Jesualda	Jesualda
De: Jorge Ben Jor	By: Jorge Ben Jor
Português	English
Jesualda parou com o morro	Jesualda left the hills
Pois ela estava no alto	Since she was up high
Mas não estava por cima	But, didn’t want to be up there
Moça simpática prendada ano ginasial completo	A nice girl, gifted at a completely virginal age.
Toda certinha ainda donzela	All too certain, yet a donzela (a kind of back hill princess)
Prá ninguém botar defeito	That no one can put a fault
Cheia de afeto	Full of affection
Desceu pra ver de perto o asfalto quente	Came down to see up close the hot asphalt
Sentir a brisa e a água salgada do mar	To feel the breeze and the salt water of the sea
Molhando seu corpo delgado	Wetting her delicate body
Procurou um emprego e achou	Looked for a job and thought
Foi trabalhar num duplex na zona sul	I’m going to work in a duplex in the southern zone (an area of matchbox housing developments in 1970’s Brazil)
De cozinheira de forno e fogão	Became a cook over an oven and fire
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la	La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la	La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
Na flor da idade	In the flower of her age
Tão pura tão linda tão meiga	So pure, so beautiful so sweet
No ponto do ônibus	At a bus stop
Num domingo à tarde	On a Sunday afternoon
Sua felicidade pintou	Her happiness was painted
Pois um moço simpatico	Since a nice boy
Que ia no seu carro meio apressado	That pulled up in his car in the middle of the street
Com bandeira e tudo	With the flag and everything
Com bandeira e tudo ao Maracanã	With the flag and everything to the Maracanã (a soccer team)
No que olhou pro lado, parou	Upon seeing her on the other side, he stopped
Saltou levou um papo	Jumped out, raised the hood
E a linda simpática donzela ele amarrou	And the nice, pretty donzela, he married.
Hoje Jesualda é feliz	Today Jesualda is happy
Casou de véu e grinalda	Cloaked in veil and garland
E agora espera baby	And now has hope baby
Espera baby no exterior	has hope baby in the end
Espera baby no exterior	has hope baby in the end
Salve simpatia	Keep on with it (literally save the sympathy)

Commentary:

Notice the similarities in Brazilian culture and that of America, revealed in this song. Jesualda is about a country girl that meets and marries a ‘hip’ city man. But it really expresses aspects of Brazilian culture that are quite close to our own American culture. The guy is a advent soccer fan and flies his team’s flag. What American can’t identify with sports mania? I just have to look at the nutty antics of football fans to see this. And Jesualda is confident she can achieve a better life, down below in the city. Don’t Americans travel for the same reasons? Most demographic relocations of the American populace have been based on finding a better job! It's almost Hollywood in the story line! Yet, it's expressed in a truly Brazilian fashion. The tonal swings in Ben Jor's voice makes you wanna meet this brown 'donzela' and take her as your own, doesn't it? How 'bout that happy end? And as an appeal to pacificism, there is no allusion to the racial injustice here and there.Though, we know it is why Jesualda is the cook, etc, etc.

Salve Simpatia Jorge!