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 foto da capa
Chico Buarque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Não é promissora, cândida pintura
É a figura do larápio rastaqüera
Numa foto que não era para capa
Uma pose para câmera tão dura
Cujo foco toda lírica solapa
Era rala a luz naquele calabouço
E o poeta que ele sempre se soubera
Claramente não mirava algum futuro
Via o tira da sinistra que rosnara
E o fotógrafo frontal batendo a chapa
É uma foto que não era para capa
Era a mera contracara, a face obscura
O retrato da paúra quando o cara
Se prepara para dar a cara a tapa
In "A foto da capa," Chico Buarque presents an insightful interpretation of the contradictory nature of art and life. The lyrics describe a photograph of a young artist that captures his inner essence but is not fit to be published as it fails to live up to society's expectations of what an artist's portrait should look like. The image is that of a scruffy criminal, posing with a stare so intense that it undermines any poetic or lyrical qualities in his demeanor. The dim light of his prison cell casts a shadow on his future prospects, and the only thing that he can see clearly is the looming figure of the police officer who is ready to apprehend him.
The image that this song portrays is that of a young artist who is struggling to be seen. Although the artist is not physically confined, the society he lives in has locked him into a narrow box of expectations. The photo symbolizes the artist's struggle to break free from these constraints and pursue his passion for art. The lyrics suggest that the true artist cannot be captured in a single image. The artist's life is a continuous process of trial and error, and the true value of his work lies not in achieving society's ideals but in the depth and insight that he brings to his creations.
Overall, "A foto da capa" is a profound commentary on the nature of art, life, and expectation. The choice of words, the imagery, and the messages within the song carefully crafted to provide a compelling analysis of what it means to be an artist in a world that expects conformity and consistency.
Line by Line Meaning
O retrato do artista quando moço
This is a portrait of a young artist
Não é promissora, cândida pintura
It's not a promising, candid portrait
É a figura do larápio rastaqüera
It's the figure of a petty thief
Numa foto que não era para capa
In a photo that wasn't meant for the cover
Uma pose para câmera tão dura
A rigid pose for the camera
Cujo foco toda lírica solapa
Whose focus undermines all lyricism
Era rala a luz naquele calabouço
The light was dim in that dungeon
Do talento a clarabóia se tampara
The skylight for talent was blocked
E o poeta que ele sempre se soubera
And the poet he always knew he was
Claramente não mirava algum futuro
Clearly didn't see any future
Via o tira da sinistra que rosnara
He saw the sinister cop who growled
E o fotógrafo frontal batendo a chapa
And the front-facing photographer taking the shot
É uma foto que não era para capa
It's a photo that wasn't meant for the cover
Era a mera contracara, a face obscura
It was just the reverse side, the dark face
O retrato da paúra quando o cara
The portrait of fear when the guy
Se prepara para dar a cara a tapa
Is getting ready to take the blow to the face
Contributed by Violet L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Poeta das Calçadas
O retrato do artista quando moço
Não é promissora, cândida pintura
É a figura do larápio rastaquera
Numa foto que não era para capa
Uma pose para câmera tão dura
Cujo foco toda lírica solapa
Era rala a luz naquele calabouço
Do talento, a clarabóia se tampara
E o poeta que ele sempre se soubera
Claramente não mirava algum futuro
Via o tira da sinistra que rosnara
E o fotógrafo frontal batendo a chapa
É uma foto que não era para a capa
Era a mera contracara, face obscura
O retrato da paúra quando o cara
Se prepara para dar a cara a tapa
É uma foto que não era para a capa
Era a mera contracara, face obscura
O retrato da paúra quando o cara
Se prepara para dar a cara a tapa
Poeta das Calçadas
❤️❤️❤️
Oded Fried-Gaon
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