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.
Onde Eu Nasci Passa Um Rio
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que passa no igual sem fim
Igual, sem fim minha terra
Passava dentro de mim
Passava como se o tempo
Nada pudesse mudar
Passava como se o rio
O rio deságua no mar
Já tanta coisa aprendi
Mas o que é mais meu cantar
É isso que eu canto aqui
Hoje eu sei que o mundo é grande
E o mar de ondas se faz
Mas nasceu junto com o rio
O canto que eu canto mais
O rio só chega no mar
Depois de andar pelo chão
O rio da minha terra
Deságua em meu coração
The lyrics to Caetano Veloso & Gal Costa's song Onde Eu Nasci Passa Um Rio convey a profound sense of rootedness, of being connected to a place - both physically and emotionally. The opening lines "Onde eu nasci passa um rio que passa no igual sem fim" establish the central metaphor that runs throughout the song: the river as a symbol of continuity, of something that flows inexorably and eternally on. The river represents the singer's birthplace, a place that is part of him/her in a fundamental way: "Passava dentro de mim".
As the song progresses, the river becomes a vehicle for reflections on time and change: "Passava como se o tempo nada pudesse mudar". The idea here is that while everything else might change around us, the river keeps flowing on, unaffected by the passage of time. This is a comforting thought for the singer, who seems to find solace in the unchanging nature of the river: "Passava como se o rio não desaguasse no mar".
The final stanza brings everything together, tying up the themes of place, time, and emotion: "O rio só chega no mar depois de andar pelo chão / O rio da minha terra deságua em meu coração". Here, the river is once again a symbol of continuity, but this time it represents the singer's emotional ties to his/her birthplace. No matter where the river flows, no matter how far it travels, it always ends up in the singer's heart, a constant reminder of home.
Overall, the lyrics to Onde Eu Nasci Passa Um Rio are a poignant exploration of the complex relationship between people and place, and the enduring emotional ties that bind us to the land of our birth.
Line by Line Meaning
Onde eu nasci passa um rio
In the place where I was born, there is a river that flows by.
Que passa no igual sem fim
Its flow is constant and seemingly never-ending.
Igual, sem fim minha terra
My land is also endless and unchanging.
Passava dentro de mim
This river was deeply ingrained in my being and identity.
Passava como se o tempo
The river flowed as if time had no power over it.
Nada pudesse mudar
Nothing could alter its course or strength.
Passava como se o rio
It flowed as if the river would never reach its final destination.
Não desaguasse no mar
As if it would never reach the sea.
O rio deságua no mar
But the river does indeed reach the sea eventually.
Já tanta coisa aprendi
I have learned so much since my birth.
Mas o que é mais meu cantar
But what is most truly mine is my singing.
É isso que eu canto aqui
This is what I am singing about now.
Hoje eu sei que o mundo é grande
Now I understand that the world is vast and expansive.
E o mar de ondas se faz
And the sea is made up of countless waves.
Mas nasceu junto com o rio
But my singing was born alongside this river.
O canto que eu canto mais
It is the song that I sing the most.
O rio só chega no mar
The river only reaches the sea
Depois de andar pelo chão
After flowing on the ground for some time.
O rio da minha terra
The river of my land
Deságua em meu coração
Flows into my heart and soul.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CAETANO EMMANUEL VIANA TELES VELOSO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RENAT0BRASIL
Onde eu nasci passa um rio
Que passa no igual sem fim
Igual, sem fim, minha terra
Passava dentro de mim
Passava como se o tempo
Nada pudesse mudar
Passava como se o rio
Não desaguasse no mar
O rio deságua no mar
Já tanta coisa aprendi
Mas o que é mais meu cantar
É isso que eu canto aqui
Hoje eu sei que o mundo é grande
E o mar de ondas se faz
Mas nasceu junto com o rio
O canto que eu canto mais
O rio só chega no mar
Depois de andar pelo chão
O rio da minha terra
Deságua em meu coração
@arjunsawant8281
Beautiful song,the melody mesmerized me..love you Brazil, Greetings from India!
@Pranav9977
bhai bhai
@gaby_xit.
❤❤ linda demais essa música
@albertoalmeida8856
Maravilhas da nossa MPB!❤
@RENAT0BRASIL
Onde eu nasci passa um rio
Que passa no igual sem fim
Igual, sem fim, minha terra
Passava dentro de mim
Passava como se o tempo
Nada pudesse mudar
Passava como se o rio
Não desaguasse no mar
O rio deságua no mar
Já tanta coisa aprendi
Mas o que é mais meu cantar
É isso que eu canto aqui
Hoje eu sei que o mundo é grande
E o mar de ondas se faz
Mas nasceu junto com o rio
O canto que eu canto mais
O rio só chega no mar
Depois de andar pelo chão
O rio da minha terra
Deságua em meu coração
@PaulaSantos-wd5zb
❤❤❤ coisa mais linda.
@yippee2000
I don't speak Portuguese....no hablo portuguese.... mai esta cancion....oye.... que bella!...como un suenyo....que voce tiene Veloso, eh?
@Ngl4Nagrarok
This is very beautiful and peaceful. :)
@89681eric
Como a Gal tinha cabelo! E como essa música é bonita!
@marcosatalaia8516
obrigadão por compartilhar