Copacabana
Dori Caymmi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tempos gentis
Eu já fui tão feliz
Mais do que eu quis
Mais que eu pude querer
E era Copacabana
Loucas paixões
Eu já tive ilusões
Momentos bons
Hoje com meus botões
Penso que nada mais me engana
Foi num tempo em que era tudo demais
Tempos atrás
Quimera fugaz
Sonhos de paz
E promessas banais
Mera fumaça que a vida desfaz
Igual a um puro havana
Caminhando pelas ruas assim
Dentro de mim
Nem penso ao que vim
Penso é que a vida
Nem sempre é ruim
É só o enredo de um mau folhetim
A vida é simplesmente humana
The Portuguese lyrics of Dori Caymmi's Copacabana seem to reminisce about a past that was idyllic, but now seems to have been unreal, unattainable, or fleeting. The singer remembers the feverish nights and kind times of a bygone era in the famous Rio neighborhood of Copacabana where he was once blissfully happy. The singer then reflects on the many crazy passions and illusions that he had back then, all the good moments, which now seem to have been superficial and inconsequential. Today, he thinks about everything with a more level head, realizing that he was caught up in a world that was too good to be true, and that he can't be fooled like that again.
The song's chorus emphasizes how the past, which once felt like too much, now seems like a fleeting dream, "everything was too much, times ago, a fleeting chimera, dreams of peace, and banal promises, mere smoke life unravels, just like a pure Havana." The singer then talks about walking the streets of Copacabana, not even thinking about why he has come there, but rather meditating on how life is not always bad; it's simply human, full of ups and downs, and one has to come to grips with reality, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Overall, the song is a bittersweet nostalgic reflection of times gone by, coming to terms with disillusionment, and ultimately accepting that life will always have its challenges and rewards, and that is the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Noites febris
Nights of feverish excitement and passion
Tempos gentis
Gentle times of happiness and simplicity
Eu já fui tão feliz
I was once so happy
Mais do que eu quis
More than I ever wanted
Mais que eu pude querer
More than I could have ever wished for
E era Copacabana
And it was in Copacabana
Loucas paixões
Crazy passions
Tantas canções
So many songs
Eu já tive ilusões
I had illusions
Momentos bons
Good moments
Hoje com meus botões
Today, with my thoughts
Penso que nada mais me engana
I think that nothing else can deceive me
Foi num tempo em que era tudo demais
It was a time when everything was too much
Tempos atrás
A time in the past
Quimera fugaz
A fleeting chimera
Sonhos de paz
Dreams of peace
E promessas banais
And banal promises
Mera fumaça que a vida desfaz
Mere smoke that dissipates with life
Igual a um puro havana
Like a pure havana cigar
Caminhando pelas ruas assim
Walking the streets like this
Dentro de mim
Inside of me
Nem penso ao que vim
I don't even think why I'm here
Penso é que a vida
I think that life
Nem sempre é ruim
Isn't always bad
É só o enredo de um mau folhetim
It's just the plot of a bad melodrama
A vida é simplesmente humana
Life is simply human
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Joyce, Carlos Lyra
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind