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.

Manhã
Carlos do Carmo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Manhã
Que em ti encerra
Este mar que não se altera
Este vento na galera
Que teima em ti
Pousar
Madrugada
De repente

Sou pássaro, sou gente
Tão distante e nunca ausente
E teimo em ti
Pousar
Mulheres
Minha alvorada
Tu és o vento que tarda
Por ti pouso o cansaço
Na verdade de um poema
A mentira
De um abraço
Teu leito é o meu regaço
E eu quero assim
Ficar
Barco que torna ao porto
No teu corpo
Eu me aporto
Aí fico e me recordo
E teimo em ti
Pousar
Neblina
Despertada
Tão leve quanto a espada
Que se bate por tudo e nada
E teima em ti
Pousar
Mulheres
Minha alvorada
Tu és o vento que tarda
Por ti pouso o cansaço
Na verdade de um poema
A mentira
De um abraço
Meu leito é o teu regaço
Eu quero assim
Ficar
Na verdade de um poema
A mentira
De um abraço
Meu leito é o teu regaço

Eu quero assim
Ficar

Overall Meaning

The song "Manhã" by Carlos do Carmo is a beautiful and poetic portrayal of the power of love and its ability to transcend time and distance. The lyrics describe the feeling of being drawn to someone or something (represented by the morning) that is unchanging and constant, yet somehow still mysterious and alluring.

The song opens with the lines "Manhã / Que em ti encerra / Este mar que não se altera," which can be translated to "Morning / That which contains in you / This sea that never changes." This sea and the wind that blows through it represent the object of the singer's affection, something that remains unchanged throughout the passage of time. The singer then goes on to describe how this morning also serves as a metaphor for a fleeting moment of awakening, as he becomes both a bird and a human, feeling both far away and present at the same time, ultimately drawn to this constant force represented by the morning.

The theme of love and devotion continues with the lines "Mulheres / Minha alvorada / Tu és o vento que tarda / Por ti pouso o cansaço," which means "Women / My dawn / You are the wind that is late / For you, I land my weariness." The singer finds solace in the presence of women, who represent a grounding force that allows him to rest and recharge. He describes them as a constant "wind" that is always there for him, and the comfort they provide is likened to a place of rest, his "leito," or bed, nestled in their regaço, or lap.

Overall, "Manhã" is a powerful testament to the unyielding nature of love and represents hope for those searching for something constant and unchanging in a world that can often feel chaotic and uncertain.

Line by Line Meaning

Manhã
The morning

Que em ti encerra
That holds within you

Este mar que não se altera
This sea that remains unchanged

Este vento na galera
This wind in the ship

Que teima em ti
That persists over you

Pousar
To land

Madrugada
Dawn

De repente
Suddenly

Sou pássaro, sou gente
I am a bird, I am human

Tão distante e nunca ausente
So far yet never absent

E teimo em ti
And persist over you