Panis et Circenses

"I wanted to sing a song enlightened by the sun I've left the clothes upon the flag poles in the air I've the tigers and lions out in the backyard But the people in the dinning room are busy at getting born and dying I ordered a pure-steel bright dagger to kill my love and i did at 5 o'clock on the central avenue But the people in the dinner room are busy at getting born and dying I ordered they to plant dream leaves in the solar garden the leaves know how to look for teh sun and the root, look for, look for but the people in the dinning room those people in the dinning room but the people in the dinning room are busy getting born and dying.

well, i tried to translate it... but as you can see, my english sucks hard. well, i tried... pretty good for a self-taught, huh? no? okay... ^^

This is, clearly, about people who don't care to think. The title is about the roman empire story, which relates to the rest of the song as the 'people in the dining room' are satisfyied with borning and dying. They don't think. They think, but about futile things like sex, money, etc. Actually they don't care to think, they are alienated.

the strophe which says- Eu quis cantar Minha canção iluminada de sol Soltei os panos sobre os mastros no ar Soltei os tigres e os leões nos quintais Mas as pessoas na sala de jantar São ocupadas em nascer e morrer

and

Mandei fazer De puro aço luminoso um punhal Para matar o meu amor e matei Às cinco horas na Avenida Central Mas as pessoas na sala de jantar São ocupadas em nascer e morrer

The writter, although trying to write a intelligent song, although singing his 'canção iluminada de sol' and although 'killing his love at 5:00 in the central avenue', can't get any merit, because the people on the dining room won't think about it. They are all occupied in borning and dying.

this song is far too gorgeous for its own good.

Bread and circuses. The people don't care what nasty stuff their leaders are doing because they have their cheap entertainment or whatever.

Look out for old clips of Os Mutantes on Brazilian TV shows and remember the military junta of the time. Then go forth and be subversive!

Great song.I think it's about someone looking for more interesting things in life,freedom,somethinhg out of ordinary,these kinds of things,but the government(pessoas da sala de jantar) does everything they can to make you an ordinary person,with ordinary,stupid and foolish thoughts."nascer e morrer" = "be born and die" = in my understanding,it is to be ordinary,be the kind of human being,they show in Science books.

ok...so i'll start, i guess. this song starts off with a horns! then some vocals sounding like somebody sleeping (snores and zzzzz's) then we're cast off into melododious....melody of a verse. this melody is sticking to me. this melody has been stuck to me. then mas as pessoas da sala de jantas/mas as pessoas de sala de jantar/mas as pessoas de sala de jantar/mas as pessoas de sala de jantar which i am truely grateful for. you have no idea. the end gets a bit beatle-ish and i'm cool with it.

as to the meaning of the song....i don't get portugese and i won't go babelfishing either.

This song, this song got me into Os Mutantes. Before this song I was lost :)

this song is SO fantastic

Yeah jantar is the dinner verb in Portuguese.

thanks Junin, along with the google translation, your translation was very helpful.

Here's how google translated:

I wanted to sing a song of sunshine illuminated Soltei the panels on the masts in the air Soltei the tigers and lions in backyards But people in the dining room They are employed in birth and death Mandei make a bright pure steel dagger To kill my love and killed At five o'clock in the central avenue But people in the dining room They are employed in birth and death Mandei plant leaves in the garden of dreams of solar Leaves know for by the sun And the roots look, look But people in the dining room These people in the dining room But people in the dining room They are employed in birth and death

I guess "Mandei" meand "I ordered" which google missed.

A very interesting band- I wish I could understand more portuguese, because they definitely seem to deliver some interesting lyrics from translations and the english "baby." This stuff remains relevant- "Tigers and Lions in the backyard while people are busy in the dining room getting born and dying" "Bread and Circuses" "WalMart and WWF"