Only a Dream in Rio

Album: That's Why I'm Here (1985)
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  • More than a distant land over a shining sea
    More than the steaming green
    More than the shining eyes
    Well they tell me it's only a dream in Rio
    Nothing could be as sweet as it seems
    On this very first day down
    They remind me, "Son, have you so soon forgotten?"
    Often as not it's rotten inside
    And the mask soon slips away
    Strange taste of a tropical fruit
    Romantic language of the Portuguese
    Melody on a wooden flute
    Samba floating in the summer breeze, take it easy

    It's all right, you can stay asleep
    You can close your eyes
    You can trust the people of paradise
    To call your keeper and tender your good-byes

    Oh, what a night, wonderful one in a million frozen fire Brazilian stars
    Oh, holy southern cross, later on
    Take me way downtown in a tin can
    Can't come down from the bandstand
    And I'm never thrown for such a loss when they say:
    Quando a nossa mae acordar, andareimoz au sol
    Quando a nossa mae acordar, cantara' pelos sertao
    Quando a nossa mea acordar, todos os filios saberao
    Todos os filios saberao, e regozilarao

    Caught in the rays of the rising sun
    On the run from the soldier's gun
    Shouting out loud from the angry crowd
    The mild the wild and the hungry child
    I'll tell you there's more than a dream in Rio
    I was there on the very day
    And my heart came back alive
    There was more, more than the singing voices
    More than the upturned faces
    And more than the shining eyes

    But it's more than the shining eyes
    More than the steaming green
    More than the hidden hills
    More than the concrete Christ
    More than a distant land over a shining sea
    More than a hungry child
    More like another time
    Born of a million years
    More than a million years Writer/s: JAMES TAYLOR
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

  • Dave from So CalDoug is correct. The Portuguese lyrics are a lovely Brazilian celebration of the sun as "mother."
  • Doug from Maine In the middle of the song, Taylor does not repeat the lyrics in Portuguese. He adds altogether different lyrics.
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