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.
Seixo Miúdo
Alceu Valença Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O silêncio da boca do povo me fez cantador
Minha alma pagã não conhece o sabor do pecado
Lua miúda me ensina a leveza dos astros
Feito Neil Armstrong te rogo me faz saltador
Pra que eu pule porteira e barreira e não haja obstáculo
Os perigos de vida e de morte da estrada onde eu vou
Minha alma alazã só conhece o sabor do galope...
(Onde se ouve lua ouça-se curva)
Fera miúda me ensina os segredos da selva
Já que homem é o lobo do homem, o homem cordeiro
Se fez caçador
Minha língua ferina só cala no fim do espetáculo...
The lyrics to Alceu Valença's song Seixo Miúdo speak to a deep connection with the natural world and the wisdom that can be gleaned from it. The first stanza references small stones, which teach the singer the silence of rocks. The silence that he learns from the stones is then applied to his singing, as he has learned the value of silence in communicating through music. The singer then asserts that his "pagan soul" does not know the taste of sin, suggesting a rejection of societal norms and an embrace of a more natural way of living.
The second stanza brings in another natural element, the moon, which teaches the singer the lightness of the stars. In comparing himself to Neil Armstrong, the singer expresses a desire to be a trailblazer and to overcome any obstacles in his path. The third stanza discusses curves in the road, which teach the singer the secrets of the journey. He acknowledges the dangers of travel but also expresses a love of adventure and the unknown. Finally, the fourth stanza speaks of small beasts teaching secrets of the jungle, and while man may be both wolf and lamb, the singer is a hunter. The last line suggests that while he may be sharp-tongued, he only speaks at the end of the show, indicating a certain level of discipline and control.
Overall, Seixo Miúdo speaks to a reverence for the natural world and the lessons that can be learned from it. The singer sees himself as a student, eager to learn what the stones, moon, curves, and beasts have to teach him. The lyrics suggest a love of adventure, a rejection of societal norms, and an embrace of the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
Seixo miúdo me ensina o silêncio das pedras
Small pebble teaches me the silence of stones
O silêncio da boca do povo me fez cantador
The silence of the people's mouth made me a singer
Minha alma pagã não conhece o sabor do pecado
My pagan soul does not know the taste of sin
Lua miúda me ensina a leveza dos astros
Small moon teaches me the lightness of stars
Feito Neil Armstrong te rogo me faz saltador
Like Neil Armstrong, I beg you to make me a jumper
Pra que eu pule porteira e barreira e não haja obstáculo
So that I can jump gates and barriers and there are no obstacles
Curva miúda me ensina o segredo da estrada
Small curve teaches me the secret of the road
Os perigos de vida e de morte da estrada onde eu vou
The dangers of life and death on the road where I go
Minha alma alazã só conhece o sabor do galope...
My chestnut soul only knows the taste of gallop...
(Onde se ouve lua ouça-se curva)
(Where one hears moon, hear curve)
Fera miúda me ensina os segredos da selva
Small beast teaches me the secrets of the jungle
Já que homem é o lobo do homem, o homem cordeiro
Since man is the wolf of man, the man sheep
Se fez caçador
Became a hunter
Minha língua ferina só cala no fim do espetáculo...
My sharp tongue only quiets down at the end of the show...
Contributed by Max O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.