Cálice was composed by Chico Buarque and Gilberto Gil for a music festival in 1973, protesting the Vargas military dictatorship that lasted between 1964-1985 in Brazil. The word 'Cálice' meaning chalice is pronounced the same way as 'cale-se' which translates to be quiet or shut up.

During this time 'enemies of the regime' would regularly be abducted and tortured, their corpses later found floating in bodies of water (the "lagoon monster" referred to in the song). In addition to political activists, artists (particularly songwriters and authors) who were less than enthusiastic about the Vargas regime were heavily censored.

The song was not approved to be presented by the Brazillian office of censorship. Despite this, Chico Buarque and Gilberto Gil decided to perform it, humming the melody of the song and only speaking out loud the word "Cálice!" where it appeared in the lyrics. Their microphones were turned off partway through the song anyways (Notas sobre “Cálice”, Walter Garcia). The full version of the song was only released in 1978.

chorus: Pai, afasta de mim esse cálice x3 De vinho tinto de sangue father take away from me this chalice x3 of red blood-wine

Como beber dessa bebida amarga?  Tragar a dor, engolir a labuta  Mesmo calada a boca, resta o peito  Silêncio na cidade não se escuta how does one drink this bitter drink? guzzle the pain, swallow the toil though your mouth is shut, your chest remains Silence can't be heard in the city 

De que me vale ser filho da santa?  Melhor seria ser filho da outra  Outra realidade menos morta  Tanta mentira, tanta força bruta what good is it being the saint’s son? it'd be better to be son of another* another reality less dead than this one so many lies, so much brute force

Como é difícil acordar calado Se na calada da noite eu me dano Quero lançar um grito desumano Que é a maneira de ser escutado how hard it is to wake up silenced when it's in the silence of night that I damn myself I want to let out an inhuman scream which is a way to be heard

Esse silêncio todo me atordoa Atordoado eu permaneço atento Na arquibancada pra a qualquer momento Ver emergir o monstro da lagoa all this silence torments me tormented, i stay alert in the bleachers to at any moment see the monster of the lagoon emerge

De muito gorda a porca já não anda (Cale-se) De muito usada a faca já não corta Como é difícil, pai, abrir a porta (Pai, cale-se)  Essa palavra presa na garganta too fat, the pig no longer walks (shut up) too used, the knife no longer cuts how hard it is, dad, to open the door (father, shut up) this word stuck in my throat

Esse pileque homérico no mundo De que adianta ter boa vontade  Mesmo calado o peito, resta a cuca Dos bêbados do centro da cidade this homeric drunkenness in the world what's the point of having good will  though the chest is silenced, the head remains of the drunks of the city center

Talvez o mundo não seja pequeno (Cale-se)  Nem seja a vida um fato consumado (Cale-se, Cale-se) Quero inventar o meu próprio pecado (Cale-se, Cale-se, Cale-se) Quero morrer do meu próprio veneno (Pai, Cale-se, Cale-se) maybe the world isn't small (shut up) nor is life a consummate fact (shut up, shut up) I want to invent my own sin (shut up, shut up, shut up) I want to die of my own poison (father, shut up, shut up)

 Quero perder de vez tua cabeça (Cale-se) Minha cabeça perder teu juízo (Cale-se) Quero cheirar fumaça de óleo diesel (Cale-se) Me embriagar até que alguém me esqueça (Cale-se) I want to lose your head once and for all (shut up) my head, lose your mind (shut up) I want to smell diesel smoke (shut up) Get drunk until someone forgets me (shut up)