Verde Que Te Quero Rosa
Cartola Lyrics

The lyrics to Cartola's song "Verde Que Te Quero Rosa" speak of the beauty and complexity of life through a colorful metaphor. The song opens with "Verde como céu azul a esperança" (Green like the blue sky is hope), referring to the idea that hope can blossom like a seed in a green landscape. The next line "Branco como a cor da Paz ao se encontrar" (White like the color of Peace when it meets) speaks to the notion that peace can be achieved in the meeting of two opposing forces. The third line, "Rubro como o rosto fica junto a rosa mais querida" (Red like the face that stays close to the dearest rose) touches on the theme of love and passion. The final lines of the chorus, "É negra toda tristeza se há despedida na Avenida/É negra toda tristeza desta vida" (All sadness is black when there is farewell on Avenida/All sadness in this life is black), refer to the melancholy brought upon by goodbyes and the inevitability of death.

The second verse keeps up with the colorful imagery. "São verdes, os campos, as matas/E o corpo das mulatas quando vestem Verde e rosa, é Mangueira" (Green are the fields, the woods/And the bodies of the mulatas when dressed in green and rosa, it's Mangueira) brings up cultural and racial pride, suggesting the beauty of fields and forests and that of the women of the Mulata race decked in the colors of the famous samba school, Mangueira. The final lines repeating the chorus run as a reiteration of the idea that vibrant hues and colors illustrate both liveliness and grief in various situations of life.