Venham Mais Cinco

Venham mais cinco is another iconic song by Zeca Afonso, often associated with the Portuguese revolution and the broader movement against the dictatorship. Translating to “Bring Five More,” the song carries a sense of camaraderie and solidarity, urging people to come together and continue the struggle for freedom and justice.

The lyrics of “Venham mais cinco” express a call for perseverance and determination in the face of oppression. The phrase “Venham mais cinco” can be interpreted in different ways, but it often symbolizes the idea of rallying more people to join the cause, to keep fighting for change, and to stand united against injustice.

Musically, like much of Zeca Afonso’s work, “Venham mais cinco” is characterized by its folk style, featuring simple melodies and acoustic guitar accompaniment. The song’s powerful message and stirring melody made it a popular anthem among those advocating for political and social reform in Portugal during the Estado Novo regime.

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 😉 )

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Tasks for the 30-Day Portuguese Challenge

Beginners: Really actively listen to how the words are being pronounced. Before looking at the translation, underline the words you know and circle the ones you don’t. Write the words you don’t know into a list on your paper and save them for later. The main goal is to listen to the sounds of the language and be introduced to new vocabulary. If you’d like to take a step further, now look up words in the online dictionary and make notes if they are used in other contexts.
Intermediates: After listening and looking at the lyrics – BUT NOT the translation yet – analyse the words more closely. Write down a summary of what you think the song is about. Then compare that to the translation. Then separate the words into different categories such as which ones are the verbs (actions), which ones are the nouns (names of things and people or animals) and which ones are the adjectives (descriptions). You can go a step further and indicate what tense the verbs are in. The main goal is to see how your comprehension is progressing and what you need to work more on.
Advanced: After listening and looking at the Portuguese lyrics, your task is to translate the lyrics without any help. If you come across a word you’ve never seen, try an educated guess before looking it up in the dictionary. It doesn’t always have to make perfect sense. As I’m sure you know, sometimes artists will use a word or pronounce it in an uncommon way so it fits with the rhyme. Then compare it to the translation and see how you did. If you have the opportunity to go a little further, write a composition stating your opinion on the song. And that can be anything you like: the lyrics, the melody, the voice, the feelings, how you would change it if you didn’t like it, you name it. Try to include compound tenses and the subjunctive mood in your composition.

Venham mais cinco
Duma assentada que eu pago já
Do branco ou tinto
Se o velho estica eu fico por cá

Se tem má pinta
Dá-lhe um apito e põe-no a andar
De espada à cinta
Já crê que é rei d’aquém e além-mar

Não me obriguem a vir para a rua gritar
Que é já tempo d’embalar a trouxa e zarpar