Desafinado
Newton Mendonca Lyrics

So you think my singing is off key, my love
You believe that my singing is not in tune, my beloved

You will hurt my feelings
Your actions will cause emotional pain

Can't you see, my love
Are you unable to perceive, my beloved

I wish I had an ear like yours
I desire to possess an auditory ability like yours

A voice that would behave
A vocal quality that would obediently conform

But all I have are feelings and
Yet, all I possess are emotions and

The voices God gave
The vocalizations bestowed by God

You insist my music goes against the rules
You persist in asserting that my music violates the regulations

Yes, but rules were never made for lovesick fools
However, rules were never intended for infatuated fools

I wrote this little song for you but you don't care
I composed this small melody exclusively for you, yet you show apathy

It's a crooked song, but, oh, my love is there
The melody may not be perfect, but my love is embedded within it

The thing that you would see, if you would play your part
What you would discern, if you fulfilled your role

Is though I might be out of tune,
Despite my potential lack of harmony

I have a gentle heart
I possess a kind and tender heart

I took your picture with my trusty Rolliflex
I captured your image using my reliable Rolliflex camera

But all I have developed is this complex
However, all that has developed is this emotional difficulty

Possibly in vain, I hope you'll weaken, oh my love
Perhaps in vain, I wish for your affection to soften, oh my beloved

And forget these rigid rules which undermine my dream of
And disregard these inflexible regulations that diminish my dream of

A life of love and music
A existence filled with love and harmonious melodies

With someone who understands
Alongside a person who comprehends

That even though I might be out of tune
That despite the possibility of me lacking harmony

When I try to say I love you
When I endeavor to express my affection for you

All that matters is this message that I bring
The sole important thing is the significance of this message I convey

When I try to say I love you
When I strive to declare my love for you