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 Pensei
Chico Buarque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que um muro alto proibia
Lá todo balão caía
Toda maçã nascia
E o dono do bosque nem via
do lado de lá tanta aventura
E eu a espreitar na noite escura
A felicidade morava tão vizinha
Que, de tolo
Até pensei que fosse minha
Junto a mim morava a minha amada
Com olhos claros como o dia
Lá o meu olhar vivia
De sonho e fantasia
A dona dos olhos nem via
Do lado de lá tanta aventura
E eu a esperar pela ternura
Que enganar nunca me vinha
Eu andava pobre
Tão pobre de carinho
Que, de tolo
Até pensei que fosses minha
Toda a dor da vida
Me ensinou essa modinha
Que, de tolo
Até pensei que fosse minha
Chico Buarque's song "Até pensei" tells the story of a young boy who lived near a forest that was forbidden by a high wall. Despite not being able to enter the forest, the boy was still amazed by the adventures that were happening in the other side of the wall, and he would often play a simple melody on his guitar while imagining what was going on. The boy also had a crush on a girl who lived near him, but she seemed not to notice him. He imagined a life together with her and thought that the happiness he was looking for was just a stone's throw away.
The lyrics of "Até pensei" deliver a poignant message about the dreams of youth and the importance of cherishing the little things in life. The boy's longing for adventure and love are cleverly intertwined with the metaphor of the forbidden forest, which represents the mysteries and wonders of life that are sometimes beyond our reach. The refrain "de tolo até pensei que fosse minha" ("I was such a fool, I thought it was mine") shows the wisdom that comes with growing up and realizing that some things are just out of our grasp.
Line by Line Meaning
Junto à minha rua havia um bosque
There was a forest near my street
Que um muro alto proibia
But a high wall prevented me from entering it
Lá todo balão caía
All the balloons fell there
Toda maçã nascia
And all the apples grew there
E o dono do bosque nem via
The owner of the forest didn't even notice
do lado de lá tanta aventura
On the other side there was so much adventure
E eu a espreitar na noite escura
And I was peeking in the dark night
A dedilhar essa modinha
Playing this tune on my guitar
A felicidade morava tão vizinha
Happiness lived so close
Que, de tolo
That foolishly
Até pensei que fosse minha
I even thought it was mine
Junto a mim morava a minha amada
My beloved lived beside me
Com olhos claros como o dia
With eyes as clear as day
Lá o meu olhar vivia
My gaze lived there
De sonho e fantasia
Full of dreams and fantasies
A dona dos olhos nem via
But the owner of those eyes didn't see
Eu a esperar pela ternura
Waiting for tenderness
Que enganar nunca me vinha
That never came to deceive me
Eu andava pobre
I was poor
Tão pobre de carinho
So poor in terms of affection
Toda a dor da vida
All the pain of life
Me ensinou essa modinha
Taught me this tune
Que, de tolo
That foolishly
Até pensei que fosse minha
I even thought it was mine
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Fafa Fly
Junto à minha rua havia um bosque
Que um muro alto proibia
Lá todo balão caía, toda maçã nascia
E o dono do bosque nem via
Do lado de lá, tanta aventura
E eu a espreitar
Na noite escura a dedilhar essa modinha
A felicidade morava tão vizinha
Que, de tolo, até pensei que fosse minha
Junto a mim morava a minha amada
Com olhos claros como o dia
Lá o meu olhar vivia
De sonho e fantasia
E a dona dos olhos nem via
Do lado de lá, tanta aventura
E eu a esperar pela ternura
Que a enganar nunca me vinha
Eu andava pobre, tão pobre de carinho
Que, de tolo, até pensei que fosses minha
Toda a dor da vida, me ensinou essa modinha
Que, de tolo, até pensei que fosse minha
Compositores: Chico Buarque
Magda Lucena
Tudo que ele compôs é sublime. Amo-o !!!!
Renan II de Pinheiro e Pereira
Detalhe: esse foi um dos primeiros sucessos dele.
Maria Clara Clara
A voz dele é tão...🦋🦋🦋
Macabea
Meu Deus, como é possível tanta emoção?
Kenna Vilanova
Que maravilha essas postagens das canções do infalível Chico Buarque de Holanda! Muito grato!
Carlinhos Barreiros
VIVA CHICO !!! SEMPRE !!! GENIAL como é de seu costume -
Fafa Fly
Junto à minha rua havia um bosque
Que um muro alto proibia
Lá todo balão caía, toda maçã nascia
E o dono do bosque nem via
Do lado de lá, tanta aventura
E eu a espreitar
Na noite escura a dedilhar essa modinha
A felicidade morava tão vizinha
Que, de tolo, até pensei que fosse minha
Junto a mim morava a minha amada
Com olhos claros como o dia
Lá o meu olhar vivia
De sonho e fantasia
E a dona dos olhos nem via
Do lado de lá, tanta aventura
E eu a esperar pela ternura
Que a enganar nunca me vinha
Eu andava pobre, tão pobre de carinho
Que, de tolo, até pensei que fosses minha
Toda a dor da vida, me ensinou essa modinha
Que, de tolo, até pensei que fosse minha
Compositores: Chico Buarque
Ana Claudia
Lindas: letra, melodia, arranjo e essa voz macia do nosso querido Chico!
Alex Sobreira
Linda composição, lindo arranjo... sublime....
Valquiria Eititus Xavier
Imagina! Eu tinha 12 anos em 1968. Hoje depois de tanto tempo, vejo a beleza de tudo: arranjo, letra, voz suave...tudo...sempre linda!!!