Corrido: Saci Pererê

\"Saci_Perere_por_Marconi\"Foi meu avô  que me disse
Que foi na Bahia ele viu na ribeira
Um moleque de uma perna so
Que pulava, gingava e dava rasteira
Cabeçada \”rabo de arraia\”
Martelo cruzado. Não era brincadeira
Foi ai em que eu acreditei
Ele viu foi o saci jogando capoeira
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
Moleque saci não era brincadeira
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
Meu avô que me disse, e ele não diz besteira
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
Ele foi la na Bahia perto da ribeira
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
Martelo cruzado, tombo da ladeira
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
O moleque saci que joga capoeira

Translation:
It was my grandfather who told me
That in Bahia, he saw on the riverbank
A guy with just one leg
Who jumped, did ginga, and gave rasteira
Cabeçada, rabo de arraia
And martelo. It wasn’t a joke.
That’s when I came to believe
That he saw the saci playing capoeira
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
It was the saci, it wasn’t a joke
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
My grandfather told me, and he doesn’t lie
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
He went to Bahia, close to the riverbank
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
Martelo and tombo da ladeira
Pererê, Pererê, Pererê
It was the saci who plays capoeira

The saci-pererê is a figure in Brazilian folklore arising from indigenous legends in southern Brazil. Initially pictured as a dark-skinned boy with a tail, African influence from northern Brazil later transformed the saci into a one-legged black man with a red hat and a pipe. Some say he lost the other leg playing capoeira. He is seen as a trickster, causing small problems such as making food burn on the stove or whistling to scare and confuse night travelers. Saci is also considered the guardian of knowledge related to medicinal plants and herbs.  He is said to be born in bamboo buds and live in whirlwinds. The myth of the saci has existed since at least the late 18th or early 19th century, but Monteiro Lobato was the first Brazilian writer to focus on the figure of the saci, doing research on the myth and publishing the results. Belief in the saci is still very strong in many communities in Brazil’s interior.

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