Balada da Rita

They told me one day, Rita, watch your back
I’m warning you, life is tough, watch your back
Clench your fists and keep moving, watch your back
I said goodbye to misfortune
And I embraced adventure
And here I am, still standing

I walked the train tracks (watch your back)
I roamed the streets hungry (watch your back)
Slept on benches in the rain (watch your back)
And loneliness isn’t a mistake
If calling it by name
Fits me like a glove

I hung out with knife-wielding men (watch your back)
I lived with shady guys (watch your back)
I stayed with fighters (watch your back)
Some ended up on stretchers
And others laid out even more
Let the grave digger tell it

Let the grave digger tell it
How many times he leaned on his shovel
And let the heart recount
How many times it beat for nothing

And one day after so much walking (watch your back)
I found myself exhausted and drained (watch your back)
Between a cradle and a coffin (watch your back)
But the one who loved me
Knew how to stop my bleeding
And knew how to lift me off the ground

Fame came and glory followed (watch your back)
They carried me from shoulder to shoulder (watch your back)
Filled my room with flowers (watch your back)
But it’s always the same story
After the first shock
The body soon gets tired