"Waters of March" (Portuguese: "Águas de Março") is a Brazilian song composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Jobim wrote both the English and Portuguese lyrics. When writing the English lyrics, Jobim endeavoured to avoid words with Latin roots, which resulted in the English version having more verses than the Portuguese. Another way in which the English lyrics differ from the Portuguese is that the English version treats March from the perspective of an observer in the northern hemisphere. In this context, the waters are the "waters of defrost" in contrast to the rains referred to in the original Portuguese, marking the end of summer and the beginning of the colder season in the southern hemisphere.
In 2001, "Águas de Março" was named as the all-time best Brazilian song in a poll of more than 200 Brazilian journalists, musicians and other artists conducted by Brazil's leading daily newspaper, Folha de São Paulo. ---------------------- É pau, é pedra, [A stick, a stone,] é o fim do caminho [It's the end of the road,] É um resto de toco, [It's the rest of a stump,] é um pouco sozinho [It's a little alone]
A stick, a stone, It's the end of the road, It's feeling alone It's the weight of your load
It's a sliver of glass, It's life, it's the sun, It's night, it's death, It's a knife, it's a gun
A flower that blooms,
A fox in the brush, A knot in the wood, The song of a thrush
The mystery of life The steps in the hall The sound of the wind And the waterfall
It's the moon floating free, It's the curve of the slope, It's an ant, it's a bee, It's a reason for hope
And the river bank sings Of the waters of March, It's the promise of spring, It's the joy in your heart
É o pé, é o chão, [The foot, the ground,] é a marcha estradeira [The flesh and the bone,] Passarinho na mão, [The beat of the road,] pedra de atiradeira [A slingshot's stone]
É uma ave no céu, [A fish, a flash,] é uma ave no chão [A silvery glow,] É um regato, é uma fonte, [A fight, a bet,] é um pedaço de pão [The range of a bow]
É o fundo do poço, [The bed of the well,] é o fim do caminho [The end of the line,] No rosto o desgosto, [The dismay in the face,] é um pouco sozinho [It's a little alone]
A spear, a spike, A stake, a nail, It's a drip, It's a drop, It's the end of the tale
A dew on the leaf In the morning light The shot of a gun In the dead of the night
A mile, a must, A thrust, a bump, It's the will to survive It's a jolt, it's a jump
A blueprint of a house, A body in bed, The car stuck in the mud, It's the mud, it's the mud
A fish, a flash A wish, a wink It's a hawk, it's a dove It's the promise of spring
And the river bank sings Of the waters of March, It's the end of despair It's the joy in your heart
É pau, é pedra, [A stick, a stone,] é o fim do caminho [It's the end of the road,] É um resto de toco, [It's the rest of a stump,] é um pouco sozinho [It's a little alone]
É uma cobra, é um pau, [A snake, a stick,] é João, é José [It is John, it is Joe,] É um espinho na mão, [It's a thorn in your hand] é um corte no pé [and a cut in your toe]
São as águas de março [And the riverbank talks] fechando o verão [Of the waters of March,] É a promessa de vida [It's the promise of life] no teu coração [It's the joy in your heart]