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.
Funeral De Um Lavrador
Chico Buarque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Com palmos medida
É a conta menor
Que tiraste em vida
É de bom tamanho
Nem largo nem fundo
É a parte que te cabe
Não é cova grande
É cova medida
É a terra que querias
Ver dividida
É uma cova grande
Para teu pouco defunto
Mas estarás mais ancho
Que estava no mundo
É uma cova grande
Pra teu defunto parco
Porém mais que no mundo
Te sentirás largo
É uma cova grande
Pra tua carne pouca
Mas terra dada
Não se abre a boca.
É a conta menor que tiraste em vida
É a parte que te cabe
Deste latifúndio
É a terra que querias ver dividida
Estarás mais ancho que estava no mundo
Mas a terra dada
Não se abre a boca
The song Funeral De Um Lavrador by Chico Buarque is a poignant reflection on life and death, told through the lens of a funeral for a peasant. The opening lines of the song describe the grave in which the peasant is buried, using the imagery of palm measurements to emphasize the smallness of the grave. The song then goes on to describe the size of the grave in relation to the peasant's life, highlighting the fact that it is just the right size for the peasant's needs. The song explores the idea that death is not an end but a continuation of life, with the peasant feeling more at home in the grave than they did when they were alive.
The song is a powerful commentary on the realities of life and death in rural Brazil. It highlights the struggles that many people face in trying to eke out a living from the land, while also celebrating the resilience and strength of those who do so. The image of the cova (grave) is used as a metaphor for life, emphasizing the idea that we are all ultimately headed for the same fate. The song is a reminder that, no matter how difficult and challenging life may be, there is always something to be grateful for in the end.
Line by Line Meaning
Esta cova em que estás
This grave in which you lie
Com palmos medida
Measures exactly your size
É a conta menor
It's the least amount you have taken in life
Que tiraste em vida
It's the smallest part you owned while alive
É de bom tamanho
It's just the right size
Nem largo nem fundo
It's neither too wide nor too deep
É a parte que te cabe
It's the part that belongs to you
Deste latifúndio
Of this vast land
Não é cova grande
It's not a large grave
É cova medida
It's a measured grave
É a terra que querias
It's the land you wanted
Ver dividida
To be divided among many
É uma cova grande
It's a large grave
Para teu pouco defunto
For your small corpse
Mas estarás mais ancho
But you'll be more relaxed
Que estava no mundo
Than when you were alive
É uma cova grande
It's a large grave
Pra teu defunto parco
For your modest remains
Porém mais que no mundo
Yet you'll feel larger than in the world
Te sentirás largo
You'll feel more spacious
É uma cova grande
It's a large grave
Pra tua carne pouca
For your meager flesh
Mas terra dada
But once the land is granted
Não se abre a boca.
It doesn't speak a word.
Contributed by Addison J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.