Medusa's gaze

A poetic manifesto on the petrifaction of affection in the digital age. The track draws a surgical parallel between the cell phone screen and two Greek myths: it acts as the "sirens' song," attracting us with its conveniences and algorithms, and as the "Medusa's gaze," which paralyzes us and hardens us against physical interactions. A powerful chronicle about how social networks, fueled by bellicose discourse, hatred, and the grotesque, render us unable to dialogue and vulnerable to manipulation.

Behind the Scenes: "Olhar da Medusa" was born from the painful observation of a modern phenomenon: the replacement of a hug with a click and the burying of human contact under the coldness of notifications. The final spark for this composition came from seeing decades-long relationships torn apart by the extreme polarization of digital discourse. This song is also the outlet for a personal wound. I experienced this process firsthand with a dear, long-time friend. The aggressiveness that took over our conversations, fueled by the intolerance of the networks, made dialogue impossible, forcing a painful estrangement just to preserve the affection and respect I still harbor for him. It is a song of warning and lament, but also an appeal so that we do not let screens petrify our humanity.

I mourn for the dead who are still breathing,
(Choro por mortos que ainda respiram,)

Friends, relatives who lose their minds over screens!
(Amigos, parentes que nas telas piram!)

The two of us had a loyal compass,
(Nós dois tínhamos um norte leal,)

They twisted the needle, nothing is real.
(Torceram o ponteiro, nada é real.)

The networks with no commitment at all,
(As redes sem nenhum compromisso,)

Castrate me and deny everything I think about.
(Me castra e nega tudo que cismo.)

They want to choose who walks with me!
(Quer escolher quem comigo anda!)

They impose ideas, even holy wars!
(Impõe ideias até guerras santas!)

It is she who profits from our failures,
(É ela que ganha com nossos fracassos,)

Sees our dreams, follows our steps.
(Vê nossos sonhos, nos segue os passos.)

Puts a high wall between us!
(Bota entre nós um muro alto!)

You or I, who is the gullible one?
(Você ou eu, quem é o incauto?)

Who applauds our fights?
(Quem bate palmas pras nossas brigas?)

Who, truly, profits from this?
(Quem, de verdade, com isso lucra?)

One speaks, the other speaks at the same time,
(Um fala, o outro fala junto,)

I no longer know what the subject is.
(Já não sei qual é o assunto.)

We used to be bridges, now only walls,
(Éramos pontes, agora só muros,)

We have become deaf chatterboxes!
(Nos tornamos tagarelas surdos!)

Don't you see that inside this game,
(Não vê que dentro desse jogo,)

They use alcohol to put out the fire!
(Usam álcool pra apagar fogo!)

News arrives tailor-made,
(Notícias chegam sob medida,)

They sell certainties in honey-coated lies,
(Vendem certezas em mel de mentira,)

But with attention, the product strips bare,
(Mais com atenção o produto desnuda,)

It's the Sirens' song, the Medusa's gaze!
(É o Canto da sereia, olhar da Medusa!)

With attention, the product strips bare...
(Com atenção o produto desnuda...)

It's the sirens' song with the Medusa's gaze.
(É o canto da sereia com olhar da Medusa.)