Os Meninos de Huambo

With threads made of past tears
The boys of Huambo bring joy
Pulling down the prettiest shooting stars from the sky

With lips that speak new poetry
They spell out the stars like letters
And gather them in the sky like little stones
Stars as letters to create new words
And gather them in the sky like little stones
Stars as letters to create new words

The boys around the campfire
Will learn things of dreams and truth
They'll learn how to earn a flag
They'll know what freedom cost

With the prettiest names from the highlands
They make funny little sums
They mix laughter with flowers and sweat
And subtract early morning by moonlight

Divide the fine rain by the corn
Multiply the wind by the people's power

The boys around the campfire
Will learn things of dreams and truth
They'll learn how to earn a flag
They'll know what freedom cost

Always new words, always new
Words of this ever-new time
Because the boys invented new things
That even say the stars belong to the people
Because the boys invented new things
That even say the stars belong to the people

The boys around the campfire
Will learn things of dreams and truth
They'll learn how to earn a flag
They'll know what freedom cost

So happy around the campfire
They send the already written stars to the sky
New words to write essays
Escaping as they dodge the axe
For the boys, they are also constellations
Constellations that shine forever without stopping

Words of this ever-new time
Multiply the wind by the people's power
Because the boys invented new things
That even say the stars belong to the people
Because the boys invented new things
That even say the stars belong to the people

The boys around the campfire
Will learn things of dreams and truth
They'll learn how to earn a flag
They'll know what freedom cost