Lyrics: Look Around

[Bossa Fan]

Help! I am truly stumped. There is one line I simply canot figure out. It is in the very first stanza. This is what I understand:
All the secrets of the sky in a drop of rain; Look around, Look around;
For the _____________________ if you look around; jst look around.

It sounds like silver something, but I can't quite figure it out. Can someone please help?

 

[Brasil_66_Fan]

I interpreted it as follows: "Full of silver and surprise if you look around, just look around". Haven't seen the actual lyrics to verify, though....

 

[Mike Blakesley]

That's what I always thought it was, too. Unfortunately I sold my Japanese copy of the album, with lyric sheet, so I can't check. (Probably woulda been wrong, anyway.)

 

[JMK]

Look Around was published in both of the Sergio songbooks.

It's:
All the secrets of the SKIES in a drop of rain, look around, look around
Full of silver and surprise if you look around just look around

 

[Bossa Fan]

Thanks so much. I have been covering metaphors in my class and thought this song would be such a great example. Also, what a wonderful opportunity to expose the younger generation to such fantastic music!

 

[Brasil_Nut]

I remember listening to Cinnamon & Clove and hearing words that couldn't possibly have fit into the song.

"The moonlight warms the silver sand, a sliver sails across the cove..." Isn't it Sailboat?

"The moon is like a tangerine, a drift upon a sea of long..." Isn't it Love?

Hmmm...

Jon...the "Confused Brasil Nut"

 

[JMK]

It's a seabird sailing across the cove, and the moon is adrift onlight.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Thank you, Jeff...

My Mom used to listen to things I couldn't figure out and come up with the correct lyrics every time. She understood everything Lani sang on One Note Samba - not an easy feat. Then again, there are several different ways this song can be sung, different lyrics and bridges. For variety, Sergio (onstage) goes back and forth from time to time. Instead of the usual, (phonetical) "twee, twee, doo, doo..." they now sing, "ba-bada-bada-ba-doo-da..." on the first chorus (the original Jobim arrangement), and the "twee-twee-doo-doo" on the second.

Jon...the "Less-Confused Brasil Nut"

 

[rd]

"The moon is like a tangerine, a drift upon a sea of long..." Isn't it Love?

"Adrift upon a sea of lights" - to rhyme with "sultry nights"

 

[Brasil_Nut]

"The moon is like a tangerine, a drift upon a sea of long..." Isn't it Love?

"Adrift upon a sea of lights" - to rhyme with "sultry nights"

Thanks Richard. Somehow, "Cinnamon & Clove" just seems to run together in certain places. Now I see what you mean about "sea of lights" as opposed to "sea of long" (which I knew couldn't be right, but that's what it sounded like to me!)

Jon

 

[Rudy]

She understood everything Lani sang on One Note Samba - not an easy feat.

Here's a pet peeve: then why couldn't someone like Sinatra (and one or two that have mis-sung it the same way) figure out that the CORRECT lyrics for "One Note Samba" and sing:

Anyone who wants the whole show,
re me fa so la TI do...

NOT "re me fa so la SI do".

How hard can that be?? Stupidity ruins a clever Jobim lyric.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Not sure, but Wanda Sah sang it as "...Si, do..." on the Brazilian Bag/Brasil '65 Lp. Interesting how lyrics change from singer to singer, arrangement to arrangement. As I said, Sergio is now doing the "ba-ba-doo-ba" as opposed to the "twee-twee-doo-doo..." we're used to. Much closer to the original Jobim arrangement.

Jon

 

[Rudy]

Shoot...knew I"d heard it elsewhere. It still boggles my mind HOW OFTEN it is sung improperly! And all it takes is one version to affect all the later ones. (Or...look at how A&M spells a song title "Mais Que Nada" one time on the first album....which affects it seemingly for all eternity... )

 

[Bossa Fan]

The music scale (solfege) in Anglican/Germanic based languages is: do re mi fa sol la TI do. In Latin based languages (ie: Spanish, Portuguese, etc.) the music scale is sung: do re mi fa sol la SI do. Therefore if you want a musician in Brazil to play a song in "B", you would ask for it in Si.

 

[Rudy]

The music scale (solfege) in Anglican/Germanic based languages is: do re mi fa sol la TI do. In Latin based languages (ie: Spanish, Portuguese, etc.) the music scale is sung: do re mi fa sol la SI do. Therefore if you want a musician in Brazil to play a song in "B", you would ask for it in Si.

That's interesting!! Learn something every day! I'll admit to having heard it as "Ti" more often on the "One Note Samba" recordings I own.