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 que ser
Chico Buarque Lyrics
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Que andam suspirando
Pelas alcovas?
Que andam sussurrando
Em versos e trovas?
Que andam combinando
No breu das tocas?
Que anda nas cabeças,
Que andam acendendo
Velas nos becos?
Estão falando alto
Pelos botecos
E gritam nos mercados
Que com certeza
Está na natureza
Será, que será?
O que não tem certeza
Nem nunca terá!
O que não tem conserto
Nem nunca terá!
O que não tem tamanho
O que será que Será?
Que vive nas idéias
Desses amantes
Que cantam os poetas
Mais delirantes
Que juram os profetas
Embriagados
Está na romaria
Dos mutilados
Está nas fantasias
Dos infelizes
Está no dia a dia
Das meretrizes
No plano dos bandidos
Dos desvalidos
Em todos os sentidos
Será? Que será?
O que não tem decência
Nem nunca terá!
O que não tem censura
Nem nunca terá!
O que não faz sentido
O que será? Que será?
Que todos os avisos
Não vão evitar
Porque todos os risos
Vão desafiar
Porque todos os sinos
Irão repicar
Porque todos os hinos
Irão consagrar
E todos os meninos
Vão desembestar
E todos os destinos
Irão se encontrar
E mesmo padre eterno
Que nunca foi lá
Olhando aquele inferno
Vai abençoar!
O que não tem governo
Nem nunca terá!
O que não tem vergonha
Nem nunca terá!
O que não tem juízo
O que não tem juízo
The song "O que será que será" by Chico Buarque is a contemplative and philosophically charged piece that explores the existential questions that surround us all. The lyrics pose a series of enigmatic questions about the nature of life and its mysteries, hinting at the power and complexity of the forces that drive our existence. The song is characterized by a haunting and melodic tone, and it is sung in a melancholic and introspective style that suggests a deep sense of longing and yearning for answers.
The first verse asks what everyone is whispering and sighing about behind closed doors, what secrets they're sharing in their shady corners, and what they're plotting in the dark. The second verse then reveals that these deep and mystical thoughts also live in the minds of lovers, poets, visionaries, outcasts, and criminals. The refrain "será, que será?" ("what will be, will be?") reinforces the notion that no one truly knows the answer to these profound questions, and that we must all embrace life's uncertainties and mysteries.
Line by Line Meaning
O que será que será
What could it be?
Que andam suspirando Pelas alcovas?
What are they sighing about in their bedrooms?
Que andam sussurrando Em versos e trovas?
What are they whispering about in verses and troubadour poetry?
Que andam combinando No breu das tocas?
What are they plotting in the darkness of their lairs?
Que anda nas cabeças, Anda nas bocas?
What is on people's minds and lips?
Que andam acendendo Velas nos becos?
Why are they lighting candles in the alleys?
Estão falando alto Pelos botecos E gritam nos mercados Que com certeza Está na natureza
They are loudly talking in bars and shouting in markets that it's definitely in nature
Será, que será?
What could it be?
O que não tem certeza Nem nunca terá!
What is uncertain and always will be
O que não tem conserto Nem nunca terá!
What is broken beyond repair and always will be
O que não tem tamanho
What is immeasurable
Que vive nas ideias Desses amantes
That lives in the mind of lovers
Que cantam os poetas Mais delirantes
That poets, in their wildest dreams, sing of
Que juram os profetas Embriagados
That intoxicated prophets swear by
Está na romaria Dos mutilados
It is in the pilgrimage of the mutilated
Está nas fantasias Dos infelizes
It is in the fantasies of the unhappy
Está no dia a dia Das meretrizes
It is in the daily life of prostitutes
No plano dos bandidos Dos desvalidos Em todos os sentidos
In the realm of criminals and the destitute, in all possible ways
Será? Que será?
What could it be?
O que não tem decência Nem nunca terá!
What lacks decency and always will
O que não tem censura Nem nunca terá!
What cannot be censored and never will be
O que não faz sentido
What doesn't make sense
Que todos os avisos Não vão evitar
That no warning will prevent
Porque todos os risos Vão desafiar Porque todos os sinos Irão repicar Porque todos os hinos Irão consagrar E todos os meninos Vão desembestar E todos os destinos Irão se encontrar
Because all laughter will challenge it, all bells will ring for it, all hymns will exalt it, all children will go wild for it, and all destinies will converge to it
E mesmo padre eterno Que nunca foi lá Olhando aquele inferno Vai abençoar!
Even the eternal father who has never been there will bless that hellish situation
O que não tem governo Nem nunca terá! O que não tem vergonha Nem nunca terá! O que não tem juízo O que não tem juízo
What is ungovernable and always will be, what is shameless and always will be, what is lacking in good sense
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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