Cibelle is a mononym of Brazilian singer Cibelle Cavalli, (São Paulo, 1978)… Read Full Bio ↴Cibelle is a mononym of Brazilian singer Cibelle Cavalli, (São Paulo, 1978) who was five-years-old, in São Paulo, when they told their mother they wanted to start guitar lessons. Their mother agreed, and Cibelle moved around from instrument to instrument, trying their hand at the piano, percussion, and voice. As a teenager they were more interested in acting, appearing in commercials and promotional spots on MTV Brazil, but eventually realized that singing was their true passion and started performing at jam sessions around the city. It was at one of these sessions that they met Mitar Subotić (a then-unknown Yugoslavian DJ, Suba), who performed his version of synth-heavy samba for the crowd. Cibelle was intrigued by his interpretation of Brazilian music and, at a friend's urging, got up on-stage to sing with him. Suba was so impressed that he invited them to come to his home recording studio to work on an album, what would later become the seminal São Paulo Confessions. Though the producer died tragically shortly after the record's release, Cibelle continued on, appearing on guitarist and singer/songwriter Celso Fonseca's 2003 album, Natural, and releasing their own self-titled debut album on Six Degrees/Ziriguiboom. They followed up in 2004 with their EP About a Girl, and two years later Shine of Dried Electric Leaves, which featured duets with Seu Jorge and Devendra Banhart, came out.

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Cajuína
Cibelle Lyrics

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Existirmos, a que será que se destina
Pois quando tu me deste a rosa pequenina
Vi que és um homem lindo e que se acaso a sina
Do menino infeliz se nos ilumina
Tampouco turva-se a lágrima nordestina
Apenas a matéria vida era tão fina
E éramos olharmos na intacta retina
Da cajuína cristalina em Teresina

E éramos olharmos na intacta retina
Da cajuína cristalina em Teresina

Overall Meaning

The song "Cajuína" by Cibelle reflects on the meaning and purpose of life, and the beauty that can be found in even the most difficult circumstances. The opening lines, "Existirmos, a que será que se destina" ("To exist, what is it all for?"), convey a sense of existential pondering. The following lines, "Pois quando tu me deste a rosa pequenina / Vi que és um homem lindo" ("For when you gave me the little rose / I saw that you were a beautiful man"), suggest that perhaps one of the purposes of life is to connect with and appreciate the beauty around us.

The song continues to explore this idea through a reference to "cajuína", a type of clear juice made from the cashew fruit that is popular in the northeastern region of Brazil, where the song is set. The phrase "Tampouco turva-se a lágrima nordestina" ("Nordestino tears don't cloud over either") suggests that even in the face of hardship and struggle, the people of the region remain resilient and able to appreciate the simple pleasures of life. The closing lines, "E éramos olharmos na intacta retina / Da cajuína cristalina em Teresina" ("And we looked into the clear retina / Of the crystal cajuína in Teresina"), further emphasize the theme of clarity and purity in the midst of chaos.

Line by Line Meaning

Existirmos, a que será que se destina
What is the purpose of our existence?

Pois quando tu me deste a rosa pequenina
Because when you gave me the little rose

Vi que és um homem lindo e que se acaso a sina
I saw that you are a beautiful man and if by chance

Do menino infeliz se nos ilumina
The fate of the unhappy boy illuminates us

Tampouco turva-se a lágrima nordestina
Northeastern tears are not even blurred

Apenas a matéria vida era tão fina
Only the material life was so fragile

E éramos olharmos na intacta retina
And we looked into each other's intact retina

Da cajuína cristalina em Teresina
Of the crystal clear cajuína in Teresina

Lyrics © TERRA ENTERPRISES, INC., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Caetano Emmanuel Viana Teles Veloso

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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