“Mistérios da meia-noite” by Zé Ramalho
Thirty-seven years ago today, 100% of Brazilian televisions were tuned to the final episode of the most successful Brazilian telenovela of all time, Roque Santeiro. The show was supported by unforgettable music, including the song by Zé Ramalho that I have translated below, which is the theme song for one of the characters, who happened to be a werewolf.
“Midnight Mysteries”
Midnight mysteries
That fly far
That you never
You never know
If they’re staying, if they’re going
Who’s going, who’s gone
Empires of a wolfman
Who wanted to be a man
For a woman so adrift
Abandoned she fell in love
At that same time
In that same village
He gave himself
To his love, why?
He didn’t want
To end up with the pious
Not even between God
Or the demon
Who lived in the market
Empire of a wolfman
Who wanted to be a man
For a women so adrift
Abandoned, her teacher
The word I have translated as “adrift” (“desgarrada”) is also a kind of challenge song in Portugal. This is not the style of Zé Ramalho’s song, but the idea of a competition adds something to this love story.