“Brasil patriota” (Lucas Santtana)
Given the recent political unrest in Brazil, this seems an appropriate time to offer a translation of this beautiful, pointed song from Lucas Santtana’s 2019 album O Céu É Velho Há Muito Tempo (The Sky Has Been Old for a Long Time).
“Patriotic Brazil”
Brazil patriotic
Only when it’s time for a goal
Brazil patriotic
Only when it’s time for a show
But when the mud advances
The homeland is not so kind
The High Court rips up the charter
The club kills in the lair
Let nature rebel
Savagely cover the earth
Take everything back
And leave just plants
And birdsong
And leave just sap
And birdsong
And leave just dew
And birdsong
And leave just pollen
And the riverbeds
Brazil the patriot
Only when it’s time for a goal
Brazil the patriot
Only when it’s time for a show
But when hunger on the map
Is far from where we eat here
The heroic cry ceases
The cradle pretends it didn’t see
In every being the serpent lives
Cosmic seed impregnated
Lands and people even the west
DNA endures
In its nature
In its nature
In its nature
In its nature
DNA endures
DNA resists
DNA overcomes
In its nature
In its nature
Brazil
There are a number of “patriotic” allusions throughout this song. For example, the hyperlinked line about homeland, the reference to a heroic cry, and the mention of a cradle are all references to the Brazilian national anthem.