O barquinho - Little Boat (Roberto Menescal and Ronaldo Boscoli)
Portuguese Version
Day of light, celebration of the sun
And the little boat slides
On the soft blue of the ocean
Everything is summer, love is made
In the little boat along the sea
That slides eternally
With no intention, our song escapes this ocean
And the sun kisses the boat and light
Days so blue
Return from the sea, the sun fades
And the little boat gliding
And the longing to sing
Sky so blue, southern islands
And the little boat, heart
Sliding with the song
All this is peace
All this brings a summer calmness
And then the little boat goes
And the evening falls
The little boat goes, goes, goes...
English Version
My little boat is like a note
Bouncing merrily along
Hear it splashing up a song
The sails are white
The sky is bright
Heading out into the blue
With a crew of only two
Where we can share
Love's salty air
On a little paradise that's afloat
Not a care have we
In my little boat
The wind is still
We feel the thrill
Of a voyage heaven-bound
Though we only drift around
Warmed by the sun
Two hearts as one
Beating with enchanted bliss
Melting in each other's kiss
When daylight ends and slyly sends
Little stars that twinkle brightly above
It's goodbye to my little boat of love
Music in an image
One day, my piano teacher told me in class, “I don’t like Bossa Nova. ‘The little boat goes, the evening falls.’ What is that? It’s very unrealistic. Life is hard.” I then laughed and said that was precisely why I like Bossa Nova.
Whenever you have the opportunity to enjoy the moment, don’t miss it. Float on the little boat in a sweet song or admire the evening falling. Indeed, life is hard. But it’s also so lovely!
Notes
There are many famous versions of the song Little Boat, but my favourite is by Emilie-Claire Barlow, in both Portuguese and English. You can listen to it on my Brazil and English playlist.
Images: Sailboat at English Lagoon, Alphaville, Minas Gerais, Brazil (Ana Cecilia Rocha Veiga), Boats at Guanaraba Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Ana Cecilia Rocha Veiga).
