Carlos Lyra is a Brazilian musician and composer of numerous bossa nova cla… Read Full Bio ↴Carlos Lyra is a Brazilian musician and composer of numerous bossa nova classics. He was born - as Carlos Eduardo Lyra Barbosa - on May 11, 1939. Along with Roberto Menescal, he was a primary figure of the younger generation of bossa nova musicians who closely followed the inception of the style by João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Later, he joined Nara Leão as part of the bossa's activist wing, seeking a return to its samba roots. Was also an intellectual behind the movement, forging new directions like the protest song.
He continues to compose, record, and perform today. In 1997, Lyra opened the show 40 Years of Bossa Nova in Tokyo (Japan), together with Roberto Menescal, Leila Pinheiro, and Astrud Gilberto.
Lyra's most famous compositions include "Coisa Mais Linda", "Você e Eu", "Maria Ninguém" (once claimed by Brigitte Bardot to be her favorite song), and "Influência do Jazz".

Canção Que Morre No Ar
Carlos Lyra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Brinca no ar
Um resto de canção
Um rosto tão sereno
Tão quieto de paixão

Morre no ar
O sempre mesmo adeus
Meus olhos são teus olhos

Para nós, vem
Um mundo sempre amor
O pranto que desliza
No seio de uma flor
Terra-luz, anjo só

Mil carícias você tras
Beijo manso, luz e paz

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Carlos Lyra's song, Canção Que Morre No Ar, describe the fleeting nature of a love that cannot be held onto. The first stanza presents a carefree melody that seems to dance through the air, but it is only a remnant of a once passionate song. The face of the subject of the song is described as peaceful and serene, but also still with a suppressed passion.

The following line, "Morre no ar," or "Dies in the air" marks a shift in the song's tone, as the singer accepts that their goodbyes will always remain unchanging and transitory. The singer's eyes are the eyes of their lover, noting a deep connection between the two.

The final stanza presents an idyllic world of eternal love and beauty. The pain of parting becomes a gentle tear that slides down the breast of a flower. The subject of the song is portrayed as an angel of warmth and light, a being who brings love and tenderness. The lyrics emphasize the softness of this love, comparing it to a gentle kiss filled with light and peace.

Line by Line Meaning

Brinca no ar
A song flies and plays along in the air

Um resto de canção
A remnant of a song that barely lingers

Um rosto tão sereno
A face of serene calmness

Tão quieto de paixão
So quiet, as if hiding their passion within

Morre no ar
The song slowly fades away in the air

O sempre mesmo adeus
Always the same goodbye

Meus olhos são teus olhos
My eyes reflect only you

Para nós, vem
For us, it comes

Um mundo sempre amor
A world always filled with love

O pranto que desliza
Tears gliding down

No seio de uma flor
Into the heart of a flower