Junho

Maria Bethânia's song 'Junho' is a poetic exploration of the month of June, imbued with a sense of melancholy and introspection. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of June as a time of slow, almost stagnant progression, filled with dark and haunting imagery. The repeated phrase 'Eu sei que é junho' (I know it's June) serves as a grounding refrain, anchoring the listener in the temporal setting while the verses explore the emotional and sensory landscape of the month.

The song uses rich metaphors to convey the passage of time and the weight of memories. June is described as a 'doido e gris seteiro' (crazy and gray archer) with a 'capuz escuro e bolorento' (dark and moldy hood), suggesting a figure that brings both madness and decay. The 'setas que passaram com o vento' (arrows that passed with the wind) symbolize fleeting moments and lost opportunities, their sound lingering in the night. This imagery evokes a sense of nostalgia and the inevitable passage of time, marked by the slow-moving 'relógio lento' (slow clock) and the 'punhal de lesma' (slug's dagger), emphasizing the sluggish, almost painful progression of time.

Bethânia further deepens the melancholic atmosphere by describing June as a time of 'barro dessas horas' (clay of these hours) and 'berro desses céus' (scream of these skies), evoking a sense of heaviness and despair. The imagery of 'cisternas, sombra, cinza, sul' (cisterns, shadow, ash, south) and 'aquários fundos, cristalinos' (deep, crystalline aquariums) where 'mudos meninos' (mute boys) drown among 'peixinhos de geléia azul' (blue jellyfish) adds a surreal, almost dreamlike quality to the song. This blend of vivid, often dark imagery with the slow, deliberate pace of the lyrics creates a powerful emotional impact, capturing the essence of June as a time of reflection, loss, and quiet sorrow.