Pai João

Traveler passing by that road
Sees an abandoned cross as if going to the backlands
Many years ago on this ground
An old black man named Father João was buried

Father João at the coconut farm
Was a fearless beloved carter of his boss
His cattle, the whip, and the spirited
On the most dangerous hill, he dragged the cart

One afternoon Father João didn't expect that death
Was lurking there at the curve of the sandy road
And in a fall under the cart he fell
He bid farewell to the world, old black man Father João

Traveler, that cross on the road I've told you about
Everything right, the story of Father João, only the longing remains
For that time that passed
The old ox cart in the back of the corral