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.
Tatuagem
Chico Buarque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que é pra te dar coragem
Pra seguir viagem
Quando a noite vem
E também pra me perpetuar em tua escrava
Que você pega, esfrega, nega
Mas não lava
Que logo se alucina
Salta e te ilumina
Quando a noite vem
E nos músculos exaustos do teu braço
Repousar frouxa, murcha, farta
Morta de cansaço
Quero pesar feito cruz nas tuas costas
Que te retalha em postas
Mas no fundo gostas
Quando a noite vem
Quero ser a cicatriz risonha e corrosiva
Marcada a frio, a ferro e fogo
Em carne viva
Corações de mãe
Arpões, sereias e serpentes
Que te rabiscam o corpo todo
Mas não sentes
Chico Buarque's song Tatuagem is a sensual love song composed in the poetic form. In the song, Chico expresses his desire to become a permanent part of his lover's body through a tattoo. He wants to be imprinted on her and serve as her source of courage as she embarks on various journeys. Chico further desires to become one with her, analogous to a dancer who leaps and irradiates her partner, consuming him with her love. Even in the throes of exhaustion, he wants to be an indelible imprint on his partner's body, weighing on her like a cross on her back. He wishes to be her permanent and unforgettable memory.
The lyrics of Tatuagem explore the theme of passionate love that can imprudently leave its mark on the body and violate social conventions. Chico's sophisticated use of metaphor and folklore, such as harpoons, mermaids, serpents, and hearts of mothers, adds depth to the song's interpretation. His portrayal of love as both painful and raw, presented in the lines "marked in cold, iron and fire, in living flesh," demonstrates a love that is intense and everlasting. Chico Buarque's Tatuagem, with its peaceful rhythm, is a romantic proclamation of a physical and emotional connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Quero ficar no teu corpo feito tatuagem
I want to become a tattoo on your body
Que é pra te dar coragem
to give you courage
Pra seguir viagem
to continue your journey
Quando a noite vem
when the night comes
E também pra me perpetuar em tua escrava
and also to remain as your slave forever
Que você pega, esfrega, nega
one that you touch, rub, and deny
Mas não lava
but you won't wash it away
Quero brincar no teu corpo feito bailarina
I want to dance on your body like a ballerina
Que logo se alucina
that quickly becomes enthralled
Salta e te ilumina
jumps and illuminates you
Quando a noite vem
when the night comes
E nos músculos exaustos do teu braço
and in the exhausted muscles of your arms
Repousar frouxa, murcha, farta
I will rest weak, wilted, and satisfied
Morta de cansaço
dead tired
Quero pesar feito cruz nas tuas costas
I want to be a heavy cross on your back
Que te retalha em postas
that cuts you into pieces
Mas no fundo gostas
but deep down, you enjoy it
Quando a noite vem
when the night comes
Quero ser a cicatriz risonha e corrosiva
I want to be the cheerful and corrosive scar
Marcada a frio, a ferro e fogo
burnt and marked with iron and fire
Em carne viva
on living flesh
Corações de mãe
hearts of mothers
Arpões, sereias e serpentes
harpoons, sirens, and serpents
Que te rabiscam o corpo todo
that scribble all over your body
Mas não sentes
but you don't feel them
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Francisco Buarque De Hollanda, Ruy Guerra
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ana Claudia Sartorelli
Essa música é mais eficaz do que qualquer estimulante sexual. Libido pura.
Stella Marys SS
Nossa, uma descrição à altura da sensação. 👏
gabriel232
isso é proibido antes do casamento mano
Xandee
Eu fico é mal escutando ela
Helder Barbosa da Costa Filho
enraçado, essa música me deixa triste pra caramba kk
Celio Pinheiro
Obra prima, assim a maioria de suas canções e tudo que ele faz. Chico era pra ser matéria de aula em todos os colégios do nosso país.
Ewerton Moraes
Eu fiz isso e foi um bummm e sou lembrado até hoje por levar Chico Buarque pra sala de aula
REJANE BELLE
Eu ouvindo no dia que ele recebeu o prêmio Camões em Portugal!❤
Isis Paixão
Eu me apaixonei por esta musica aos 17 anos, hoje tenho 40 e é uma das musicas mais marcantes que ja ouvi.
Jean Bossa Guitar
Como li em um comentário de outra canção dele: Como é bom ter nascido no mesmo país que Chico Buarque e não precisar traduzir a letra ♡