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.
O Meu Guri
Chico Buarque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Não era o momento dele rebentar
Já foi nascendo com cara de fome
E eu não tinha nem nome pra lhe dar
Como fui levando, não sei lhe explicar
Fui assim levando ele a me levar
E na sua meninice ele um dia me disse
Que chegava lá
Olha aí
Olha aí
Olha aí, ai o meu guri, olha aí
Olha aí, é o meu guri
E ele chega
Chega suado e veloz do batente
E traz sempre um presente pra me encabular
Tanta corrente de ouro, seu moço
Que haja pescoço pra enfiar
Me trouxe uma bolsa já com tudo dentro
Chave, caderneta, terço e patuá
Um lenço e uma penca de documentos
Pra finalmente eu me identificar, olha aí
Olha aí, ai o meu guri, olha aí
Olha aí, é o meu guri
E ele chega
Chega no morro com o carregamento
Pulseira, cimento, relógio, pneu, gravador
Rezo até ele chegar cá no alto
Essa onda de assaltos tá um horror
Eu consolo ele, ele me consola
Boto ele no colo pra ele me ninar
De repente acordo, olho pro lado
E o danado já foi trabalhar, olha aí
Olha aí, ai o meu guri, olha aí
Olha aí, é o meu guri
E ele chega
Chega estampado, manchete, retrato
Com venda nos olhos, legenda e as iniciais
Eu não entendo essa gente, seu moço
Fazendo alvoroço demais
O guri no mato, acho que tá rindo
Acho que tá lindo de papo pro are
Desde o começo, eu não disse, seu moço
Ele disse que chegava lá
Olha aí, olha aí
Olha aí, ai o meu guri, olha aí
Olha aí, é o meu guri
The lyrics of Chico Buarque's song O Meu Guri tell the story of a mother's love for her son, who was born into poverty and struggled to make a living in the harsh realities of Brazilian society. The mother narrates the challenges she faced in raising her son, who from a young age, expressed his determination to succeed despite the odds.
The first verse informs us that the mother's son was born into a difficult situation, with no food and no name to give him. She struggled to provide for him, but somehow managed to raise him by taking him along with her wherever she went. As a child, the son tells his mother that he will one day succeed, looking forward to the future with optimism.
In the second verse, we see that the son has grown up and is now a hard-working man, bringing home gifts for his mother and supporting her. However, the mother is worried about the danger her son faces in his job, as there are many robberies happening in the area. Nevertheless, she continues to support him and comforts him when he needs it.
The final verse addresses the media's portrayal of her son, who has been caught up in a news story, perhaps as a suspect or victim of violence. The mother expresses her sadness and confusion at the sensationalist news reporting and laments the way society treats its marginalized members. She concludes with a sense of pride for her son, who she always knew would "make it".
Line by Line Meaning
Quando, seu moço, nasceu meu rebento
When my child was born, sir
Não era o momento dele rebentar
It wasn't the right time for him to be born
Já foi nascendo com cara de fome
He was born looking hungry
E eu não tinha nem nome pra lhe dar
And I didn't even have a name to give him
Como fui levando, não sei lhe explicar
I don't know how I managed to raise him
Fui assim levando ele a me levar
I took him along with me, as I went through life
E na sua meninice ele um dia me disse
And one day during his childhood, he told me
Que chegava lá
That he was going to make it big
Chega suado e veloz do batente
He arrives from work, sweaty and fast
E traz sempre um presente pra me encabular
And brings me a gift to make me feel puzzled
Tanta corrente de ouro, seu moço
So many gold chains, sir
Que haja pescoço pra enfiar
There's enough to fill one's neck
Me trouxe uma bolsa já com tudo dentro
He brought me a purse already filled with everything
Chave, caderneta, terço e patuá
Keys, notebook, rosary and talisman
Um lenço e uma penca de documentos
A handkerchief and a bundle of documents
Pra finalmente eu me identificar, olha aí
So that I can finally identify myself, look here
Chega no morro com o carregamento
He arrives in the slum with his cargo
Pulseira, cimento, relógio, pneu, gravador
Bracelets, cement, watch, tire, recorder
Rezo até ele chegar cá no alto
I pray for him until he gets all the way up here
Essa onda de assaltos tá um horror
This wave of robberies is terrifying
Eu consolo ele, ele me consola
I comfort him, he comforts me
Boto ele no colo pra ele me ninar
I hold him in my arms and lull him to sleep
De repente acordo, olho pro lado
Suddenly I wake up and look to the side
E o danado já foi trabalhar, olha aí
And he's already gone to work, look here
Chega estampado, manchete, retrato
He arrives plastered on newspapers, headlines, pictures
Com venda nos olhos, legenda e as iniciais
Blindfolded, with captions and initials
Eu não entendo essa gente, seu moço
I don't understand these people, sir
Fazendo alvoroço demais
Making too much fuss
O guri no mato, acho que tá rindo
The boy is in the bush, I think he's laughing
Acho que tá lindo de papo pro ar
I think he's loving it, just chatting away
Desde o começo, eu não disse, seu moço
From the beginning, I told you, sir
Ele disse que chegava lá
He said he was going to make it big
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Francisco Buarque De Hollanda
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind