The lyrics go like this:

In the new time

Despite the punishments

We are grown up,

We are attentive,

We are more alive

To help us, to help us, to help us

In the new time,

Despite the dangers

Of the most brute force,

Of the frightening night,

We are in the fight

To survive, to survive, to survive

So that our hope

Is more than vengeance

That it always be a path

That is left as an inheritance

EDIT: the original translation I posted shifted stuff around and (I think) made people miss the connection between the verses 'in spite of dangers / of the most brute force' which would kinda make it seem that force was maybe being glorified from then on. I also changed the title to make it more explicit.

Basically it's a song about an impending general improvement that was hoped for after the fall of the brazilian military junta. Parallels being likely drawn with the end of unipolarity.

  • Tankiedesantski [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Standard diplomatic protocol is that the host country will submit a list of songs they'd like to play to the visiting country and then they go back and forth until both sides agree on one.

    There's basically zero chance that the Brazilians did not sign off on this.

    • CarmineCatboy [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      2 years ago

      oh ok good to know. i was thinking the chinese had a brazilianist pick a song lol

      • Tankiedesantski [he/him]
        ·
        2 years ago

        Just wondering, is this a Junta-era pro-junta song or a song of resistance against the Junta?

        My reading of the lyrics can go either way.

        • CarmineCatboy [he/him]
          hexagon
          ·
          edit-2
          2 years ago

          it's anti junta. most of what got past censorship had to be a bit esoteric or coded, and even then playing certain specific songs on air could and often was banned anyways. this particular song came out in 1980 so its the latter 'softer' period of the dictatorship, and it signifies some expectation that good things are coming once its all over.