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.
Minha Historia
Chico Buarque Lyrics
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Eu só sei que falava e cheirava e gostava de mar
Sei que tinha tatuagem no braço e dourado no dente
E minha mãe se entregou a esse homem perdidamente
Laiá laiá laiá laiá
Ele assim como veio partiu não se sabe pra onde
Esperando, parada, pregada na pedra do porto
Com seu único velho vestido cada dia mais curto
Laiá laiá laiá laiá
Quando enfim eu nasci minha mãe embrulhou-me num manto
Me vestiu como se eu fosse assim uma espécie de santo
Mas por não se lembrar de acalantos, a pobre mulher
Me ninava cantando cantigas de cabaré
Laiá laiá laiá laiá
Minha mãe não tardou a alertar toda a vizinhança
A mostrar que ali estava bem mais que uma simples criança
E não sei bem se por ironia ou se por amor
Resolveu me chamar com o nome do Nosso Senhor
Laiá laiá laiá laiá
Minha história é esse nome que ainda hoje carrego comigo
Quando vou bar em bar, viro a mesa, berro, bebo e brigo
Os ladrões e as amantes, meus colegas de copo e de cruz
Me conhecem só pelo meu nome de Menino Jesus
Laiá laiá
Os ladrões e as amantes, meus colegas de copo e de cruz (laiá laiá)
Me conhecem só pelo meu nome de Menino Jesus
Laiá laiá laiá laiá
The lyrics to Chico Buarque's song "Minha história" tells the story of a woman who falls for a mysterious man who speaks little and smells like the sea. Despite not knowing much about him, the woman falls deeply in love with him and he disappears without a trace. She is left waiting for him by the pier, with her only dress getting shorter and her heart growing heavy. Eventually, she gives birth to a son, whom she names after Jesus due to her love for him. The son grows up with a reputation for being a fighter and a drinker, and is known as "Menino Jesus" (Little Jesus).
The song touches on themes of love, longing, and loss, as well as the cycle of life and the choices that individuals make in the course of their lives. The mother's love for the man is so strong that she names her son after the ultimate symbol of love and sacrifice, indicating the depth of her feelings. However, the son grows up to be a different person than what his mother may have expected, as he becomes known for his drinking and fighting, possibly as a way to deal with the pain and loneliness caused by his father's absence.
Overall, "Minha história" is a poignant and emotional story about the choices we make and the impact they have on our lives and those around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Ele vinha sem muita conversa, sem muito explicar
He came without much talk, without much explanation
Eu só sei que falava e cheirava e gostava de mar
All I know is that he talked, smelled, and loved the sea
Sei que tinha tatuagem no braço e dourado no dente
I know he had a tattoo on his arm and gold in his tooth
E minha mãe se entregou a esse homem perdidamente
And my mother gave herself up to that man lost in love
Ele assim como veio partiu não se sabe pra onde
He left just as he came, nobody knows where
E deixou minha mãe com o olhar cada dia mais longe
And left my mother with a distant look in her eye
Esperando, parada, pregada na pedra do porto
Waiting, standing, nailed to the rock of the port
Com seu único velho vestido cada dia mais curto
With her only old dress getting shorter every day
Quando enfim eu nasci minha mãe embrulhou-me num manto
When I was finally born, my mother wrapped me in a blanket
Me vestiu como se eu fosse assim uma espécie de santo
She dressed me as if I was a kind of saint
Mas por não se lembrar de acalantos, a pobre mulher
But for not remembering lullabies, the poor woman
Me ninava cantando cantigas de cabaré
Rocked me to sleep singing songs from a brothel
Minha mãe não tardou a alertar toda a vizinhança
My mother soon warned the whole neighborhood
A mostrar que ali estava bem mais que uma simples criança
Showing that there was much more than just a simple child there
E não sei bem se por ironia ou se por amor
And I'm not sure if it was irony or love
Resolveu me chamar com o nome do Nosso Senhor
She decided to name me after Our Lord
Minha história é esse nome que ainda hoje carrego comigo
My history is the name that I still carry with me today
Quando vou bar em bar, viro a mesa, berro, bebo e brigo
When I go from bar to bar, I tip tables, shout, drink, and fight
Os ladrões e as amantes, meus colegas de copo e de cruz
Thieves and lovers, my drinking and cross companion
Me conhecem só pelo meu nome de Menino Jesus
They only know me by my name of Little Jesus
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Francisco Buarque De Hollanda
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind