« Under the olive trees»

Jean-Paul VERNERET

1/11/2025

 

Lost between Porto and Lisbon

In a village fast asleep

Waking up with the rooster’s cry

Six o’clock, the night still deep

Eyes half-closed, no words to say

We slipped out of bed that way

One small coffee, just to start

Then we ran, heart against heart

 

Out beneath the olive trees

With our sticks we struck the ground

Boar-dug holes beneath our feet

In that quiet, broken town

Some picked olives, some cleared leaves

Hands kept moving, minds at ease

Heavy basins filled again

Among the ruins, dust and stone

 

Bridge

Pastéis de nata in the morn

Near Coimbra, down the road

Black coffee, sweetened just enough

To carry on, to bear the load

We were twenty, side by side

But those mornings, they bit hard

 

Chorus

Codfish, seafood, suckling pig

Grilled chicken, fire and smoke

We ate without holding back

All together, laughs and jokes

Vinho verde, crystal clear

Poured till night was drawing near

We did everything we pleased

Then got lost in the dark night

 

Then got lost in the dark night

 

Next we moved to sorting tables

Tiredness was spreading fast

But the laughter took control

Even broken bodies laughed

Through the dust and through the sweat

Same old fire inside our chests

Through the noise and through the grime

We were laughing in the night

 

Down the road toward the mill

As the sun began to fade

Pressing olives, all as one

Watching golden oil be made

Coming back with precious light

Proud of such a generous fight

When the morning came again

Hands smelled just like oil and wine

 

Bridge

Pastéis de nata in the morn

Near Coimbra, down the road

Black coffee, sweetened just enough

To carry on, to bear the load

We were twenty, side by side

But those mornings, they bit hard

 

Chorus

Codfish, seafood, suckling pig

Grilled chicken, fire and smoke

We ate without holding back

All together, laughs and jokes

Vinho verde, crystal clear

Poured till night was drawing near

We did everything we pleased

Then got lost in the dark night

 

Outro

Lost between two horizons

We kept it like a season true

Porto, Lisbon, in between

A simple life we always knew