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.
Disparada
Elba Ramalho Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pras coisas que eu vou contar
Eu venho lá do sertão
Eu venho lá do sertão
Eu venho lá do sertão
E posso não lhe agradar
Aprendi a dizer não
Ver a morte sem chorar
E a morte o destino tudo
A morte o destino tudo
Estava fora de lugar
Eu vivo pra consertar
Na boiada já fui boi
Mas um dia me montei
Não por um motivo meu
Ou de quem comigo houvesse
Que qualquer querer tivesse
Porém por necessidade
Do dono de uma boiada
Cujo vaqueiro morreu
Boiadeiro muito tempo
Laço firme braço forte
Muito gado muita gente
Pela vida segurei
Seguia como num sonho
E boiadeiro era um rei
Mas o mundo foi rodando
Nas patas do meu cavalo
E nos sonhos que fui sonhando
As visões se clareando
As visões se clareando
Até que um dia acordei
Então não pude seguir
Valente lugar-tenente
De dono de gado e gente
Porque gado a gente marca
Tange ferra engorda e mata
Mas com gente é diferente
Se você não concordar
Não posso me desculpar
Não canto pra enganar
Vou pegar minha viola
Vou deixar você de lado
Vou cantar noutro lugar
Na boiada já fui boi
Boiadeiro já fui rei
Não por um motivo meu
Ou de quem comigo houvesse
E qualquer querer tivesse
Por qualquer coisa de seu
Por qualquer coisa de seu
Querer mais longe que eu
The song "Disparada" is a beautiful, deeply poetic and soulful ballad about life, death, and the meaning of existence. The first few lines set the tone for the ballad; it’s a warning that what is to come may not be easy to handle, as the singer has come from the harsh and unrelenting Sertão region of Brazil. He proceeds to talk about his life and how he has learned to say no and face death without succumbing to it. Death, in this case, represents fate, and he has come to accept it.
The second verse tells us that the singer used to be a cattleman, but he had a revelation and realized that he couldn't be just another hired hand. He had to find his own path, as he was more than just a beast of burden. And so, he made the decision to ride one of the cattle, leaving behind a life that no longer served him. He then realized what it was like to be in control and responsible for his actions.
The last verse emphasizes that human life is different from that of cattle, as cattle are merely branded, fattened up, and slaughtered. However, people have desires and aspirations that extend beyond those simple things. The singer recognizes this and decides that he needs to move on from his former life to fulfill his destiny.
The song is a celebration of life, a reminder that we all have our individual paths to follow, and the courage to follow them to the end, regardless of how difficult that may be.
Line by Line Meaning
Prepare seu coração
Get ready for what I'm about to tell you
Pras coisas que eu vou contar
For the things I am going to say
Eu venho lá do sertão
I come from the countryside
Eu venho lá do sertão
I come from the countryside
Eu venho lá do sertão
I come from the countryside
E posso não lhe agradar
And you may not like me
Aprendi a dizer não
I learned to say no
Ver a morte sem chorar
To see death without crying
E a morte o destino tudo
And death is the destiny of everything
A morte o destino tudo
Death is the destiny of everything
Estava fora de lugar
It was out of place
Eu vivo pra consertar
I live to fix it
Na boiada já fui boi
I used to be a part of the cattle I drove
Mas um dia me montei
But one day I mounted up
Não por um motivo meu
Not of my own accord
Ou de quem comigo houvesse
Or of those who were with me
Que qualquer querer tivesse
Who had any desire
Porém por necessidade
But out of necessity
Do dono de uma boiada
From the owner of a cattle herd
Cujo vaqueiro morreu
Whose cowboy had died
Boiadeiro muito tempo
A cowboy for a long time
Laço firme braço forte
Firm lasso, strong arm
Muito gado muita gente
Lots of cattle, lots of people
Pela vida segurei
I held on to life
Seguia como num sonho
I followed as if in a dream
E boiadeiro era um rei
And cowboy was king
Mas o mundo foi rodando
But the world kept turning
Nas patas do meu cavalo
Underneath my horse's hooves
E nos sonhos que fui sonhando
And in the dreams I dreamed
As visões se clareando
My visions became clear
As visões se clareando
My visions became clear
Até que um dia acordei
Until one day I woke up
Então não pude seguir
So I couldn't follow
Valente lugar-tenente
Brave lieutenant
De dono de gado e gente
From owner of cattle and people
Porque gado a gente marca
Because we brand cattle
Tange ferra engorda e mata
Drive, brand, fatten, and kill
Mas com gente é diferente
But with people, it's different
Se você não concordar
If you don't agree
Não posso me desculpar
I can't apologize
Não canto pra enganar
I don't sing to deceive
Vou pegar minha viola
I'm going to take my guitar
Vou deixar você de lado
I'm going to leave you aside
Vou cantar noutro lugar
I'll sing somewhere else
Na boiada já fui boi
I used to be a part of the cattle I drove
Boiadeiro já fui rei
Cowboy, I was once king
Não por um motivo meu
Not of my own accord
Ou de quem comigo houvesse
Or of those who were with me
E qualquer querer tivesse
Who had any desire
Por qualquer coisa de seu
For any reason of theirs
Por qualquer coisa de seu
For any reason of theirs
Querer mais longe que eu
To want more than I could give
Lyrics © Editora e Importadora Musical Fermata do Brasil Ltda.
Written by: Geraldo Vandre, Theo De Barros
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind