Carlos do Carmo (Lisbon, 21 December 1939 - Lisbon, 1 January 2021) was a P… Read Full Bio ↴Carlos do Carmo (Lisbon, 21 December 1939 - Lisbon, 1 January 2021) was a Portuguese singer. He was one of the most iconic faces of Fado.
He was the son of Lucília do Carmo (one of the greatest fadistas of the 20th century) and Alfredo de Almeida, (bookseller and later entrepreneur in the hotel business). His parents were also the owners of the famous Lisbon restaurant "O Faia". One might say that Carlos do Carmo was raised in an artistic atmosphere. His parents' house in the old part of the city, Bairro Alto, was a place where intelectuals and artists gathered, some of the more prominent figures of Lisbon society at that time. He studied the hotel business in Switzerland. In 1964, Carlos do Carmo began one of the most solid careers in the artistic panorama of Portugal...
When he returned to Lisbon from Switzerland he entered the hotel business with his parents, and took the reigns of "Casa de Fado" which they had founded, using all of the ideas and techniques that he learned in Switzerland. After the death of his father, Carlos do Carmo became the owner, and thanks to his merits and good luck, made "Casa de Fado" the best in Lisbon. But music was ever present in him, and he recorded one of his mother's songs, "Loucura", at the request of Mário Simões almost on a lark. The success of this experience was so great that the destiny of Carlos do Carmo could not possibly be delayed a minute more. The opportunity to record his first album came quickly, and in 1964 he recorded " Estranha Forma de Vida". His way of singing was different, his personal style unmistakable, he was the one that fado was waiting for to carry on the tradition, and there was a certainty that a new star had been born. From that moment on, success was part of his life, each and every fado that he sang, every album he recorded, every performance he gave, corresponded with yet another hit. All of his albums up to the present day have been cherished and the sales of his television performances are now part of fado history, recognized for their high quality, and for the inovative spirit that each one transmits. "Por morrer uma andorinha", "Duas lágrimas de orvalho", "Bairro Alto", "Gaivota",
"Canoas do Tejo", "Os Putos", "Lisboa Menina e Moça" e "Estrela da Tarde", are some of the biggest hits of his career. Because of a desire to maintain a purely artistic career for such a long time, his artistic references include quite diverse artists as Frank Sinatra, Jaques Brel, Elis Regina and José Afonso. The international circulation of his work was driven, as he always likes to affirm, "By those Portuguese who leave my country in search of a better life, and who have passed my works in to the hands of entrepreneurs and cultural agents of the various countries where they reside".
He has sung on 5 continents, his performances at the "Olympia" in paris, the opera houses of Frankfurt and Wiesbaden, the Canecão in Rio de Janeiro, the "Savoy" in Helsinki, the Auditório Nacional in madrid, the Teatro da Rainha in Haia, the theater of Saint Petersburgh, the "Place des Arts" in Montreal, the Tivoli in Copenhagen, and the Memorial da América latina in São Paulo are some of the finest moments of his career. His performances throughout Portugal at the Mosteiro dos
Jerónimos, the Fundação Gulbenkian, the Coliseu dos Recreios, the Casino do Estoril,
and at the Centro Cultural de Belém make a difference in the cultural level of the country.
The number of honours and awards he has received to this day are innumerable, from being named an honorary citizen of the city of Rio De Janeiro, member of the honor of Claustro Ibero-Americano das Artes, to the diploma accorded him by the senate of Rhode Island in the U.S. for his contribution to the propagation of Portuguese music, to the golden globe. He also figures as a pioneer in the new Portuguese discography, due to his album "Um Homem no País", the first cd to be edited by an artist in Portugal.
Carlos do Carmo knows the importance of family life, he's been married since 1964 having 3 children, as fruit of this union, one daughter and 2 sons, who maintain a close relationship with him. It's not always easy to juggle life as a family man with the life of a world traveling artist. He persues the realization of this dream, because he considers the union of family to be important. He considers himself the first link in a chain of individual connections. He values being with friends, and enjoys making new friends, maintaining an high level of quality in his artistic life.
Carlos do Carmo is an artist who has certainly already attained some of his goals, aiming for a public who holds him in high esteem, great respect, apreciating in him not only his qualities as a musician, but also those of an artist interested in the evolution of the music of his homeland, and who believes in the evolution of man as a creature who can embrace the whole world in it's diversity.

Fado do Campo Grande
Carlos do Carmo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A minha velha casa,
por mais que eu sofra e ande,
é sempre um golpe de asa,
varrendo um Campo Grande.
Aqui no meu pais,
por mais que a minha ausência doa,
é que eu sei que a raiz de mim
está em Lisboa.

