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.
Paratodos
Chico Buarque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Meu avô, pernambucano
O meu bisavô, mineiro
Meu tataravô, baiano
Meu maestro soberano
Foi Antonio Brasileiro
Foi Antonio Brasileiro
Que cobri de redondilhas
Pra seguir minha jornada
E com a vista enevoada
Ver o inferno e maravilhas
Nessas tortuosas trilhas
A viola me redime
Creia, ilustre cavalheiro
Contra fel, moléstia, crime
Use Dorival Caymmi
Vá de Jackson do Pandeiro
Vi cidades, vi dinheiro
Bandoleiros, vi hospícios
Moças feito passarinho
Avoando de edifícios
Fume Ari, cheire Vinícius
Beba Nelson Cavaquinho
Para um coração mesquinho
Contra a solidão agreste
Luiz Gonzaga é tiro certo
Pixinguinha é inconteste
Tome Noel, Cartola, Orestes
Caetano e João Gilberto
Viva Erasmo, Ben, Roberto
Gil e Hermeto, palmas para
Todos os instrumentistas
Salve Edu, Bituca, Nara
Gal, Bethania, Rita, Clara
Evoé, jovens à vista
O meu pai era paulista
Meu avô, pernambucano
O meu bisavô, mineiro
Meu tataravô, baiano
Vou na estrada há muitos anos
Sou um artista brasileiro
Chico Buarque's song "Paratodos" is a celebration of Brazil's rich cultural heritage and its diverse musical influences. The song opens with the singer's family history and lineage, which encompasses several regions of Brazil, paying homage to his forefathers who were from São Paulo, Pernambuco, Minas Gerais, and Bahia. The first verse highlights the cosmopolitan nature of his family and how their different backgrounds have come together to create the singer's identity.
The second verse mentions Antonio Brasileiro, who is described as the maestro soberano (sovereign maestro) who inspired the singer to pursue his artistic journey. The singer acknowledges that Brasileiro is the one who breathed life into the tune that he has covered with redondilhas (a type of lyrical metric form in Portuguese poetry). This tune has been instrumental in helping him navigate the winding roads of life and to see both the beauty and the ugliness of the world.
The rest of the song's lyrics offer a kind of musical travelogue of Brazil, with references to its cities, people, and musical icons. The singer emphasizes that music has been his savior throughout his journey, a sentiment that is underscored by the references to the different musicians he invokes as examples of what music can do for the soul. The song's concluding line, "Sou um artista brasileiro" (I am a Brazilian artist), affirms the singer's pride in his heritage and his identity as an artist who is deeply connected to his country's culture.
Line by Line Meaning
O meu pai era paulista
My father was from São Paulo
Meu avô, pernambucano
My grandfather was from Pernambuco
O meu bisavô, mineiro
My great grandfather was from Minas Gerais
Meu tataravô, baiano
My great-great grandfather was from Bahia
Meu maestro soberano
My sovereign maestro
Foi Antonio Brasileiro
It was Antonio Brasileiro
Quem soprou esta toada
Who blew this tune
Que cobri de redondilhas
That I covered with rhymed verses
Pra seguir minha jornada
To follow my journey
E com a vista enevoada
And with the hazy sight
Ver o inferno e maravilhas
To see the hell and wonders
Nessas tortuosas trilhas
In these tortuous paths
A viola me redime
The viola redeems me
Creia, ilustre cavalheiro
Believe, illustrious gentleman
Contra fel, moléstia, crime
Against bitterness, disease, and crime
Use Dorival Caymmi
Use Dorival Caymmi
Vá de Jackson do Pandeiro
Go for Jackson do Pandeiro
Vi cidades, vi dinheiro
I saw cities, I saw money
Bandoleiros, vi hospícios
Bandits, I saw asylums
Moças feito passarinho
Girls like little birds
Avoando de edifícios
Flying from buildings
Fume Ari, cheire Vinícius
Smoke Ari, smell Vinícius
Beba Nelson Cavaquinho
Drink Nelson Cavaquinho
Para um coração mesquinho
For a petty heart
Contra a solidão agreste
Against the harsh loneliness
Luiz Gonzaga é tiro certo
Luiz Gonzaga is a sure shot
Pixinguinha é inconteste
Pixinguinha is indisputable
Tome Noel, Cartola, Orestes
Take Noel, Cartola, Orestes
Caetano e João Gilberto
Caetano and João Gilberto
Viva Erasmo, Ben, Roberto
Long live Erasmo, Ben, Roberto
Gil e Hermeto, palmas para
Gil and Hermeto, applause to
Todos os instrumentistas
All of the musicians
Salve Edu, Bituca, Nara
Hail Edu, Bituca, Nara
Gal, Bethania, Rita, Clara
Gal, Bethania, Rita, Clara
Evoé, jovens à vista
Hail, young ones in sight
O meu pai era paulista
My father was from São Paulo
Meu avô, pernambucano
My grandfather was from Pernambuco
O meu bisavô, mineiro
My great grandfather was from Minas Gerais
Meu tataravô, baiano
My great-great grandfather was from Bahia
Vou na estrada há muitos anos
I've been on the road for many years
Sou um artista brasileiro
I'm a Brazilian artist
Lyrics © Tratore
Written by: Chico Buarque de Holanda, J. S. Bach
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
José Freire
Que letra! Que disco! Nada que eu escreva pode dizer pra onde as músicas do Chico me levam! Só digo uma coisa: sou grato à Deus por ter descoberto bem cedo a obra do velho Francisco!
Gioconda Silva
Amo essa Canção para todos, nos ensina a contar nossa história, também!
Poeta das Calçadas
Chico, meu poeta soberano! <3
david vinicius
Para muitos concerteza
biancaispunk
LETRA
O meu pai era paulista
Meu avô, pernambucano
O meu bisavô, mineiro
Meu tataravô, baiano
Meu maestro soberano
Foi Antonio Brasileiro
Foi Antonio Brasileiro
Quem soprou esta toada
Que cobri de redondilhas
Pra seguir minha jornada
E com a vista enevoada
Ver o inferno e maravilhas
Nessas tortuosas trilhas
A viola me redime
Creia, ilustre cavalheiro
Contra fel, moléstia, crime
Use Dorival Caymmi
Vá de Jackson do Pandeiro
Vi cidades, vi dinheiro
Bandoleiros, vi hospícios
Moças feito passarinho
Avoando de edifícios
Fume Ari, cheire Vinícius
Beba Nelson Cavaquinho
Para um coração mesquinho
Contra a solidão agreste
Luiz Gonzaga é tiro certo
Pixinguinha é inconteste
Tome Noel, Cartola, Orestes
Caetano e João Gilberto
Viva Erasmo, Ben, Roberto
Gil e Hermeto, palmas para
Todos os instrumentistas
Salve Edu, Bituca, Nara
Gal, Bethania, Rita, Clara
Evoé, jovens à vista
O meu pai era paulista
Meu avô, pernambucano
O meu bisavô, mineiro
Meu tataravô, baiano
Vou na estrada há muitos anos
Sou um artista brasileiro
myria ERNESTO SILVA lindas cancoes
Lindaaaaaa linda perfeita eita saudade!
INVICTO.66
Meu professor pediu pra nois, escrever a letra dessa música!
Como trabalho!!!
Sara Barros
Eu amo um homem
Suellen Fernandes
Meu letrista número 1!