Nos Tempos de Menino

In the Times of Boyhood

Nos Tempos de Menino

It was the path to the farmEra o caminho da roça
And the purity of MariaE a pureza de Maria
The green leaf in the bushA folha verde no mato
The rain when it fellA chuva quando caia
"Passarim" river stream"Passarim" rio regato
And nature smiledE a natureza sorria

It was the kiss I cherishedEra o beijo que eu cultivava
The life I truly wantedA vida que eu bem queria
The way I dreamedDo jeito que eu sonhava
Actually happenedRealmente acontecia
I wanted a fruit, I planted itQueria um fruto eu plantava
It thrived, I ate the fruitVingava o fruto eu comia

I wasn't afraid of deathDa morte eu não tinha medo
I didn't know deathA morte eu não conhecia
I had no secretsNão tinha nem um segredo
Walking in the bush without a guideAndar no mato sem guia
It was never late or earlyNunca era tarde nem cedo
Midnight or noonMeia-noite ou meio-dia

I was a boy more than sevenFui menino mais que sete
Or seventeen and a half leaguesOu dezessete léguas e meia
I was a boy with energyMenino fui cacetete
Boy with fire in my veinsMenino fogo nas veias
Marbles, rascalBola de gude, pivete
Boy with a sock ballMenino bola de meia

I was a boy at midnightFui menino meia-noite
I was a boy at noonMenino fui meio-dia
Boy, whipping windMenino vento de açoite
I was the belly of revelryFui o ventre da folia
Boy, thunder of the nightMenino trovão da noite
I was rain, I was winterFui chuva, fui invernia

I was a boy gunslingerFui menino pistoleiro
Boy, arborMenino caramanchão
I was a boy shoemakerMenino fui sapateiro
Boy, wheelbarrowMenino carro de mão
I was a boy banditMenino fui cangaceiro
Boy, lampMenino fui lampião

Boy, I was also a boyMenino, também menino fui
And time gave me its soulE o tempo deu-me a alma sua
Gave me bar thresholdsDeu-me batente de bares
Gave me naked and raw lifeDeu-me vida nua e crua
Alleys and corners my homesBecos e esquinas meus lares
Street corner kidMoleque ponta de rua