A Violeira

The Guitar Player

A Violeira

Since I was a girlDesde menina
Capricious and northeasternCaprichosa e nordestina
That I knew, my fateQue eu sabia, a minha sina
Was to come live in RioEra no Rio vir morar
In AraripeEm Araripe
I ran into the driver of a jeepTopei com o chofer dum jipe
Who was going down to SergipeQue descia pra Sergipe
For Military ServicePro Serviço Militar

This crazy guyEsse maluco
Left me in PernambucoMe largou em Pernambuco
When a guy with a musketQuando um cara de trabuco
Asked me outMe pediu pra namorar
Further aheadMais adiante
In an interesting stateNum estado interessante
A traveling salesmanUm caixeiro viajante
Took me to MacapáMe levou pra Macapá

A gypsy revealed that my fateUma cigana revelou que a minha sorte
Was to stay in that NorthEra ficar naquele Norte
And I didn't want to believeE eu não queria acreditar
I gathered my things with an old sailorJuntei os trapos com um velho marinheiro
I traveled on his cargo shipViajei no seu cargueiro
That ran aground in CearáQue encalhou no Ceará

I returned to CratoVoltei pro Crato
And started making craftsE fui fazer artesanato
With good and cheap clayDe barro bom e barato
To save moneyPra mó de economizar
I was a young girlEu era um broto
And also made many dollsE também fiz muito garoto
One better than the otherUm mais bem-feito que o outro
They almost speakEles só faltam falar

I gathered the brood and threw myself into the São FranciscoJuntei a prole e me atirei no São Francisco
I faced lightning, thunderEnfrentei raio, corisco
Current and bad thingsCorrenteza e coisa-má
I even got involved with an artist in PiraporaInda arrumei com um artista em Pirapora
Had another child and leftMais um filho e vim-me embora
I ended up here in RioCá no Rio vim parar

Seeing IpanemaVer Ipanema
Was like drinking juremaFoi que nem beber jurema
What a movie setQue cenário de cinema
What a poem by the seaQue poema à beira-mar
And there's no copE não tem tira
No doctor, no tricksterNem doutor, nem ziguizira
I want to see who can takeQuero ver que é que tira
Us from this placeNós aqui desse lugar

Is it trueSerá verdade
That I arrived in this cityQue eu cheguei nessa cidade
For the first authorityPra primeira autoridade
To kick me outResolver me escorraçar
With all my stuffCom tralha inteira
Rebuild the MantiqueiraRemontar a Mantiqueira
Until reaching the rapidsAté chegar na corredeira
The São Francisco taking meO São Francisco me levar

Distract myselfMe distrair
In the arms of a sly boatmanNos braços de um barqueiro sonso
Plunge into Paulo AfonsoDespencar na Paulo Afonso
Drown in the oceanNo oceano me afogar
Lose the childrenPerder os filhos
In Fernando de NoronhaEm Fernando de Noronha
And return dead with shameE voltar morta de vergonha
To the backlands of QuixadáPro sertão de Quixadá

Does it make senseTem cabimento
After so much tormentDepois de tanto tormento
To marry some sergeantMe casar com algum sargento
And shatter all dreamsE todo sonho desmanchar
There's no figureheadNão tem carranca
No tractor, no leverNem trator, nem alavanca
I want to see who can pullQuero ver quem é que arranca
Us from this placeNós aqui desse lugar