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.
Sugar Cane Fields Forever
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
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Cavalinho de flecha
Cavalinho
Eu quero, eu quero
Eu quero, eu quero
Eu quero, eu quero
Eu quero, eu quero
Eu quero, eu quero
Eu quero, eu quero
Eu quero, eu quero
Sou um mulato nato
No sentido lato
Mulato democrático do litoral
Vem
Comigo no trem da Leste
Peste, vem no trem
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Vem
Vem, vem vem
Vem, vem vem
Vem, vem vem
Vem, vem vem
Vem
Comigo no trem da Leste
Peste, vem no trem
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Pra Boranhém, pra Boranhém
Boranhém, Boranhém, Boranhém
Verde Vênus
Ir, ir indo
Ir, ir indo
Ir, ir indo
Ir, ir indo
Ir, ir indo
Ir, ir indo
Ir, ir indo
Pra passar Fevereiro em Santo Amaro
Pra passar Fevereiro em Santo Amaro
Pra passar Fevereiro em Santo Amaro
Pra passar Fevereiro em Santo Amaro
Pra passar Fevereiro em Santo Amaro
Pra passar Fevereiro em Santo Amaro
Só pra passar Fevereiro em Santo Amaro
Só pra passar Fevereiro em Santo Amaro
Pra passar Fevereiro em Santo Amaro
The lyrics to Caetano Veloso's song Sugar Cane Fields Forever paint a vivid picture of the Brazilian countryside and its culture. The opening lines, "Verdes mães Cavalinho de flecha Cavalinho," can be interpreted as referring to the green fields of sugar cane and the arrow-like horses that are often found in rural areas. The repetition of "Eu quero" (I want) could signify a desire to explore and experience the beauty of the natural world around him.
The next lines, "Sou um mulato nato No sentido lato Mulato democrático do litoral," indicate that the singer is a mixed-race person from the coastal region of Brazil. The use of the word "mulato" highlights the racial diversity of the country and the singer's pride in his heritage. He then invites the listener to join him on a train ride to Boranhém, a town that may represent a sense of escape or freedom.
The rest of the song includes repetitions of "Vem" (Come) and "Ir indo" (Go on) as the singer expresses a desire to travel and explore new places. The mention of Santo Amaro and the need to pass February there could potentially allude to the famous Carnival celebrations that take place in Brazil during that month. Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of wanderlust and a connection to the natural world and cultural traditions of Brazil.
Line by Line Meaning
Verdes mães
Green mothers
Cavalinho de flecha
Little arrow-shaped horse
Cavalinho
Little horse
Eu quero, eu quero
I want, I want
Sou um mulato nato
I am a native mulatto
No sentido lato
In the broad sense
Mulato democrático do litoral
Democratic mulatto from the coast
Vem
Come
Comigo no trem da Leste
With me on the East train
Peste, vem no trem
Plague, come on the train
Pra Boranhém
To Boranhém
Vem
Come
Verde Vênus
Green Venus
Ir, ir indo
Going, going
Pra passar Fevereiro em Santo Amaro
To spend February in Santo Amaro
Só pra passar Fevereiro em Santo Amaro
Just to spend February in Santo Amaro
Contributed by Nora B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.