‘The Day the Earth Stopped'
Raul Santos Seixas was a Brazilian rock composer, singer, songwriter and producer, who was known as the "Father of Brazilian Rock." He was also known as "Maluco Beleza," roughly translated as "Groovy Nutcase." Below is his hit ,"O Dia Em que a Terra Parou" recorded in 1977, the latter becoming the anthem of the then hippy movement in Brazil. My Brazilian wife’s brother Silvio currently in voluntary quarantine in Brazil sent this to us. Rita and I were scheduled to fly there in April to celebrate her mother’s coming 90th birthday until we had to cancel the trip due to the crisis.Now, here are the prescient, prophetic, foreboding lyrics in English and Portuguese written and sung by Seixas in 1977, sounding all too eerily familiar amid today’s pandemic:Tonight I had a dreamEssa noite eu tive um sonhoFrom dreamerDe sonhadorCrazy I am, I dreamedMaluco que sou, eu sonheiWith the day the Earth stoppedCom o dia em que a Terra parouWith the day the Earth stoppedCom o dia em que a Terra parouIt was soFoi assimOn the day when all peopleNo dia em que todas as pessoasFrom the whole planetDo planeta inteiroThey decided that no one would leave the houseResolveram que ninguém ia sair de casaAs if combined acrossComo que se fosse combinado em todoThe planetO planetaThat day, nobody left home, nobody nobodyNaquele dia, ninguém saiu de casa, ninguém ninguémThe employee did not leave for his jobO empregado não saiu pro seu trabalhoBecause I knew that the boss wasn't there eitherPois sabia que o patrão também não tava láHousewife did not go out to buy breadDona de casa não saiu pra comprar pãoBecause I knew the baker wasn't there eitherPois sabia que o padeiro também não tava láAnd the guard didn't come out to arrestE o guarda não saiu para prenderBecause I knew that the thief wasn't there eitherPois sabia que o ladrão, também não tava láAnd the thief didn't come out to stealE o ladrão não saiu para roubarBecause I knew I would have nowhere to spendPois sabia que não ia ter onde gastarThe day the Earth stopped (êê)No dia em que a Terra parou (êê)On the day the Earth stopped (ôô)No dia em que a Terra parou (ôô)On the day the Earth stopped (ôô)No dia em que a Terra parou (ôô)The day the Earth stoppedNo dia em que a Terra parouAnd in the churches not a bell to ringE nas Igrejas nem um sino a badalarBecause they knew that the faithful were not there eitherPois sabiam que os fiéis também não tavam láAnd the faithful did not go out to prayE os fiéis não saíram pra rezarBecause they knew that the priest wasn't there eitherPois sabiam que o padre também não tava láAnd the student didn't go out to studyE o aluno não saiu para estudarBecause I knew the teacher wasn't there eitherPois sabia o professor também não tava láAnd the teacher didn't go out to teachE o professor não saiu pra lecionarBecause I knew I had nothing more to teachPois sabia que não tinha mais nada pra ensinarCrazy I am, I woke upMaluco que sou, acordeiThe day the Earth stopped (oh yeah)No dia em que a Terra parou (oh yeah)On the day the Earth stopped (ôô)No dia em que a Terra parou (ôô)The day the Earth stopped (I woke up)No dia em que a Terra parou (eu acordei)The day the Earth stopped (woke up)No dia em que a Terra parou (acordei)On the day the Earth stopped (just)No dia em que a Terra parou (justamente)The day the Earth stopped (I didn't daydream)No dia em que a Terra parou (eu não sonhei acordado)The day the Earth stoppedNo dia em que a Terra parouThe day the Earth stopped (the day the Earth stopped)No dia em que a Terra parou (no dia em que a terraStopped)Parou)
About the Author: Tom Madden is the CEO of TransMedia Group. His latest book, “Love Boat 78” is available on Amazon.
