Depois do Adeus (After the Farewell) was Portugal’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974. It was performed by Paulo de Carvalho, with music by José Calvário and lyrics by José Niza.
Although the song didn’t win Eurovision, it became one of the most important songs in Portuguese history. On the night of 24 April 1974, it was broadcast on Portuguese radio as the first secret signal for the military officers preparing the Carnation Revolution.
Just a few hours later, Portugal’s dictatorship came to an end, beginning the country’s peaceful transition to democracy. Today, Depois do Adeus is remembered not only as a Eurovision song, but also as a symbol of freedom.
🎧 Why this song is great for learning Portuguese
- Slow, clear pronunciation that’s easy to follow.
- Rich poetic vocabulary found in Portuguese literature and music.
- Excellent exposure to verbs in the present and past.
- A unique opportunity to learn Portuguese through an important historical event.
🇵🇹 Cultural focus: The Carnation Revolution
On 25 April 1974, Portugal experienced a peaceful military coup that ended almost fifty years of dictatorship.
Before the operation began, the organisers agreed to use two songs as secret radio signals. Depois do Adeus was the first signal, broadcast shortly before midnight on 24 April. It told the military officers to prepare for the operation.
Because of this, the song became forever linked with Portugal’s return to democracy and is still remembered every year during the celebrations of the Carnation Revolution.
If you’re here from the 30-day Challenge for your daily goal, the task for today is to listen to the song a few times and try to follow along with the lyrics in Portuguese. At the end of the task, try to rate yourself and include the date. This is so you can later come back to this exercise and see how you have improved over time. Let’s jump in. (You don’t need to be a part of the challenge to do these suggested exercises 😉 )
🧠 Key vocabulary from the song
- adeus – goodbye
- amor – love
- mar – sea
- voz – voice
- flor – flower
- partir – to leave
- morrer – to die
- renascer – to be reborn
- lembrar – to remember
- saudade – longing / deep nostalgia
🎶 Lyrics – Depois do Adeus
Quis saber quem sou
I wanted to know who I am
O que faço aqui
What I’m doing here
Quem me abandonou
Who abandoned me
De quem me esqueci
Who I’ve forgotten
por mim
for myself
Quis saber de nós
I wanted to know about us
Mas o mar
But the sea
Não me traz
Won’t bring me
Tua voz Your voice
Em silêncio, amor
In silence, love
Em tristeza enfim
In sadness at last
Eu te sinto, em flor
I feel you, in flower
Eu te sofro, em mim
I suffer you, in me
Eu te lembro, assim
I remember you, like this
Partir é morrer
To leave is to die
Como amar
Like loving
É ganhar
Is to win
E perder And to lose
Tu vieste em flor
You came as a flower
Eu te desfolhei
I defoliated you
Tu te deste em amor
You gave yourself in love
Eu nada te dei
I gave you nothing
Em teu corpo, amor
In your body, love
Eu adormeci
I fell asleep
Morri nele
I died in it
E ao morrer
And in dying
Renasci
I was reborn
E depois do amor
And after love
E depois de nós
And after us
O dizer adeus
Saying goodbye
O ficarmos sós
Being alone
Teu lugar a mais
Your extra place
Tua ausência em mim
Your absence in me
Tua paz
Your peace
Que perdi
I’ve lost
Minha dor que aprendi
My pain that I learnt
De novo vieste em flor
You came again in bloom
Te desfolhei
I defoliated you
E depois do amor
And after love
E depois de nós
And after us
O adeus
The goodbye
O ficamos sós
The We’re alone
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
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