Tico-tico No Fubá [English translation]

Tico-tico

Tico-tico

Tico-tico is,

Is here again

Tico-tico is eating my cornmeal

Tico-tico must, must nourish itself

That it goes to eat some earthworms in the orchard

Tico-tico

Tico-tico is,

Is here again

Tico-tico is eating my cornmeal

Tico-tico must, must nourish itself

That it goes to eat some earthworms in the orchard

But, please, take that animal out of the granary1

Because he might eat all the cornmeal

Take this bird out of here, from my cornmeal2

There are a lot of things he may peck

I’ve done all I could to get rid of it

I gave him birdseed for he to eat

I’ve put a cat3, a scarecrow, a trapdoor

But it still thinks the cornmeal is the better for eating

Tico-tico is,

Is here again

Tico-tico is eating my cornmeal

Tico-tico must, must nourish itself

That it goes to eat some earthworms, and no cornmeal

Tico-tico

Tico-tico is,

Is here again

Tico-tico is eating my cornmeal

Tico-tico must, must nourish itself

That it goes to eat some earthworms, and no cornmeal.

1. In this case, celeiro has a C, instead of S2. Here she sings: “Tira esse tico de cá, de cima do meu fubá” instead3. Again, here I think she says gato (cat) instead of galo (rooster).

• Artist:Carmen Miranda