Diário de Um Detento

São Paulo, October 1st, 1992, eight o'clock in the morning
Here I am, another day
Under the bloodthirsty gaze of the guard
You don't know what it's like to walk with your head in the sights of an HK
German or Israeli machine gun
Shreds thieves like paper
On the wall, standing, another citizen José
Serving the State, a good PM
Goes hungry, acting like Charles Bronson
He knows what I desire
Knows what I think
The day is rainy, the atmosphere is tense

Many tried to escape, I want to as well
But from one to a hundred, my chance is zero
Did God hear my prayer?
Did the judge accept the appeal?
Sending a message to my brother
If he's using drugs, it's bad news for me
He's still with that girl
Believe me, the kid is a good guy
One less day or one more day, who knows
It doesn't matter, the days are all the same
I light a cigarette, and watch the day go by

I kill time so it doesn't kill me
Man is man, woman is woman
Rapist is different, right?
Gets punched all the time, kneels and kisses feet
And bleeds until dying on street 10
Each detainee has a mother, a belief
Each crime a sentence
Each sentence a reason, a story of tears
Blood, inglorious lives, abandonment, misery, hatred
Suffering, contempt, disillusion, the passage of time
Mix this chemistry well
There, a new detainee is born

Laments in the corridor, in the cell, in the yard
Around the field, in every corner
But I know the system, my brother, huh
There are no saints here
Ratatatá, I need to avoid
Letting some scoundrel make my mother cry
My word of honor protects me
To live in the land of beige pants
Tick, tock, it's still 9:40
The prison clock moves in slow motion

Ratatatá, another subway will pass
With good people, in a hurry, Catholic
Reading the newspaper, content, hypocritical
Angry inside, heading to downtown
Looking this way, curious, of course
No, it's not, it's not the zoo
My life isn't worth as much
As your cell phone, your computer
Today is tough, the sun didn't come out
No visits today, no soccer
Some comrades have weaker minds
Can't stand the boredom, get high
Thanks to God and the Virgin Mary
Only a year left, three months and some days
There's a closed cell upstairs
Since Tuesday, no one opens it for anything
Just the smell of death and Pine-Sol
A prisoner hanged himself with a sheet

What happened? Who knows? It doesn't matter
Was going to take out a few more end to end
Nothing makes a man sicker
Than being abandoned by relatives
Hey kid, tell me, what do you want?
The spot is waiting for you
Grab all your imported goods
Your criminal resume and wipe your ass
The thug life has no future
Your face turns pale on this side of the wall
Ever heard of Lucifer?
Who came from Hell with authority
One day in Carandiru, no, he's just another one
Eating sour food with pneumonia
Here are guys from Osasco, Jardim D'Abril, Parelheiros
Mogi, Jardim Brasil, Bela Vista, Jardim Ângela
Heliópolis, Itapevi, Paraisópolis

A good thief has respect in the hood
But for the State, he's just a number, nothing more
Nine pavilions, seven thousand men
Costing three hundred reais per month, each
On the last visit, the guy came by
Brought some fruits, Marlboro, Free
He called that scoundrel from the area back
With a red Kadett, plate from Salvador
Acting tough, he insults, he abuses
With a nine millimeter under his shirt
Hey guy, come here, where are the guys?
Remember that punk who tried to kill me?
That damn goose, wimp scoundrel
Got too high and left the girl alone
The girl was a virgin and still underage
Now she gives head in exchange for coke
These talks bother me
If I'm on the street, it's tough
Yeah, the world spins, he might come here
No, not yet, my trial is here
I want to change, I want to leave
If I bump into that guy, it's on, it's done
And I'll have to sign the 121

Dawned with sun, October 2nd
Everything working, cleaning, jumbo
In the early morning I felt a chill
Not from the wind, not from the cold
Settling scores almost every day
Another one coming up soon, huh, I knew
Loyalty is what every prisoner tries
To achieve peace, violently
If a scoundrel screws someone over
Gets a punch in the face like Frankenstein
Smoke in the window, fire in the cell
Screwed up, went beyond, if bread, has hostages
Most got involved
By five or six who have nothing to lose
Two thieves considered
Started arguing
But didn't imagine what was to come
Traffickers, murderers, swindlers
A majority of inexperienced kids
It was the opening the system wanted
Notify the morgue, the big day has arrived
Depends on the yes or no of one man
Who prefers to remain neutral over the phone
Ratatatá, caviar and champagne

Fleury went to lunch, screw my mother
Killer dogs, tear gas
Who kills more thieves gets a prize medal
The human is disposable in Brazil
Like used pads or Brillo pads
Prison? Keeps what the system didn't want
Hides what the soap opera doesn't say
Ratatatá blood spurts like water
From the ear, mouth, and nose
The Lord is my shepherd
Forgive what your son did
Died face down in Psalm 23
Without a priest, without a reporter
Without a gun, without help
Will catch HIV from the dog's mouth
Corpses in the well, in the inner yard
Adolf Hitler smiles in hell
The government's Robocop is cold, feels no pity
Only hatred and laughs like a hyena
Ratatatá, Fleury and his gang
Will swim in a pool of blood
But who will believe my testimony?
October 3rd, diary of a detainee