A minha velha casa
resiste no meu corpo,
e arde como brasa
dum corpo nunca morto.
À minha velha casa
eu regresso à procura
das origens da ternura,
onde o meu ser perdura.
Amiga amante, amor distante.
Lisboa é perto, e não bastante.
Amor calado, amor avante,
que faz do tempo apenas um instante.
Amor dorido, amor magoado
e que me doí no fado.
Amor magoado, amor sentido,
mas jamais cansado.
Amor vivido é o amor amado.
Um braço é a tristeza,
o outro é a saudade,
e as minhas mãos abertas
são chão da liberdade.
A casa a que eu pertenço,
viagem para à minha infância,
é o espaço em que eu venço
e o tempo da distância.
E volto à minha casa,
porque a esperança resiste
a tudo quanto arrasa
um homem que for triste.
Lisboa não se cala,
e quando fala
é minha chama,
meu castelo, minha Alfama,
minha pátria, minha cama.
Amiga amante, amor distante.
Lisboa é perto, e não bastante.
Amor calado, amor avante,
que faz do tempo apenas um instante.
Amor dorido, amor magoado
e que me doí no fado.
Amor magoado, amor sentido,
mas jamais cansado.
Amor vivido é o amor amado.

Ai, Lisboa, como eu quero,
é por ti que eu desespero.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Carlos do Carmo's "Fado do Campo Grande" describe a deep longing for home and the powerful emotions that come with the sense of belonging that comes with it. The "old house" mentioned in the opening lines symbolizes a place of safety and comfort, where the singer's true self is rooted. Despite being elsewhere, the Campo Grande region of Lisbon serves as a reminder of where the singer comes from, and the memories of his childhood that reside there.

The song also speaks of unrequited love and the pain that can come with it. The singer's love for Lisbon is all-encompassing, but it is also tinged with a sense of longing and a melancholic quality that pervades the entire fado genre. The city is a source of comfort but also despair, a place to which one can always return but that never quite satiates.

Line by Line Meaning

A minha velha casa, por mais que eu sofra e ande, é sempre um golpe de asa, varrendo um Campo Grande.
No matter how much I suffer or wander, my old house is always a comforting reminder of my roots in Lisbon, sweeping me away to memories of the Campo Grande neighborhood.

Aqui no meu pais, por mais que a minha ausência doa, é que eu sei que a raiz de mim está em Lisboa.
Even though being away from Portugal hurts me, I know that my true identity is rooted in Lisbon and its unique culture.

A minha velha casa resiste no meu corpo, e arde como brasa dum corpo nunca morto.
My old house lives on within me, burning like an unextinguished flame within my spirit.

À minha velha casa eu regresso à procura das origens da ternura, onde o meu ser perdura.
Returning to my old house helps me reconnect with the source of my affection, the place where I really belong.

Amiga amante, amor distante. Lisboa é perto, e não bastante. Amor calado, amor avante, que faz do tempo apenas um instante.
My connection to Lisbon is too strong to be broken by distance. My love for the city is a silent force that propels me forward, making time fly by.

Amor dorido, amor magoado e que me doí no fado. Amor magoado, amor sentido, mas jamais cansado. Amor vivido é o amor amado.
My love for Lisbon is bittersweet, a feeling that echoes in my fado. It is a love that may cause pain and nostalgia, but is always enduring and true.

Um braço é a tristeza, o outro é a saudade, e as minhas mãos abertas são chão da liberdade.
My feelings of sadness and nostalgia are like arms that embrace me, but my open hands represent the freedom that comes from embracing those emotions.

A casa a que eu pertenço, viagem para à minha infância, é o espaço em que eu venço e o tempo da distância.
My old house is not just a physical structure, but a journey to my childhood memories, a place where I can overcome the distance between myself and Lisbon.

E volto à minha casa, porque a esperança resiste a tudo quanto arrasa um homem que for triste.
I return to my old house because hope endures and can overcome even the most devastating sadness.

Lisboa não se cala, e quando fala é minha chama, meu castelo, minha Alfama, minha pátria, minha cama.
Lisbon is a place that never stays silent, and its voice is a passionate flame that envelops me. It is my castle, my Alfama, my home, my refuge.

Ai, Lisboa, como eu quero, é por ti que eu desespero.
Oh Lisbon, how much I want you, how much I yearn for you.

Contributed by Joseph L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

José Nobre

6y↑5

Era emigrante, em 1978 comprei este disco......Ninguém pode imaginar o que é ouvir estes poemas, na solidão, na ausência do nosso país. Mais uma vez obrigado, Carlos do Carmo.