Alceu Valenca was born in countryside Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. He is considered the most successful artist in achieving an aesthetic balance between traditional northeastern Brazilian music and a broad range of electronic sounds and effects from pop music. One can find traces of maracatu, coco and "repentes de viola" (improvising fast-paced Brazilian folk music) in most of his songs. Alceu was able to utilize the electric guitar the electric bass, and lately even a synthesizer was added to his broad scope of musical instruments.
Because of that, Alceu was able to recreate Northeastern traditional music, like baiao, coco, toada, maracatu, frevo, caboclinhos, embolada and repentes: all sung with a sometimes rock sometimes alternative sounding music background. His music and his themes are intangible, universal and unlimited. However, his aesthetic basis is genuinely Brazilian Northeastern music.
Pelas Ruas Que Andei
Alceu Valença Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ê, lê, lê, lê, lê, lê
Ê, lê, lê, lê, lê, lê
Ê, lê, lê, lê, lê, lê
Na Madalena revi teu nome
Na Boa Vista quis te encontrar
Rua do Sol da Boa Hora
Na Madalena revi teu nome
Na Boa Vista quis te encontrar
Rua do Sol da Boa Hora
Rua da Aurora, vou caminhar
Rua das Ninfas, matriz saudade
da soledade de quem passou
Rua Benfica, Boa Viagem
Na Piedade tanta dor
Pelas ruas que andei, procurei
Procurei, procurei te encontrar
Pelas ruas que andei, procurei
Procurei, procurei te encontrar
Pelas ruas que andei, procurei
Procurei, procurei te encontrar
Pelas ruas que andei, procurei
Procurei, procurei te encontrar
Ê, lê, lê, lê, lê, lê
Ê, lê, lê, lê, lê, lê
Na Madalena revi teu nome
Na Boa Vista quis te encontrar
Rua do Sol da Boa Hora
Rua da Aurora, vou caminhar
Na Madalena revi teu nome
Na Boa Vista quis te encontrar
Rua do Sol da Boa Hora
Rua da Aurora, vou caminhar
Rua das Ninfas, matriz saudade
Na soledade de quem passou
Rua Benfica, Boa Viagem
Na Piedade tanta dor
Pelas ruas que andei, procurei
Procurei, procurei te encontrar
Pelas ruas que andei, procurei
Procurei, procurei te encontrar
Pelas ruas que andei, procurei
Procurei, procurei te encontrar
Ê, lê, lê, lê, lê, lê
Ê, lê, lê, lê, lê, lê
Ê, lê, lê, lê, lê, lê
Ê, lê, lê, lê, lê, lê
Procurei te encontrar
The song "Pelas Ruas Que Andei" by Alceu Valença tells the story of a person walking through the streets of Recife, Brazil in search of someone they lost. The song begins with a chant of "Ê, lê, lê, lê, lê, lê," which is a common chant used in Brazilian folk music, and sets the tone for the nostalgic and melancholic lyrics that follow.
The singer describes walking through different neighborhoods and streets, such as Madalena, Boa Vista, Rua do Sol da Boa Hora, Rua da Aurora, Rua Benfica, Boa Viagem, and Piedade. Each place holds a memory or association with the person they are searching for, and the lyrics are filled with a sense of longing and sadness.
The chorus repeats the line "Procurei te encontrar" which means "I searched to find you." The repetition of this line emphasizes the main theme of the song - the search for someone lost.
Overall, "Pelas Ruas Que Andei" is a beautiful and emotional tribute to a lost love, told through the lens of someone walking through the streets of their city.
Line by Line Meaning
Na Madalena revi teu nome
I saw your name again in Madalena
Na Boa Vista quis te encontrar
I wanted to find you in Boa Vista
Rua do Sol da Boa Hora
The street of the good time sun
Rua da Aurora, vou caminhar
I will walk down the street of Aurora
Rua das Ninfas, matriz saudade
Street of the nymphs, source of nostalgia
da soledade de quem passou
From the solitude of those who have passed
Rua Benfica, Boa Viagem
Benfica street, good voyage
Na Piedade tanta dor
So much pain in Piedade
Pelas ruas que andei, procurei
I searched through the streets I walked
Procurei, procurei te encontrar
I searched and searched to find you
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alceu Paiva Valenca, Vicente Moreira Barreto
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind