Composer: Luiz Gonzaga, Zé Dantas
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The English translation is below the Portuguese lyrics
Full lyrics
Bate a enxada no chão
Limpa o pé de algodão
Pois pra vencer a batalha,
É preciso ser forte, robusto, valente ou nascer no sertão
Tem que suar muito pra ganhar o pão
E a coisa lá "né" brinquedo não
Mas quando chega o tempo rico da colheita
Trabalhador vendo a fortuna se deleita
Chama a família e sai, pelo roçado vai
Cantando alegre ai, ai, ai, ai, ai, ai, ai, (2X)
Sertanejo do norte
Vamos plantar algodão
Ouro branco que faz nosso povo feliz
Que tanto enriquece o país
Um produto do nosso sertão.
Translation
Hit the hoe on the ground
Clean the cotton plant
For to win the battle,
You need to be strong, robust, brave or born in the backlands
You have to sweat a lot to earn your bread
And things there are no joke
But when the rich harvest time arrives
The worker rejoices seeing the fortune
Call the family and go, through the field they go
Singing happily ai, ai, ai, ai, ai, ai, ai, (2X)
Call the family and go, through the field they go
Singing happily ai, ai, ai, ai, ai, ai, ai, (2X)
Backlander from the north
Let's plant cotton
White gold that makes our people happy
That so enriches the country
A product of our backlands.