Skip to content

Songs + Lyrics

Spirit Voices « See All Songs

Lyrics:

We sailed up a river wide as a sea
And slept on the banks
On the leaves of a banyan tree
And all of these spirit voices rule the night

Some stories are magical, meant to be sung
Songs from the mouth of the river
When the world was young
And all of these spirit voices rule the night

By moon
We walk
To the brujo’s door
Along a path of river stones
Women with their nursing children
Seated on the floor
We join the fevers
And the broken bones

The candlelight flickers
The falcon calls
A lime-green lizard scuttles down the cabin wall
And all of these spirit voices
Sing rainwater, seawater
River water, holy water
Wrap this child in mercy – heal her
Heaven’s only daughter
All of these spirit voices rule the night

My hands were numb
And my feet were lead
I drank a cup of herbal brew
Then the sweetness in the air
Combined with the lightness in my head
And I heard the jungle breathing in the bamboo

Saudocões (Greetings!)
Da licenca um momento (Excuse me, one moment)
Te lembró (I remind you)
Que amanhã (That tomorrow)
Será tudo ou será naoa (It will be all or it will be nothing)
Depende coração (It depends, heart)
Será breve ou será grande (It will be brief or it will be great)
Depende da paixão (It depends on the passion)
Será sujo, será sonho (It will be dirty, it will be a dream)
Cuidado, coração (Be careful, heart)
Será util, será tarde (It will be useful, it will be late)
Se esmera, coração (Do your best, heart)
E confia (And have trust)
Na força do amanhã (In the power of tomorrow)

Lord of the earthquake
My trembling bed
The spider resumes the rhythm

Of his golden tread

And all of these spirit voices rule the night
And all of these spirit voices rule the night
And all of these spirit voices rule the night

© 1990 Words and Music by Paul Simon (Portuguese Lyrics by Milton Nascimento)

This song is available on:
paulsimon_songwriter Songwriter
5570222 The Rhythm Of The Saints
5570249 The Essential Paul Simon
5570252 The Paul Simon Collection: On My Way, Don’t Know Where I’m Going
complete_mini The Complete Albums Collection
overthebridgeoftime_cover Over The Bridge Of Time: A Paul Simon Retrospective (1964-2011)