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.
Desalento
Chico Buarque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Diz assim
Que eu chorei
Que eu morri
De arrependimento
Que o meu desalento
Já não tem mais fim
Vai e diz
Diz assim
Como sou
Infeliz
No meu descaminho
Diz que estou sozinho
E sem saber de mim
Diz que eu estive por pouco
Diz a ela que estou louco
Pra perdoar
Que seja lá como for
Por amor
Por favor
É pra ela voltar, sim
Sim, vai e diz
Diz assim
Que eu rodei
Que eu bebi
Que eu caí
Que eu não sei
Que eu só sei
Que cansei, enfim
Dos meus desencontros
Corre e diz a ela
Que eu entrego os pontos
La la laiá
La laiá
La laiá
La laiá laiá la la laiá
La la laiá
La laiá
La laiá, la laiá
In Chico Buarque's song Desalento, the singer asks a friend to speak to his lover on his behalf. The lyrics are a desperate plea to be forgiven for his wrongdoings and are filled with regret and sorrow. The first verse asks the friend to tell the lover that the singer cried and died of remorse, that his dejection is endless, and he is miserable in his misguided path. The second verse says that the singer was close to success, but now he is insane with longing for forgiveness. The chorus says, "Yes, go and tell her that I roamed, that I drank, that I fell. That I do not know anything, that I only know that I am tired, finally, of my failed attempts. Run and tell her that I have given up."
The song's lyrics are a powerful expression of despair and the feeling of being lost. The singer's words are heavy with self-loathing and the regret of wasted opportunities. The chorus is sung in a repeating melody with a mournful tone, underscoring the story's sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
Sim, vai e diz
The singer is asking someone to go and tell something to his lover.
Diz assim
The singer is giving instructions on how to deliver the message.
Que eu chorei
The singer wants his lover to know that he has cried.
Que eu morri
The artist wants his lover to know that he has suffered greatly.
De arrependimento
The artist wants his lover to know that he regrets something.
Que o meu desalento
The singer wants his lover to know that he is feeling discouraged and sad.
Já não tem mais fim
The singer wants his lover to know that his sadness seems never-ending.
Como sou
The artist is asking the messenger to describe him to his lover.
Infeliz
The artist wants his lover to know that he is unhappy.
No meu descaminho
The artist wants his lover to know that he feels lost and confused.
Diz que estou sozinho
The singer wants his lover to know that he feels lonely.
E sem saber de mim
The artist wants his lover to know that he doesn't know what to do or how to act anymore.
Diz que eu estive por pouco
The singer wants his lover to know that he was close to losing her.
Diz a ela que estou louco
The singer wants his lover to know that he is crazy and desperate for her to come back.
Pra perdoar
The singer wants his lover to know that he is willing to forgive whatever she may have done.
Que seja lá como for
The artist wants his lover to know that no matter what, he will still love her.
Por amor
The artist wants his lover to know that his feelings for her are genuine and pure.
Por favor
The singer is pleading with his lover to come back to him.
É pra ela voltar, sim
The singer is emphasizing that he wants his lover to come back to him.
Que eu rodei
The artist wants his lover to know that he has searched and wandered around.
Que eu bebi
The artist wants his lover to know that he has turned to alcohol to cope with his pain.
Que eu caí
The artist wants his lover to know that he has hit rock-bottom.
Que eu não sei
The singer wants his lover to know that he is lost and confused.
Que eu só sei
The artist wants his lover to know that he only knows one thing: he is tired of suffering.
Que cansei, enfim
The singer wants his lover to know that he is tired and can't take it anymore.
Dos meus desencontros
The singer wants his lover to know that he has experienced many disappointments and misunderstandings.
Corre e diz a ela
The singer wants the messenger to hurry and deliver the message to his lover.
Que eu entrego os pontos
The artist wants his lover to know that he surrenders to his feelings and desires to be with her.
La la laiá
The artist may be humming or singing in between the verses.
La laiá laiá la la laiá
The singer may still be humming or singing in between the verses.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Vinicius De Moraes, Francisco Buarque de Hollanda
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind