trololololol
It’s probably way too late, but I’ll give it a shot. The song actually mixes some lines in colloquial Spanish heavily influenced by Portuguese with others in a form of Portuguese which would ordinarily not be very colloquial in Brazil (este, dizei-me). The latter variety is more reminiscent of Portugal, but even there would be slightly archaic. It can also be explained to a small degree by Spanish influence. This notwithstanding, the singer is Brazilian and so is unmistakably his accent. I’ll color-code the lyrics this way:
Standard Spanish
Lusisms within a grammatically coherent chunk of Spanish text
Standard Portuguese
Hispanicisms within a grammatically coherent chunk of Portuguese text
Keep in mind that, in both Spanish and Portuguese, América means first and foremost the whole continent comprising North and South America, and, considering the linguistic makeup of this particular song, it probably celebrates mainly the parts where either Spanish or Portuguese is the dominant language—duh!
___________________________________________________________
Soy loco por ti, América.
Yo voy traer una mujer playera
Que su nombre sea Marti,
Que su nombre sea Marti…
(I’m crazy for you, America.
I’m gonna bring a beach woman
Whose name is Marti,
Whose name is Marti …)
Soy loco por ti de amores.
Tenga como colores
La espuma blanca
De Latinoamérica,
Y el cielo como bandera,
Y el cielo como bandera…
(I’m crazy in love with you.
May it have as its colors
The white foam
Of Latin America
And the sky as its flag,
And the sky as its flag …)
Soy loco por ti, América,
Soy loco por ti de amores… (2 ×)
(I’m crazy for you, America,
I’m crazy in love with you …)
Sorriso de quase nuvens,
Os rios, canções, o medo,
O corpo cheio de estrelas.
Soy loco por ti de amores.
Como se chama a amante
Deste país sem nome?
Este tango, este rancho,
Este povo? Dizei-me — arde
O fogo de conhecê-la,
O fogo de conhecê-la…
(Smile of almost clouds,
The rivers, songs, the fear,
The body full of stars.
I’m crazy in love with you.
What’s the name of the [female] lover
Of this nameless country?
This tango, this hut,
This folk? Tell [to more than one addressee, or polite form for one, archaic in either case] me—I’m burning
With desire to know her,
With desire to know her …)
Soy loco por ti, América,
Soy loco por ti de amores… (2 ×)
(I’m crazy for you, America,
I’m crazy in love with you …)
El nombre del hombre muerto,
Ya no se puede decirlo; ¿quién sabe?
Antes que o dia arrebente,
Antes que o dia arrebente…
(The dead man’s name,
You can’t say it anymore; who knows?
Before day bursts,
Before day bursts …)
El nombre del hombre muerto,
Antes que a definitiva
Noite se espalhe em Latino-América.
El nombre del hombre es Pueblo,
El nombre del hombre es Pueblo…
(The dead man’s name,
Before the everlasting
Night spreads over Latin America.
The man’s name is People,
The man’s name is People …)
Soy loco por ti, América,
Soy loco por ti de amores… (2 ×)
(I’m crazy for you, America,
I’m crazy in love with you …)
Espero o amanhã que cante
El nombre del hombre muerto.
Não sejam palavras tristes;
Soy loco por ti de amores.
Um poema ainda existe
Com palmeiras, com trincheiras.
Canções de guerra,
Quem sabe?, canções do mar.
Ai!, hasta te comover,
Ai!, hasta te comover…
(I hope for the tomorrow that’ll sing
The dead man’s name.
Let it not be sad words;
I’m crazy in love with you.
A poëm still exists,
With palm trees, with trenches.
War songs,
Who knows?, sea songs.
Oh!, till you’re moved,
Oh!, till you’re moved …)
Soy loco por ti, América,
Soy loco por ti de amores… (2 ×)
(I’m crazy for you, America,
I’m crazy in love with you …)
Estou aqui de passagem;
Sei que adiante
Um dia vou morrer
De susto, de bala ou vício,
De susto, de bala ou vício…
(I’m here passing by;
I know ahead
One day I’ll die
From a scare, from a bullet or a vice,
From a scare, from a bullet or a vice …)
Num precipício de luzes,
Entre saudades, soluços,
Eu vou morrer de bruços
Nos braços, nos olhos,
Nos braços de uma mulher,
Nos braços de uma mulher…
(In a precipice of lights,
Amid nostalgia, hiccups,
I’m gonna die face down
In her arms, in her eyes,
In a woman’s arms,
In a woman’s arms …)
Mais apaixonado ainda,
Dentro dos braços da camponesa,
Guerrilheira, manequim, ai de mim!
Nos braços de quem me queira,
Nos braços de quem me queira…
(Deeper yet in love,
Between the arms of the peasant woman,
[Female] guerrilla, mannequin, woe is me!
In the arms of whoever loves me,
In the arms of whoever loves me …)
Soy loco por ti, América,
Soy loco por ti de amores… (4 ×)
(I’m crazy for you, America,
I’m crazy in love with you …)
_________________
The red lake has been forgotten. A dust devil stuns you long enough to shroud forever those last shards of wisdom. The breeze rocking this forlorn wasteland whispers in your ears, “Não resta mais que uma sombra”.
24 Feb 2017, 2:44 pm
