Não Respondo Por Mim ("I Can’t Be Held Responsible for Myself") is a playful yet painfully relatable snapshot of a Portuguese commuter’s daily grind. Stuck in a sea of honking cars, the narrator watches the clock race while his lane barely moves. Monday ignites the chaos but every weekday feels identical: a planned one-hour drive stretches toward infinity, anxiety soars, and the chorus repeats the grim joke that he left logo pela manhã (first thing in the morning) but might only arrive “tomorrow.” Impatient behind the wheel, he silently insults other drivers, cranks up the news about protests and accidents, and admits that the city is swallowing him whole; if this goes on, he just might lose control.
Behind the humor, the song doubles as a light-hearted social commentary on urban Portugal. The lyrics jump from Porto’s oil-slick ring roads to Lisbon’s bridge traffic, poke fun at metro strikes, and even tease rural life where people can “pretend they’re happy.” Spoken-word traffic reports, sirens, and an upbeat folk-pop melody turn the frustration into a sing-along anthem that listeners can laugh with instead of rage against. Os Quatro e Meia remind us that while the road may be blocked, choosing to smile (or sing) can keep us from going truly crazy.