“I’m wandering round and round nowhere to go. I’m lonely in London, London is lovely so” – Caetano Veloso, “London, London,” 1970

Caetano Veloso is a Brazilian musician and political activist, who rose to stardom along with fellow musician Gilberto Gil for their participation in the Tropicàlia movement in the 1960s. During the dictatorship, Veloso’s leftist politics and often censored songs put him on the government’s radar. Veloso and Gil spent several months in prison and then lived in exile in London. The song, “While my eyes go looking for flying saucers in the sky,” expresses Veloso’s years in exile, which were marked with frustration and homesickness. He discusses the song further in his book, Tropical Truth: A Story of Music and Revolution in Brazil.

Read an article from the Guardian about Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil in London.

Lyrics:

I’m wandering round and round, nowhere to go
I’m lonely in London, London’s lovely so
I cross the streets without fear
Everybody keeps the way clear
I know, I know no one here to say hello
I know they keep the way clear
I am lonely in London without fear
I’m wandering round and round here nowhere to go

While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky

Oh Sunday, Monday, autumn pass by me
And people hurry on so peacefully
A group approaches a policeman
He seems so pleased to please them
It’s good at least to live, and I agree
He seems so pleased, at least
And it’s so good to live in peace and
Sunday, Monday, years and I agree

While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky

I choose no face to look at, choose no way
I just happen to be here, and it’s okay
Green grass, blue eyes, grey sky, God bless
Silent pain and happiness
I came around to say yes, and I say
Green grass, blue eyes, grey sky, God bless
Silent pain and happiness
I came around to say yes, and I say

But my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky