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.
Eu te amo
Chico Buarque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Se juntos já jogamos tudo fora
Me conta agora como hei de partir
Se, ao te conhecer, dei pra sonhar, fiz tantos desvarios
Rompi com o mundo, queimei meus navios
Me diz pra onde é que inda posso ir
Se nós, nas travessuras das noites eternas
Já confundimos tanto as nossas pernas
Se entornaste a nossa sorte pelo chão
Se na bagunça do teu coração
Meu sangue errou de veia e se perdeu
Como, se na desordem do armário embutido
Meu paletó enlaça o teu vestido
E o meu sapato inda pisa no teu
Como, se nos amamos feito dois pagãos
Teus seios inda estão nas minhas mãos
Me explica com que cara eu vou sair
Não, acho que estás te fazendo de tonta
Te dei meus olhos pra tomares conta
Agora conta como hei de partir
André Velloso - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The lyrics of Chico Buarque's song Eu te amo explore the complex emotions and struggles of leaving a relationship that has had a significant impact on one's life. The singer is torn between wanting to move on from the relationship and feeling unable to do so because of the sheer intensity of his love for his partner. He is haunted by memories of their past together and feels lost and unsure of where to go without them.
The opening lines reveal the singer's state of confusion and disorientation, as he realizes that he has lost track of time and has already thrown everything away with his partner. He then asks how he can leave, having fallen in love with them and having made so many impulsive decisions based on his love for them. He feels like he has burned his bridges and has nowhere else to turn. The singer then reminisces about their past together, talking about how they have confused themselves and become intertwined with each other. He wonders how he can possibly leave when his partner has spilled their shared destiny on the ground, causing him to lose his own sense of direction.
The song ends with the singer expressing his frustration and confusion, as he feels that he has given his partner everything and yet still cannot find a way to leave. He tells his partner that he has entrusted his eyes to them and implores them to help him figure out how to move on. These lyrics paint a vivid picture of a relationship that has become all-consuming, and the difficulties that come with trying to leave it behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah, se já perdemos a noção da hora
Oh, if we have already lost track of time
Se juntos já jogamos tudo fora
If together we have already thrown everything away
Me conta agora como hei de partir
Tell me now how I am supposed to leave
Se, ao te conhecer, dei pra sonhar, fiz tantos desvarios
If, upon meeting you, I started dreaming, creating so many delusions
Rompi com o mundo, queimei meus navios
I broke with the world, burned my ships
Me diz pra onde é que inda posso ir
Tell me where I can still go
Se nós, nas travessuras das noites eternas
If we, in the mischief of eternal nights
Já confundimos tanto as nossas pernas
Have already confused our legs so much
Diz com que pernas eu devo seguir
Tell me with which legs I should continue
Se entornaste a nossa sorte pelo chão
If you spilled our luck on the ground
Se na bagunça do teu coração
If in the mess of your heart
Meu sangue errou de veia e se perdeu
My blood went to the wrong vein and got lost
Como, se na desordem do armário embutido
How, if in the disorder of the built-in closet
Meu paletó enlaça o teu vestido
My jacket is tangled with your dress
E o meu sapato inda pisa no teu
And my shoe still steps on yours
Como, se nos amamos feito dois pagãos
How, if we loved each other like two pagans
Teus seios inda estão nas minhas mãos
Your breasts are still in my hands
Me explica com que cara eu vou sair
Explain to me how I am supposed to leave with what face
Não, acho que estás te fazendo de tonta
No, I think you're pretending to be foolish
Te dei meus olhos pra tomares conta
I gave you my eyes to take care of
Agora conta como hei de partir
Now tell me how I am supposed to leave
Lyrics © CORCOVADO MUSIC CORPORATION
Written by: ANTONIO CARLOS A/K/A CHICO BUARQUE JOBIM,, FRANCISO BUARQUE DE HOLLANDA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind