musìca à toa
Meus pés em duas canoas
Sou chata, chata, chata
“Uncool”
I think that I love you
I need to tell you
Life smiles on you
Seems like the tables have turned for you
Romance isn’t my thing
I don’t like beach movies
Messages that seek problems
I’m boring, boring, boring
I don’t take things lying down
I’m not afraid of anything
I tell the truth like it is
I’m annoying, annoying, annoying
I always cook the same slop
No patience brother
Chitchat makes me sleepy
I’m boring, boring, boring
Got no hobbies just chilling
Just listening to random music
My feet on both sides of the fence
I’m annoying, annoying, annoying