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.
Petrolina Juazeiro
Alceu Valença Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E a natureza ela conservou
Jesus abençoou com sua mão divina
Pra não morrer de saudade, vou voltar pra Petrolina
Do outro lado do rio tem uma cidade
Que em minha mocidade eu visitava todo dia
Atravessava a ponte ai que alegria
Hoje eu me lembro que nos tempos de criança
Esquisito era a carranca e o apito do trem
Mas achava lindo quando a ponte levantava
E o vapor passava num gostoso vai e vem
Petrolina , Juazeiro, Juazeiro, Petrolina
Todas duas eu acho uma coisa linda
Eu gosto de Juazeiro e adoro Petrolina
The lyrics to Alceu Valença's song Petrolina Juazeiro depict the beauty of the two cities situated on either side of the São Francisco river - Petrolina on one side and Juazeiro on the other. The lyrics speak about how nature has been well-preserved in the region, with Jesus' divine hand blessing the beauty of the place. The song is a nostalgic tribute to the singer's childhood memories of the two cities, where he used to cross the river daily to visit Juazeiro from Petrolina.
The lyrics are also a tribute to the unique features of the cities, such as the railway train and the lifting of the bridge when a steamboat passed through. Alceu Valença's song brings out the beauty of these two cities and their close-knit relationship, as he sings with love and affection for both places. The song serves as a reminiscence of Alceu Valença's childhood days, and his love for his hometown of Petrolina and the neighboring city of Juazeiro.
Line by Line Meaning
Na margem do São Francisco, nasceu a beleza
The beauty was born on the banks of the São Francisco river and nature preserved it.
E a natureza ela conservou
Nature preserved it.
Jesus abençoou com sua mão divina
Jesus blessed it with his divine hand.
Pra não morrer de saudade, vou voltar pra Petrolina
To not die of longing, I will return to Petrolina.
Do outro lado do rio tem uma cidade
On the other side of the river, there is a city.
Que em minha mocidade eu visitava todo dia
Which I used to visit every day in my youth.
Atravessava a ponte ai que alegria
I used to cross the bridge, oh what joy.
Chegava em Juazeiro, Juazeiro da Bahia
I would arrive in Juazeiro, Juazeiro of Bahia.
Hoje eu me lembro que nos tempos de criança
Today, I remember that in my childhood,
Esquisito era a carranca e o apito do trem
The face and whistle of the train were strange.
Mas achava lindo quando a ponte levantava
But I used to find it beautiful when the bridge would be lifted.
E o vapor passava num gostoso vai e vem
And the steam would pass by in a delightful back and forth.
Petrolina , Juazeiro, Juazeiro, Petrolina
Petrolina, Juazeiro, Juazeiro, Petrolina.
Todas duas eu acho uma coisa linda
I find both of them to be beautiful.
Eu gosto de Juazeiro e adoro Petrolina
I like Juazeiro and adore Petrolina.
Contributed by Caleb K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.