The firstborn son of Sérgio Buarque de Hollanda, Buarque lived at several locations throughout his childhood, though mostly in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Rome. He wrote and studied literature as a child and found music through the bossa nova compositions of Tom Jobim and João Gilberto. He performed as a singer and guitarist in the 1960s as well as writing a play that was deemed dangerous by the Brazilian military dictatorship of the time. Buarque, along with several Tropicalist and MPB musicians, was threatened by the Brazilian military government and eventually left Brazil for Italy in 1969. However, he came back to Brazil in 1970, and continued to record, perform, and write, though much of his material was suppressed by government censors. He released several more albums in the 1980s and published three novels in the 1990s and 2000s.
In 2019, Buarque was awarded the Camões Prize, the most important prize for literature in the Portuguese language.
A Volta Do Malandro
Chico Buarque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Caminhando na ponta dos pés
Como quem pisa nos corações
Que rolaram dos cabarés
Entre deusas e bofetões
Entre dados e coronéis
Entre parangolés e patrões
Deixa balançar a maré
E a poeira assentar no chão
Deixa a praça virar um salão
Que o malandro é o barão da ralé
Chico Buarque's "A Volta Do Malandro" is a song about a malandro or a hustler who returns to the plaza once again, walking on tiptoes as if stepping on the hearts that were left in the brothels. The malandro walks with a crooked gait, amidst goddesses, blows, dice, colonels, parangolés, and bosses. The malandro lets the tide sway and the dust settle on the ground, allowing the plaza to turn into a salon where he is the lord of the riffraff.
The lyrics of this song are a commentary on the social and political realities of Brazil during the 1970s when dictatorship and poverty were rampant, and prostitution, violence, and corruption were widespread. The malandro is presented as a survivor who knows how to navigate his way through the system, but also as someone who is aware of the injustices and hardships that are inflicted on the people around him. He is portrayed as a complicated figure who is both cynical and romantic, realistic and idealistic.
The song's use of slang and regional dialect also underscores its connection to Brazilian culture and history. The lyrics are replete with references to Afro-Brazilian music, dance, and customs, as well as the slang of Rio de Janeiro's streets. The song became a hit in Brazil and has since been covered by many artists, including Gal Costa, Teresa Cristina, and Marisa Monte.
Line by Line Meaning
Eis o malandro na praça outra vez
Here is the trickster in the square again
Caminhando na ponta dos pés
Walking on tiptoes
Como quem pisa nos corações
As if stepping on hearts
Que rolaram dos cabarés
That rolled out of the brothels
Entre deusas e bofetões
Between goddesses and slaps
Entre dados e coronéis
Between dice and colonels
Entre parangolés e patrões
Between parangolés and bosses
O malandro anda assim de viés
The trickster walks askew like this
Deixa balançar a maré
Let the tide sway
E a poeira assentar no chão
And the dust settle on the ground
Deixa a praça virar um salão
Let the square become a ballroom
Que o malandro é o barão da ralé
For the trickster is the baron of the mob
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Deda403
Eis o malandro na praça outra vez
Caminhando na ponta dos pés
Como quem pisa nos corações
Que rolaram dos cabarés
Entre deusas e bofetões
Entre dados e coronéis
Entre parangolés e patrões
O malandro anda assim de viés
Deixa balançar a maré
E a poeira assentar no chão
Deixa a praça virar um salão
Que o malandro é o barão da ralé
Fonte: LyricFind
Compositores: Chico Buarque
@justiceiro837
A melhor música que já ouvi! A troca de notas nessa música é dificílima de executar, eu jamais consegui! Mas observando a partitura dela, pude ver o quanto essa música é linda!
Devia ter um especial de fim de ano todos os anos com Chico Buarque! Já não era sem tempo! Chico merece isso muito mais que Roberto, que já tá muito clichê! Os brasileiros amantes da Boa Música ficariam eternamente gratos!
CHICO BUARQUE, ESTRELA PRIMEIRA DA MÚSICA BRASILEIRA!!!
@renangoncalves3506
Só quem é tem um malandro como padrinho sabe, o quanto essa música é profunda, alegra seu dia, o corpo já sai sambando sozinho nos 1 seg de música hahah Salve seu Zé, salve a Lapa, salve a td malandragem 🍻🕺♥️♦️
@ewertonmoraes9741
Marcou minha vida artística ,pois montei a Opera do Malandro com alunos da escola municipal Eurípides de Aguiar em Teresina.
Marcou a mim ,aos alunos e a escola para sempre.
@operacionalpelopes9730
O mestre Chico Buarque com suas boa musicas
@coruuujaa
Eis, o malandro na praça outra veez♫
@lyncavalcanti565
Salve a malandragem
@jullydc6580
Perfeito esse show!!!!
@gustavobaptista5953
Lapa Zé !!
@magnodias6424
Essa música é toda a Lapa de Madame Satã.
@Crypt0lamb
Mestre Chico, sem igual