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.
O Homem Velho
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cabeça a prumo, segue rumo e nunca, nunca mais
O grande espelho que é o mundo ousaria refletir os seus sinais
O homem velho é o rei dos animais
A solidão agora é sólida, uma pedra ao sol
As linhas do destino nas mãos a mão apagou
Ele já tem a alma saturada de poesia, soul e rock'n'roll
A carne, a arte arde, a tarde cai
No abismo das esquinas
A brisa leve traz o olor fulgaz
Do sexo das meninas
Luz fria, seus cabelos têm tristeza de néon
Belezas, dores e alegrias passam sem um som
Eu vejo o homem velho rindo numa curva do caminho de Hebron
E ao seu olhar tudo que é cor muda de tom
Os filhos, filmes, ditos, livros como um vendaval
Espalham-no além da ilusão do seu ser pessoal
Mas ele dói e brilha único, indivíduo, maravilha sem igual
Já tem coragem de saber que é imortal
The lyrics of Caetano Veloso's O Homem Velho talk about the journey of an old man towards the end of his life. The first paragraph talks about how the old man leaves behind life and death with a resolute head and sets off on a journey without ever looking back. The second verse talks about the old man's solitude and how he has become a solid rock in the sun. The world, which reflects his signs, can no longer face him. The old man has become the king of the animals. He has an all-saturating soul of poetry, soul and rock and roll. He serves as a lighthouse for things that migrate.
The chorus describes the world around the old man in few words. The flesh and the art, the light and the darkness, the moment's fragrance and the weight of time, everything finds accommodation in this journey. The third verse talks about how the old man's hair shines with the sadness of neon light. He has seen all kinds of beauty, sorrows, and happiness but remains unfazed by them. He looks at everything through a unique perspective where everything around him changes the color. The last verse talks about how the old man's life has been rich with children, books, and movies but at the same time, it has stripped him of his illusionary personal self. However, he continues to shine uniquely as a marvel and knows that he is immortal.
Line by Line Meaning
O homem velho deixa a vida e morte para trás
The old man leaves life and death behind
Cabeça a prumo, segue rumo e nunca, nunca mais
Head held high, he moves forward and never looks back
O grande espelho que é o mundo ousaria refletir os seus sinais
The world as a great mirror dares to reflect his signals
O homem velho é o rei dos animais
The old man is the king of the animals
A solidão agora é sólida, uma pedra ao sol
Solitude now is solid, a stone in the sun
As linhas do destino nas mãos a mão apagou
The lines of destiny have been erased from his hands
Ele já tem a alma saturada de poesia, soul e rock'n'roll
His soul is already saturated with poetry, soul, and rock 'n' roll
As coisas migram e ele serve de farol
Things migrate and he serves as a lighthouse
A carne, a arte arde, a tarde cai
The flesh, the art burns, as the afternoon falls
No abismo das esquinas
In the abyss of the corners
A brisa leve traz o olor fulgaz
The gentle breeze brings the fleeting scent
Do sexo das meninas
Of the girls' sex
Luz fria, seus cabelos têm tristeza de neon
Cold light, his hair has the sadness of neon
Belezas, dores e alegrias passam sem um som
Beauty, pain, and joy pass without a sound
Eu vejo o homem velho rindo numa curva do caminho de Hebron
I see the old man laughing at a bend in the road to Hebron
E ao seu olhar tudo que é cor muda de tom
And to his gaze, all colors change tone
Os filhos, filmes, ditos, livros como um vendaval
Children, movies, sayings, books like a whirlwind
Espalham-no além da ilusão do seu ser pessoal
They spread him beyond the illusion of his personal being
Mas ele dói e brilha único, indivíduo, maravilha sem igual
But he hurts and shines uniquely, an individual, without equal wonder
Já tem coragem de saber que é imortal
He already has the courage to know he is immortal
Contributed by Hailey J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Willians Cristiano
Eu só tenho 37 anos, mas a proximidade dos 40 faz com que eu incorpore esta música de maneira quase mediúnica, pois já tenho a alma saturada de poesia, soul e rock and roll.
Ev Sonelus
Paul Simon and Garfunkel, Old Friends.. "preserve suas lembranças, é tudo o que te resta". Ferrada também.
Ev Sonelus
eu parei de contar ao 40, mano kkkk tô na mesma aqui rs
José Luiz Mendes Medeiros
Que amor suas palavras Criswill
Edson Batista
E EU, QUE JÁ ESTOU PERTO DOS 60, CRISWILL, QUE DIREI?????? E EU, QUE VI ESSA MÚSICA NASCER???? O FATO É QUE VC LASCOU EM BANDA, BOTOU PRA FUDER, TRANSCENDEU COM ESSE COMENTÁRIO, E DEVE SABER O QUE ESTÁ FALANDO... UM FORTE ABRAÇO, POETA.
Romilda Sousa
🔊🎶❤️🎶 Maravilhoso! Salve Caetano 👋👋👋💓
Neide Alencar
Eu amo esse homem meu Deus do céu o que que o homem faz de música impressionante ele Chico nesse país não tem
Emily’s entertainment
Precisa se viver muitas vidas pra compor um
Música dessa👏👏👏
Eliane Silva
Mestre Caetano! Sempre Mestre em todas as gerações!
Geroaldo Santos
Maravilhosa , Eternana e Real canção.
Salve Caetano.....