Samba Landó

Under the cloak of night
The moon is sparkling
It shines bright and bold
To establish a right
Freedom for the black folks
Chains for the slave traders
Samba landó, samba landó
What do you have that I don’t?
My father, though so poor
Left behind a grand legacy
"To stop being nothing
- he said with full spirit -
Pay attention, my friend
New slave traders are coming"
Samba landó, samba landó
What do you have that I don’t?
People say: what a shame
That your skin is so dark!
As if you were trash
Thrown onto the pavement,
They don’t know that the discontent
Among my people is growing.
Samba landó, samba landó
What do you have that I don’t?
Today we raise our voice
As one single memory
From Ayacucho to Angola,
From Brazil to Mozambique
No one can deny it,
We are one shared story.
Samba landó, samba landó
What do you have that I don’t?
Samba landó, samba landó
What do you have that I don’t?