Francisco Buarque de Hollanda, better know as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian… Read Full Bio ↴Francisco Buarque de Hollanda, better know as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic and cultural reflections on Brazil.

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.

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Olha Maria
Chico Buarque Lyrics

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Olha, Maria
Eu bem te queria
Fazer uma presa
Da minha poesia
Mas hoje, Maria
Pra minha surpresa
Pra minha tristeza
Precisas partir

Parte, Maria
Que estás tão bonita
Que estás tão aflita
Pra me abandonar
Sinto, Maria
Que estás de visita
Teu corpo se agita
Querendo dançar

Parte, Maria
Que estás toda nua
Que a lua te chama
Que estás tão mulher
Arde, Maria
Na chama da lua
Maria cigana
Maria maré

Parte cantando
Maria fugindo
Contra a ventania
Brincando, dormindo
Num colo de serra
Num campo vazio
Num leito de rio
Nos braços do mar

Vai, alegria
Que a vida, Maria
Não passa de um dia
Não vou te prender
Corre, Maria
Que a vida não espera
É uma primavera
Não podes perder

Anda, Maria
Pois eu só teria
A minha agonia
Pra te oferecer

Overall Meaning

The song "Olha Maria" is a sad farewell letter to a woman named Maria, who the singer admits he had hoped to capture in his poetry but alas, she must depart. The first verse shows the singer's initial desire to capture Maria in his verse but he now faces the sad reality that she must leave. The second verse tells Maria to leave because she is too beautiful to be kept, and the singer senses that she is eager to go-her body is trembling in anticipation, and she wants to dance. The third verse urges Maria to go because the moon beckons her, and she is a free-spirited woman who can't be contained. The chorus insists that Maria go leave, go sing, go dance and have fun, because life is fleeting and full of joy.

The lyrics in "Olha Maria" draw from samba, a Brazilian musical form that emerged in the early 20th century. Many of the lyrics in samba focused on urban life and romantic relationships, with a strong emphasis on the rhythm of the music, which featured a driving, syncopated beat. Chico Buarque was one of the most successful samba songwriters of the 1960s and 70s, with many of his songs addressing social and political issues in Brazil during that period.

Line by Line Meaning

Olha, Maria
Hey, Maria

Eu bem te queria
I really wanted you

Fazer uma presa
To capture you

Da minha poesia
With my poetry

Mas hoje, Maria
But today, Maria

Pra minha surpresa
To my surprise

Pra minha tristeza
To my sadness

Precisas partir
You need to leave

Parte, Maria
Go, Maria

Que estás tão bonita
You look so beautiful

Que estás tão aflita
You seem so distressed