Francisco Buarque de Hollanda, better know as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian… Read Full Bio ↴Francisco Buarque de Hollanda, better know as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic and cultural reflections on Brazil.

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.

Até O Fim
Chico Buarque Lyrics

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Quando nasci veio um anjo safado
O chato dumb querubim
E decretou que eu tava predestinado
A ser errado assim
Já de saída a minha estrada entortou
Mas vou até o fim

Inda garoto deixei de ir à escola

Cassaram meu boletim
Não sou ladrão, eu não sou bom de bola
Nem posso ouvir clarim
Um bom futuro é o que jamais me esperou
Mas vou até o fim

Eu bem que tenho ensaiado um progresso
Virei cantor de festim
Mamãe contou que eu faço um bruto sucesso
Em Quixeramobim
Não sei como o maracatu começou
Mas vou até o fim

Por conta de umas questões paralelas
Quebraram meu bandolim
Não querem mais ouvir as minhas mazelas
E a minha voz chinfrim
Criei barriga, minha mula empacou
Mas vou até o fim

Não tem cigarro, acabou minha renda
Deu praga no meu capim
Minha mulher fugiu com o dono da venda
O que será de mim?
Eu já nem lembro pronde mesmo que vou
Mas vou até o fim

Como já disse era um anjo safado
O chato dumb querubim
Que decretou que eu tava predestinado
A ser todo ruim

Já de saída a minha estrada entortou
Mas vou até o fim

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Até O Fim" by Chico Buarque are about someone who feels they were predestined to live a difficult life. From the moment they were born, an "angel" declared that they were meant to be "wrong" and that their path would be crooked. Despite this prediction, the singer declares their determination to persevere until the end. The rest of the song consists of various setbacks and struggles that the singer has faced throughout their life – from dropping out of school to losing their instrument to their wife leaving them. Despite these hardships, the singer remains steadfast in their commitment to keep going until the very end.

While the lyrics of "Até O Fim" are straightforward, they are also incredibly poignant. The song speaks to the human experience of facing adversity and the courage it takes to keep pushing forward, even when the odds seem insurmountable. The singer's determination to keep going is both inspiring and heartbreaking, as it speaks to the universal struggle of living a life filled with hardships and disappointments.

Overall, "Até O Fim" is a powerful meditation on the human condition and the resilience of the human spirit. It is a reminder that, no matter what life throws our way, we have the strength to keep going until the very end.

Line by Line Meaning

Quando nasci veio um anjo safado
When I was born, a mischievous angel came

O chato dumb querubim
An annoying and stupid cherub

E decretou que eu tava predestinado
Declared that I was predestined

A ser errado assim
To be so wrong in life

Já de saída a minha estrada entortou
Right from the start, my path was crooked