Elba Ramalho was born in the rural area of Conceição, in Vale do Piancó. In 1962, the family moved to the city of Campina Grande, also in Paraíba. Her father became the owner of the local theater. Daughter of a musician, she became interested in music still as a teenager.
In 1966, she participated, for the first time, in a performance on stage, in the Choir of the Fundação Artística e Cultural Manuel Bandeira, of which she was a member, with "Evocação do Recife". The Manuel Bandeira and Cecília Meireles Talking Choirs gained fame and started to be seen all over the Northeast, and Elba, who made her first presentation on stage together with them, soon became the highlight in the presentations. She starred in the poetic montages of Castro Alves, Thiago de Mello, Lindolfo Bell, Carlos Pena Filho and Figueiredo Agra. He participated in the montages of the plays "Ministro do Supremo" and "Diálogo das Carmelitas."
In 1968, while attending college of Economics and Sociology at the Federal University of Paraíba, she formed the ensemble As Brasas, in which she acted as drummer, which later became a theater group. However, Elba never stopped singing, and performed in several festivals throughout the Northeast.
In 1979, she released her first album, "Ave de Prata", and since then she has consolidated her position as one of the main Brazilian singers in activity. On her father's side, she is a cousin of fellow singer Zé Ramalho.
She has two Latin Grammys for her albums: Qual o Assunto Que Mais Lhe importa?, released in 2008, and Balaio de Amor, 2009, in the category Best Brazilian Roots Album: Regional and Tropical. In over 35 years of career, Elba Ramalho has sold more than 10 million albums. She received from the Art Critics Association of São Paulo the award "Best Show of the Year" on two occasions: in 1989 for the show Popular Brasileira and in 1996 for the show Leão do Norte.
Caldeirão Dos Mitos
Elba Ramalho Lyrics
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Se avermelhando num clarão
Como incêndio anunciado
No apocalipse de São João
Porém não era nada disso
Era um Curisco, era um Lampião
Eu vi um risco nos espaços
Era um revôo do sanhaçu
Eu vi o dia amanhecendo
No ronco do maracatu
Não era lança de São Jorge
Era o espinho do mandacaru
Eu vi o som na escadaria
Dó, ré, mi, fá, sol, lá, si, dó
Não era o eco das trombetas
De Josué e Jericó
Era um fole de oito baixos
A tocar numa noite de forró
(A Fogueira tá queimando
Em homenagem a São João
O Forró já começou
Vamos gente rapa pé nesse salão)
Eu vi o sol ao meio-dia
No meio do chão do Ceará
Não era o coro dos Arcanjos
Nem era a voz de Jeová
Era uma cascavel armando o bote
Balançando o maracá
Vi um magrelo amarelado
Passando a perna no patrão
Não foi ninguém da Inglaterra
Nem de Paris, nem do Japão
Era Pedro Malazarte
Era João Grilo e era Cancan
Vi uma mão fazer o barro
Um homem forte
Um homem nu
Um homem branco como eu
Um homem preto como tu
Porém não foi a mão de Deus
Foi Vitalino de Caruaru
The lyrics to Elba Ramalho's song Caldeirão Dos Mitos describe the natural and cultural landscape of the northeastern region of Brazil. The singer describes seeing a red sky at night, reminiscent of the biblical Apocalypse, but instead sees a flash of lightning and the light of lanterns used by local bandits. The singer also mentions the sound of a bird flying overhead, a traditional carnival percussion ensemble called maracatu, and the thorny bushes of the mandacaru cactus. The singer goes on to describe a musical gathering where the sound of the accordion and foot stomping fill the air.
The singer then describes seeing the sun at noon in the middle of the Ceará state, but instead of hearing the divine voices of angels, the singer hears the sound of a rattlesnake shaking its maracas. The singer also mentions the presence of trickster figures like Pedro Malazarte, João Grilo, and Cancan. Lastly, the singer describes seeing a man making clay pottery, both black and white, and clarifies that it wasn't the hand of God but instead Vitalino de Caruaru, a famous folk artist and artisan.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu vi o céu à meia-noite
I saw the midnight sky
Se avermelhando num clarão
Turning red in a flash of light
Como incêndio anunciado
Like a foretold fire
No apocalipse de São João
As in the Apocalypse of Saint John
Porém não era nada disso
But it was none of that
Era um Curisco, era um Lampião
It was Curisco, it was Lampião
Eu vi um risco nos espaços
I saw a line in the spaces
Era um revôo do sanhaçu
It was a flock of Sanhaçu birds
Eu vi o dia amanhecendo
I saw the daybreak
No ronco do maracatu
To the sound of maracatu drums
Não era lança de São Jorge
It wasn't Saint George's lance
Era o espinho do mandacaru
It was the thorn of the mandacaru cactus
Eu vi o som na escadaria
I saw the sound on the stairs
Dó, ré, mi, fá, sol, lá, si, dó
Do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do
Não era o eco das trombetas
It wasn't the echo of trumpets
De Josué e Jericó
From Joshua and Jericho
Era um fole de oito baixos
It was an eight-bass accordion
A tocar numa noite de forró
Playing on a night of forró
(A Fogueira tá queimando
(The bonfire is burning
Em homenagem a São João
In honor of Saint John
O Forró já começou
The forró has already started
Vamos gente rapa pé nesse salão)
Let's go folks, dance in this hall)
Eu vi o sol ao meio-dia
I saw the sun at noon
No meio do chão do Ceará
In the middle of the Ceará ground
Não era o coro dos Arcanjos
It wasn't the choir of archangels
Nem era a voz de Jeová
Nor was it the voice of Jehovah
Era uma cascavel armando o bote
It was a rattlesnake coiling to strike
Balançando o maracá
Shaking the maracá percussion instrument
Vi um magrelo amarelado
I saw a skinny yellow man
Passando a perna no patrão
Tricking his boss
Não foi ninguém da Inglaterra
It wasn't anyone from England
Nem de Paris, nem do Japão
Neither from Paris nor Japan
Era Pedro Malazarte
It was Pedro Malazarte
Era João Grilo e era Cancan
It was also João Grilo and Cancan
Vi uma mão fazer o barro
I saw a hand shaping clay
Um homem forte
A strong man
Um homem nu
A naked man
Um homem branco como eu
A white man like me
Um homem preto como tu
A black man like you
Porém não foi a mão de Deus
But it wasn't the hand of God
Foi Vitalino de Caruaru
It was Vitalino from Caruaru
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRAULIO FERNANDES TAVARES NETO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind