Only a Dream in Rio

More than a distant land over a shining sea
More than the steaming green
More than the shining eyes

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
"Girl, 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

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
I can't come down from the bandstand, I'm never thrown
For such a loss when they say:

Quando a nossa mãe cordar, andaremos ao sol
Quando a nossa mãe acordar, cantará pelo sertão
Quando a nossa mãe acordar, todos os filhos saberão
Todos os filhos saberão e regozijarão

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
More than the shining eyes
But it's more than the shining eye
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
...