The Brazilian’s Song from the Opera La vie parisienne

Jacques Offenbach

1866

Brazilian, I’m rich, I’ve got dough
There’s plenty of gold in my sack
Paree, here I am, I’ve come back
And richer than ever before!
Two times was I here in the past
My suitcases bulging with gold
And diamonds too bright to behold
How long did it last, do you ask?
Time for 200 girlfriends and me
With mistresses waiting in line
Six months full of pleasures divine
Then nothing, Paree, my Paree
In six months you’d emptied my bags
And sent me back home to Brazil
I bore you no grudge or ill will
Though going from riches to rags
But under Rio’s savage skies
I raged at fortune to return
And oft repeated as I burned
Another sack of gold or die
I didn’t die, I earned my share
Of princely sums, but let’s be real,
I’m here again so you can steal
The loot I’ve stolen over there
The loot I’ve stolen over there
The loot I’ve stolen over there
Ooooh
Brazilian, I’m rich, I’ve got dough
There’s plenty of gold in my sack
Paree, here I am, I’ve come back
And richer than ever before!
Brazilian, I’m rich, I’ve got dough
There’s plenty of gold in my sack
Paree, Paree, my gay Paree
Paree, here I am, I’ve come back!
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!
I’ve just got off the ship
Let down your hair, my honey pots,
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!
You’ll soon be drawing lots
To take your turn and kiss these lips
This pigeon’s ready to be plucked
So take my dollar bills, my gold
My watch, my rings, my whole bankroll
Just tell me you’re my buttercup
I’ll be merry and carefree
Chivalrous and debonair
On the town in gay Paree
We’ll go dancing in Asnières
Get this straight, I’m telling you
Before you say adieu
I’m going to get my money’s worth
I promise you
I’m going to get my money’s worth
I’m going to get my money’s worth
Come on, come on,
Come on, come on!

Translated by
Michele McKay
Aynesworth
.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 6.

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Creator Bio

Jacques Offenbach

1819–1880

A prolific composer with a light comic touch, Jacques Offenbach produced scores of operettas, a lasting musical legacy. Born in Cologne, a cantor’s son, Offenbach mastered the cello at an early age, confounding his instructor. Performances in Parisian salons led, eventually, to renown, French citizenship, and a successful streak of operettas, begetting him more fame in the mid-1860s. Maturity conferred a more serious perspective, and his impish style yielded to a more sober, sensitive approach. By the time of his death, Offenbach was a national hero, worthy of the state funeral he was given.

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Music and Opera in Jewish Culture, 1750–1880

One of the most striking changes in European Jewish culture toward the later eighteenth century was marked by the entry of Jews into art music, opera houses, and the stage.

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