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.
Cuidado Com A Outra
Chico Buarque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mais uma vez pode entrar
É Dia das Mães
Eu resolvi lhe perdoar
Vou abrir a porta
Mais uma vez pode entrar
É Dia das Mães
Eu resolvi lhe perdoar
Deus me deu essa bondade
Vou abrir a porta pra você entrar
Mas não demore
Que a outra pode lhe encontrar
The lyrics to Chico Buarque's song "Cuidado Com A Outra" tells a story of a woman who has been hurt by a man in the past but has decided to forgive him. She extends an invitation to him to enter her life again, acknowledging the Divine teachings of practicing kindness and forgiveness. However, there's a warning attached to this forgiving gesture: the woman reminds the man not to linger too long because "the other one" may find him.
The lyrics imply that the man in question is a player or someone who has cheated on her before. The woman's willingness to forgive and move on is admirable, but her caution is understandable. She is not willing to get hurt again, and the warning to the man is precise—she is not the only one in his life.
This song talks about the themes of forgiveness, compassion, and second chances, all while highlighting the complex nature of relationships between men and women.
Line by Line Meaning
Vou abrir a porta
I am willing to allow you back into my life
Mais uma vez pode entrar
You have hurt me before, but I am willing to give you another chance
É Dia das Mães
Today is a special day, and I am choosing to be forgiving
Eu resolvi lhe perdoar
I have made a conscious choice to forgive you
Deus me ensinou praticar o bem
My faith has taught me to be kind to others
Deus me deu essa bondade
It is by the grace of God that I am choosing to forgive
Vou abrir a porta pra você entrar
I am giving you the opportunity to come back into my life
Mas não demore
Do not take too long to make amends
Que a outra pode lhe encontrar
I am warning you that if you wait too long, someone else may come into my life instead
Contributed by Jeremiah Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.