Veloso is the fifth of the seven children born to José Telles Veloso ("Seu Zezinho") and Claudionor Vianna Telles Veloso ("Dona Canô"). His younger sister Maria Bethânia, another popular and renowned artist in Brazil, preceded him to fame as a singer in the mid-1960s. He began his career around 1965 singing bossa nova and he has cited his greatest musical influences from his early period as João Gilberto and Dorival Caymmi. (João Gilberto would say later about Caetano's contribution that it added an intellectual dimension to brazilian popular music.) But with such musical collaborators Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Tom Zé, Chico Buarque, and Os Mutantes, and greatly influenced by the later work of The Beatles, developed tropicalismo, which fused Brazilian pop with rock and roll and avant garde art music resulting in a more international, psychedelic, and socially aware sound. Veloso's politically active stance, unapologetically leftist, earned him the enmity of Brazil's military dictatorship which ruled until 1985; his songs were frequently censored, and some were banned. Veloso was also alienated from the socialist left in Brazil becasue of his acceptance and integration of non-nationalist influences (like rock and roll) in his music. Veloso and Gilberto Gil spent several months in jail for "anti-government activity" in 1968 and eventually exiled themselves to London. Caetano Veloso's work upon his return in 1972 was often characterized by frequent appropriations not only of international styles, but of half-forgotten Brazilian folkloric styles and rhythms as well. In particular, his celebration of the Afro-Brazilian culture of Bahia can be seen as the precursor of such Afro-centric groups as Timbalada.
In the 1980s, Veloso's popularity outside Brazil grew, especially in Israel, Portugal, France and Africa. By 2004, he was one of the most respected and prolific international pop stars, with more than fifty recordings available, including songs in soundtracks of movies such as Pedro Almodovar's Hable con Ella (Talk to Her), and Frida. In 2002 Veloso published an account of his early years and the Tropicalia movement, Tropical Truth: A Story of Music and Revolution in Brazil.
His first all-English CD was A Foreign Sound (2004), which covers Nirvana's "Come as You Are" and compositions from the Great American Songbook. Five of the six songs on his third eponymous album, released in 1971, were also in English.
Lamento Borincano
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sale loco de contento con su cargamento para la ciudad, ay, para la ciudad
Lleva en su pensamiento todo un mundo lleno de felicidad, si, de felicidad
Piensa en remediar la situación del hogar que és toda su ilusión, si
Y alegre el jibarito va pensando así, diciendo aí, cantando así por el camino:
"Si vendo toda carga mi Dios querido, un traje a mi viejita voy a comprar"
Y alegre también su yegua va al presentir que su cantar es como un himno de alegria.
En esto le sorprende la luz del día
Y llegan al mercado de la ciudad
Pasa la mañana intera sin que nadie quiera su carga comprar, ay, su carga comprar
Todo, todo está desierto, el pueblo está muerto de necessidad, ay, de necesidad
Se oye este lamento por doquier
En mi desdichada Borinquen, sí
Y triste el jibarito va
pensando así, diciendo así, llorando así por el camino:
"que será de Borinquen mi Dios querido? Que será de mis hijos y de mi hogar"
Bborinquen, la tierra del Edén
Y que al cantar el gran Gautier llamó la perla de los mares
Ahora que te mueres com tus pesares
Déjame que te cante you también
The lyrics of Caetano Veloso's song Lamento Borincano is a story of a jibarito, someone from the rural areas of Puerto Rico, who is heading to the city with his cargo, filled with happiness and hope of selling it all to buy his wife a new dress. He feels deeply for his family and their situation at home, and his only ambition is to make their life better. However, upon reaching the city, he finds that no one wants to buy his cargo, and the city is in a state of emptiness and economic despair. This fills him with a sense of sorrow and despair as he contemplates the state of his beloved island and what will become of his family.
The use of the Spanish language in the song adds a layer of authenticity to the lyrics, making the emotions feel real and poignant. The use of the jibarito as the main character represents the struggles of the rural population in Puerto Rico, and the theme of economic and social inequality is tangible throughout the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Sale loco de contento con su cargamento para la ciudad, ay, para la ciudad
The farmer leaves his home excited to sell his goods in the city.
Lleva en su pensamiento todo un mundo lleno de felicidad, si, de felicidad
He envisions happiness for himself and his family at home.
Piensa en remediar la situación del hogar que és toda su ilusión, si
The farmer wants to help his family's financial troubles with his earnings.
Y alegre el jibarito va pensando así, diciendo aí, cantando así por el camino:
The farmer happily walks, sings, and thinks of what he'll do with his earnings.
"Si vendo toda carga mi Dios querido, un traje a mi viejita voy a comprar"
The farmer plans to use part of his earnings to buy a new outfit for his wife.
Y alegre también su yegua va al presentir que su cantar es como un himno de alegria.
The farmer's horse feels the excitement in the air and expresses it with her movements.
En esto le sorprende la luz del día
Day breaks, surprising the farmer.
Y llegan al mercado de la ciudad
The farmer and his horse arrive at the city marketplace.
Pasa la mañana intera sin que nadie quiera su carga comprar, ay, su carga comprar
The morning passes by and no one buys the farmer's goods.
Todo, todo está desierto, el pueblo está muerto de necessidad, ay, de necesidad
The marketplace is empty, and people are in need.
Se oye este lamento por doquier
The sound of sorrow can be heard everywhere.
En mi desdichada Borinquen, sí
This is happening in Puerto Rico (Borinquen).
Y triste el jibarito va pensando así, diciendo así, llorando así por el camino:
The farmer walks away from the marketplace feeling sad and cries while contemplating his family's fate.
"que será de Borinquen mi Dios querido? Que será de mis hijos y de mi hogar"
The farmer is worried about the future of his family and homeland.
Bborinquen, la tierra del Edén
Puerto Rico is a land of Eden.
Y que al cantar el gran Gautier llamó la perla de los mares
Famous writer Gautier called Puerto Rico the pearl of the sea.
Ahora que te mueres com tus pesares
Today, Puerto Rico suffers greatly.
Déjame que te cante you también
Let me also sing about your troubles.
Contributed by Kaitlyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sonia maria Pinto moreira
Não tem o q comentar.
Essa canção me emociona. Interpretação com sentimento.grande Caetano. Se superou
Ricardo David Jusino Rosario
Gracias Brasil por darnos a Caetano Veloso, interpretando nuestro LAMENTO BORICANO, canción y grito de todos nuestros pueblos hermanos.
Joao Luiz
Tengo curiosidad de visitar Puerto Rico, y es por esta cancion. cuando niño me acuerdo de mi abuelo escuchandola (exactamente esta version) y yo preguntando a el de que hablara. Saludos desde Brasil.
Zi Guilherme
Linda interpretação.Canta com alma.Recordações mil.
Ricardo David Jusino Rosario
@Joao Luiz Cuando quieras venir a Puerto Rico, aquí tendrás un amigo para estrecharte la mano.
Oscar Edmundo Daza Acuña
Esta canción, una de las primeras que aprendí de mi padre, me remonta a mi niñez, cuando aún habían varias calles empedradas en Bogotá, con unos pocos vehículos que transitaban por ellas y en mi imaginación veía a este borincano mezclarse por entre vehículos y peatones lugareños, hasta llegar a la plaza de mercado.
Malena
La voz de caetano veloso es tan suave clarito y cadencioso.tiene angel.!!!
Marcos Jordan
Sublime. Maravilhosa canção, verdadeira, emocionante. Caetano maravilhoso.
OMICRONestudio
Qué grande artista, bella su creación
Sir. Fuentes
Esta hermosisima cancion es eterna.