An old bucket in the middle of the living room
(Um balde velho no meio da sala)

Its presence annoyed the youngest daughter
(A presença dele a caçula chateava)

What is it for? She wanted to know.
(Pra que serve? Queria saber.)

What I told her, I will tell you.
(O que disse a ela, digo pra você.)

I thought I wouldn't make it to thirty
(Achei que não chegava nos trinta)
A life of great hardship and scarcity
(A vida de muita carestia)

Me, my husband, my son, and daughters.
(Eu, marido, filho e as filhas.)

Living in one single room felt like a heresy.
(Num cômodo parece heresia.)

My husband farmed and did odd jobs
(Marido plantava e fazia seus bicos)

I did the cleaning, keeping the kids close
(Eu na faxina crianças na mão)

Sweet umbu fruit sweetened the children's days
(Doce de umbu adoçava os filhos)

Selling at the market just to have our bread
(Vendendo na feira pra ter o pão)

The bucket reminds me of that past
(O balde lembra esse passado)

It left light, and came back heavy
(Ia leve voltava pesado)

I used to walk for over half an hour
(Mais de meia hora eu andava)

It was this bucket that helped me through
(Era esse balde que me ajudava)

In a land of hardships
(Em terra de dificuldades)

Water is worth its weight in gold
(A água tem peso de ouro)

The daylight exposes reality
(O dia mostra a realidade)

The sun burns our skin
(O sol queima nosso couro)

Some young men came with news.
(Veio uns moços com novidade.)

My husband chased them away right on the spot.
(Marido botou pra correr na hora.)

A neighbor spoke of the opportunity
(O vizinho falou da oportunidade)

The idea of having water blossomed in us.
(A ideia de ter água nos aflora.)

Building all together
(Construindo todos juntos)

Everyone united in the solution
(Todos unidos na solução)

Planting the future was the topic
(Plantar futuro era o assunto)

The building process was the seed
(A semente era a construção)

The cistern was ready in the crimson afternoon
(Cisterna pronta na tarde rubra)

Now it was just a matter of waiting for the rain
(Agora era esperar as chuvas)

From the window, I would just stand and watch
(Eu da janela só ficava a mirar)

Inside of me, dreams were beginning to sprout
(Dentro de mim só brotando sonhar)

I can't even tell you about the day of the rain
(Nem sei dizer do dia da chuva)

I was scared, to be honest
(Tive medo pra ser honesta)

There was still a bit of hesitation
(Ainda tinha um certo receio)

But the water rushed in, and it was pure celebration.
(A água veio e foi só festa.)

Where justice takes root
(Onde a justiça cria raiz)

The struggle becomes lighter and stronger
(A lida fica mais leve e forte)

Fraternal people live happily
(Povo fraterno vive feliz)

Leaving their children a better destiny
(Deixa aos filhos melhor sorte)

Along with the water came our prosperity
(Com a água veio a fatura)

The house kept growing higher and wider
(A casa foi crescendo nessa altura)

A bathroom, a kitchen with a gas stove
(Banheiro, cozinha com fogão a gás)

And the children went after their studies
(Os filhos dos estudos foram atrás)

The bucket sits upside down as an ornament there
(O balde emborcado de enfeite ali)

Looking at it always makes me smile
(Olhar pra ele me faz sorrir)

I value it more even if others don't understand
(Dou mais valor se não entendem não)

This bucket is my prayer
(Esse balde é minha oração)