“Mentira (Chega de Mentira)” (Marcos Valle, 1973)
Source: Abramus - Associação Brasileira de Música e Artes, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
On its playful surface, this track from Marcos Valle’s 1973 album “Previsão de tempo” (“Weather Forecast”) seems to be about the interplay of insecurity and desire within a relationship. But given the context of when it was written (not to mention the image of the artist under water on the album cover) it seems incredibly likely that the lyrics about confused communication between partners could be a metaphor for the search for authenticity and freedom, both in personal relationships and a broader sociopolitical context.
Some of the words in this song are clearly nonsense words (reflecting the theme of the difficulty of communication), but the verses that start with “Diga quem…” are particularly opaque. I’ve checked a number of lyrics sources and there’s quite a bit of variation. What I’ve gone with here seems to be the most common interpretation and that led to my English version of pseudo-sensical nonsense. I should also note that the word I have translated as “anger” may just be a shortening of the word “mira” which in turn I have translated as both “sights” and “look” in different places. This all goes to show that this seemingly simple ditty has some real depth to it and that translation always involves choosing what to keep and what to play with.
“Mentira (Chega de Mentira)”
Diga sim pra mim primeiro
Diga sim, eu vi primeiro
Diga sim de corpo inteiro
Diga sim...
Mas é mentira, tchup-tchu
É mentira
Ira, tchup-tchu
É mentira
Eu não quero ter ciúmes
Eu não quero ter queixumes
Quero é ter...
Você na mira, tchup-tchu
Sem mentira
Mira, tchup-tchu
Sem mentira
Diga qué qué quem pó podem
Diga em quem qué quem pó podem
Diga qué qué quem pó podem
Diga em quem...
Mas é mentira, tchup-tchu
É mentira
Ira, tchup-tchu
É mentira
Eu não quero ter ciúmes
Eu não quero ter queixumes
Quero é ter...
Você na mira, tchup-tchu
É mentira
Mira, tchup-tchu
Sem mentira
“Lie (Enough Lies)”
Say yes to me first
Say yes, I saw it first
Say yes with your whole body
Say yes...
But it’s a lie, choop-choo
It’s a lie
Anger, choop-choo
It’s a lie
I don’t want to be jealous
I don’t want to have complaints
What I want is to have...
You in my sights, choop-choo
No lies
Look, choop-choo
No lies
Say what what who could can
Say in whom what who could can
Say what what who could can
Say in whom…
But it’s a lie, choop-choo
It’s a lie
Anger, choop-choo
It’s a lie
I don’t want to be jealous
I don’t want to have complaints
What I want is to have..
You in my sights, choop-choo
It’s a lie
Look, choop-choo
No lies