Ratamahatta by Sepultura - can someone explain this song (portugues)?

Lyrics are available on many places...

Biboca
Garagem
Favela

Fubanga
Maloca
Bocada

Maloca
Bocada
Fubanga

Favela
Garagem
Biboca, porra!!!

Ze Do Caixao
Zumbi
Lampiao

Hello uptown
Hello downtown
Hello midtown
Hello trenchtown

Ratamahatta!!!

Hello uptown
Hello downtown
Hello midtown
Hello trenchtown

Ratamahatta!!!


... but I'm very curious about the background of the song.


I suggest (to those who haven't heard this song) clicking here to understand this raving madness of a voodoo-curse song. Is this really a simple random tribal-shaman cursing-at-first-sight nonsense? Something like ipsy-dipsy or similar? Or, does it have any meaning? By this I mean all those verses not containing english words and favela, of course

wowwwwwww...
I saw that and its really hard to explain that...
i can tell you just that :
garagem = garage
zumbi = zombie
lampião = its a kind of lantern so old...but its also the name of an historical man here...
favela = is like a suburb...
biboca = its a crazy name for a little store...
porra = same as ****...
bocada = for me bocada is the same as bit...but, for example..if you are eating a cook you can take a big piece and eat...hmmm..so hard...

i hope i can help you...where did you find it..i have never heard that...

take care guys!!

This is one of Sepultura's songs, cca 20 years old. Whole album (Roots) is made that voodoo-jungle-back-to-tribes style with (for us, Europeans) exotic percussions and sounds - I think it's really awesome and in last ten yrs I have heard it cca gazillion times...

Thank you for your time :hug from the other side of the planet: this forum was a perfect opportunity for me to get some answers about this nightmare song

Originally Posted by cacaufahd

wowwwwwww...
I saw that and its really hard to explain that...
i can tell you just that :
garagem = garage
zumbi = zombie
lampião = its a kind of lantern so old...but its also the name of an historical man here...
favela = is like a suburb...
biboca = its a crazy name for a little store...
porra = same as ****...
bocada = for me bocada is the same as bit...but, for example..if you are eating a cook you can take a big piece and eat...hmmm..so hard...

i hope i can help you...where did you find it..i have never heard that...

take care guys!!

I agree it is hard, and some I do not know either, but I 'd like just to help my Brazilian friend adding:

Maloca = a poor and bad house

Ze Do Caixao = is the name of a horror movie maker in Brazil (his name means Joseph of the coffin)

favela = slam or slammed house
porra= is a bad and dirty slang in brazil referring to " sperm"
bocada = open your mouth and take a big piece or part of some food.
I hope we helped you

Love the song but have to say there is one error in this post.

Zumbi does not mean Zombie in this sense...he is refering to Zumbi dos Palmares a slave in Brazil...he has also been mentioned in many Soulfly songs.

Maloca is also the name we call the houses of indigenous people and bocada is slang for places or guettos where one can buy drugs

[QUOTE=sic of it all;686152]Love the song but have to say there is one error in this post.

Zumbi does not mean Zombie in this sense...he is refering to Zumbi dos Palmares a slave in Brazil...he has also been mentioned in many Soulfly songs.



yes i agree it is also mentioned in the song zumbi by soulfly and the song is about a brave slave who fought for his freedom

This song is about social class differences. Refers to different types of neighborhoods and homes. Rich and poor. Injustice. Drugs. Poverty. It is a criticism of the unequal society.
Biboca, garage, favela, are poor places, located in the periphery. Difficult to access. Unsafe.
Fubanga: something or someone bad aspect, damaged. Ugly. Poor. Poor appearance.
Maloca: community shelter inhabited by the natives of the Amazon.
Bocada: poverty. Slum
Garagem: garage.
Favela: slum.

Ze Do Caixao: Brazilian filmmaker, actor, screenwriter, and television and media personality
Zumbi: was the last of the Leaders of the Quilombo dos Palmares
Lampiao: was the MOST famous Cangaço leader of a band, who marauders and outlaws terrorized the Brazilian Northeast in the 1920s and 1930s.
Vamo detona essa porra! : We will stop this ****

Hello uptown
Hello downtown
Hello midtown
Hello trenchtown

I speak spanish fluently like my english...and speak a little bit, understand mostly, portugese...but from azores,and continental,and most brazilian the accent varries quite a bit...in portugese... even Minho,portugese is different..... but this song left me... ???? and Sepultura is one of my favorite bands. Your translation helped a lot ! Thanks... I even asked my friends from work and they didn't know *** I was ctalking about. lol allthey said was Ahh....porra...Chileno esta fudido.We all had a goog laugh..lol

Glad this was useful.
Just one question, what did you mean porra chileno esta fudido???