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.
Nova feira da ladra
Carlos do Carmo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uma toalha velha, toda em linho
Que já serviu na noite de Dezembro
E agora cheira a Setembro
Como o Outono sabe a vinho
Não valem muito mais que dois pintores
Os quadros das paisagens
Que eu já sei
Que em São Vicente das Dores
Fora de mim, eu pintei
O que é que eu vou roubar à feira?
Um beijo de mulher trigueira
Aqui um coração, ali uma gravura
É a Feira da Ladra ternura
O que é que eu vou trazer da Feira?
Um corpo de mulher braseira
Aqui está um lençol, bordado como dantes
Esta Feira da Ladra é dos amantes
E na Feira da Ladra nos vingamos
Dum pouco desse tempo que morreu
Em cada botão velho que compramos
Há uma corja de amos
Que em Abril, Abril venceu
Agora não compramos velharias
Todo passado é lastro do futuro
Nascemos para o sol todos os dias
Na nossa Feira da Ladra
Já não há ladrões no escuro
O que é que eu vou roubar à Feira?
Um beijo de mulher trigueira
Aqui um coração, ali uma gravura
É a Feira da Ladra ternura
O que é que eu vou trazer da Feira?
Um corpo de mulher braseira
Aqui está um lençol, bordado como dantes
Esta Feira da Ladra é dos amantes
Aqui está um lençol, bordado como dantes
Eis a Feira da Ladra dos amantes
"Nova feira da ladra" is a song by Carlos do Carmo that portrays the Feira da Ladra, a legendary flea market in Lisbon, Portugal. The lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia and reminiscence as the singer recalls a time gone by. He mentions an old linen tablecloth that once served during a December night and now carries the scent of September, implying the passing of time and the change of seasons. The singer acknowledges that the landscape paintings may not be worth much, but they hold value in the fruits and flowers that he, in a metaphorical sense, painted in the neighborhood of São Vicente das Dores.
The Feira da Ladra is portrayed as a place of affection and tenderness, where the singer contemplates stealing a kiss from a woman with darker skin, longing for the warmth of a passionate woman. He considers bringing back a fiery woman's body from the market, highlighting the sensual and seductive atmosphere of the flea market. The song suggests that the Feira da Ladra is a place where people can take revenge on the past, symbolized by the old buttons they buy, showing that they have overcome the darker times that were once led by oppressive figures. The market has become a haven for lovers, as the singer finds a beautifully embroidered bedsheet reminiscent of the past and declares that the Feira da Ladra now belongs to lovers, with no thieves lurking in the dark.
Line by Line Meaning
É na Feira da Ladra que eu relembro
I remember at the Feira da Ladra
Uma toalha velha, toda em linho
An old linen tablecloth
Que já serviu na noite de Dezembro
That once served on a December night
E agora cheira a Setembro
And now smells like September
Como o Outono sabe a vinho
Like autumn tastes like wine
Não valem muito mais que dois pintores
They are not worth much more than two painters
Os quadros das paisagens
The landscapes paintings
Que eu já sei
That I already know
Mas valem, pelos frutos, pelas flores
But they are worth it for the fruits, for the flowers
Que em São Vicente das Dores
That in São Vicente das Dores
Fora de mim, eu pintei
Outside of myself, I painted
O que é que eu vou roubar à feira?
What am I going to steal from the fair?
Um beijo de mulher trigueira
A kiss from a dark-skinned woman
Aqui um coração, ali uma gravura
Here a heart, there an engraving
É a Feira da Ladra ternura
It's the Feira da Ladra of tenderness
O que é que eu vou trazer da Feira?
What am I going to bring from the fair?
Um corpo de mulher braseira
A body of a fiery woman
Aqui está um lençol, bordado como dantes
Here is a sheet, embroidered as before
Esta Feira da Ladra é dos amantes
This Feira da Ladra belongs to lovers
E na Feira da Ladra nos vingamos
And at the Feira da Ladra we take revenge
Dum pouco desse tempo que morreu
Of a little of that time that died
Em cada botão velho que compramos
In every old button we buy
Há uma corja de amos
There is a gang of masters
Que em Abril, Abril venceu
That in April, April won
Agora não compramos velharias
Now we don't buy old stuff
Todo passado é lastro do futuro
Every past is ballast for the future
Nascemos para o sol todos os dias
We are born for the sun every day
Na nossa Feira da Ladra
In our Feira da Ladra
Já não há ladrões no escuro
There are no longer thieves in the dark
Aqui está um lençol, bordado como dantes
Here is a sheet, embroidered as before
Eis a Feira da Ladra dos amantes
Here is the Feira da Ladra of lovers
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Frederico de Brito
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind