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.

Bom Conselho
Chico Buarque Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ouça um bom conselho
Que eu lhe dou de graça
Inútil dormir que a dor não passa
Espere sentado
Ou você se cansa
Está provado, quem espera nunca alcança

Venha, meu amigo

Deixe esse regaço
Brinque com meu fogo
Venha se queimar
Faça como eu digo
Faça como eu faço
Aja duas vezes antes de pensar

Corro atrás do tempo
Vim de não sei onde
Devagar é que não se vai longe
Eu semeio o vento

Na minha cidade
Vou pra rua e bebo a tempestade

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Chico Buarque's song "Bom conselho" offer a significant piece of advice: waiting for pain to disappear is pointless. The opening line of the song, "Ouça um bom conselho que eu lhe dou de graça" (Listen to some good advice that I give you for free), signals the beginning of the message that is delivered throughout the song. The idea of waiting in vain is further highlighted in the line "Inútil dormir que a dor não passa" (It's useless to sleep since the pain won't go away). Waiting for something without taking any action will only lead to exhaustion, as pointed out in "Espere sentado ou você se cansa" (Wait sitting down or you'll get tired). Finally, the message reaches its climax in the concluding line, "Está provado, quem espera nunca alcança" (It's proven, those who wait never achieve).

The rest of the song involves the singer inviting a friend to take risks and live life without fear. The phrase "Deixe esse regaço" (Leave that lap) suggests that the friend is perhaps too comfortable or settled in their routine. The line "Venha se queimar" (Come and burn yourself), invites the friend to experience something new and potentially dangerous, implying that growth happens outside of one's comfort zone. The repeated phrase "Faça como eu digo, faça como eu faço" (Do as I say, do as I do) further emphasizes the idea of leading by example and taking action.

Overall, Chico Buarque's "Bom conselho" is a song about the importance of taking action and not waiting for things to magically change on their own. The message is reiterated through the song's structure, placing the advice at the beginning and the end of the song, with the middle part inviting the listener to take risks.

Line by Line Meaning

Ouça um bom conselho
Listen to a good advice

Que eu lhe dou de graça
That I give freely to you

Inútil dormir que a dor não passa
It's useless to sleep, the pain won't go away

Espere sentado
Wait sitting down

Ou você se cansa
Or you'll get tired

Está provado, quem espera nunca alcança
It's proven, those who wait never achieve

Venha, meu amigo
Come, my friend

Deixe esse regaço
Leave that comfort

Brinque com meu fogo
Play with my fire

Venha se queimar
Come get burned

Faça como eu digo
Do as I say