Zé do Caroço [English translation]
Zé do Caroço [English translation]
On the local loudspeaker service
of the Morro do Pau da Bandeira1
It's Zé do Caroço2 who issues the warning
that there will be a shake up tomorrow
And the whole favela3 needs to be made aware of it
Oh how I wish there was someone like Zé do Caroço
in the Mangueira4 neighborhood where I grew up
So he could let people know once and for all
that Carnaval is not that kind of showbusiness
We're schooled in raiz, we're Madeira5
But it's in the Morro do Pau da Bandeira
In the real Vila Isabel6
that Zé do Caroço works
that Zé do Caroço struggles
And where he tries to make ends meet
And it’s at that hour when Brazilian TV
Destroys everyone with its novelas7
That’s when Zé puts his voice out to the world
He makes a profound speech
He wants the best for the favela
A new leader is being born
In the Morro do Pau da Bandeira
A new leader is being born
In the Morro do Pau da Bandeira
In the Morro do Pau da Bandeira
In the Morro do Pau da Bandeira
Lelelelê Lelelelelelelelelê
Lelelelê Lelelelelelelelelê
1. a favela, or shantytown, in Rio de Janeiro, that started to be populated in the 1950’s2. Zé do Caroço was the nickname of José Mendes da Silva, an inhabitant of a community in Rio (the Morro do Pau da Bandeira) who was dedicated to social causes in the favela. After retiring from his job as a police officer, he installed a loudspeaker to give news to the residents of his favela, since television was known to be an unreliable source with manipulated facts meant to delude the population3. shantytown. More than one million people, or 20% of Rio’s population, lives in favelas. Their population is increasing at a rate of 2.5% per year, compared with growth of less than 0.5% for the rest of Rio.4. another famous favela in Rio5. there are many different kinds of samba styles, of which samba de raiz or Madeira is considered by many to be the purest form of Brazilian music, and also the least commercial6. Vila Isabel is the Rio district in which the Morro do Pau da Bandeira is found7. Novelas are the famous Brazilian epic soap operas that are now commonly translated and shown all over the world… the reference here seems to be to how TV in general, and no doubt the news, spins tales that have little connection to the life on the favela.
- Artist:Mariana Aydar
- Album:Kavita 1