A researcher of Brazilian popular music, its rhythms and folklore, she has also traveled to many countries representing the Brazilian culture. A connoisseur of African music, dance, traditions, and religions, she converted to Candomblé and took Afro-Brazilian culture into her songs and costumes. She was one of the singers who recorded the most songs by the composers of Portela, her favorite samba school. She was also the first female Brazilian singer to sell more than one hundred thousand records, breaking a taboo according to which women did not sell records in Brazil. During her whole career she sold four million four hundred thousand records. She was considered by Rolling Stone magazine as the ninth greatest Brazilian voice and, by the same magazine, the fifty-first greatest Brazilian artist of all time.
On April 2, 1983, she died at age 40, after suffering from anaphylaxis during a surgery to treat varicose veins. Even today she remains one of the most popular singers in Brazil.
A Deusa Dos Orixás
Clara Nunes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mas Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
(3X)
Yansã penteia os seus cabelos macios
Quando a luz da lua cheia clareia as águas do rio
Ogum sonhava com a filha de Nanã
E pensava que as estrelas eram os olhos de Yansã
Mas Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
Mas Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
Na terra dos orixás, o amor se dividia
Entre um deus que era de paz
E outro deus que combatia
Como a luta só termina quando existe um vencedor
Yansã virou rainha da coroa de Xangô
Mas Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
mas Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
mas Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
The lyrics to Clara Nunes' "A deusa dos orixás" speak of the gods and goddesses of the Yoruba mythology and their relationships. The chorus, "Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar", translates to "Yansã, where is Ogum? He went to the sea". Yansã and Ogum are two of the orixás who are often depicted as lovers. In the first verse, Ogum has gone to the sea, and Yansã is looking for him. Yansã is described as combing her soft hair when the moonlight shines on the river. Ogum, on the other hand, is dreaming of Nanã's daughter and believing that the stars are Yansã's eyes.
The second verse speaks of the love triangle between Yansã, Xangô, and Ogum. According to Yoruba mythology, Xangô was a god of thunder and fire, while Ogum was a god of metal and war. Yansã was in love with both of them but could only marry one. As the fight between Xangô and Ogum intensified, Yansã became the queen of Xangô. However, Ogum still loved her, and Yansã is once again looking for him in the chorus.
Overall, "A deusa dos orixás" is a beautiful ode to the gods and goddesses of the Yoruba mythology, their relationships, and their strengths and weaknesses.
Line by Line Meaning
Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
Yansã is wondering about Ogum's whereabouts when he went to the sea
Yansã penteia os seus cabelos macios
Quando a luz da lua cheia clareia as águas do rio
Ogum sonhava com a filha de Nanã
E pensava que as estrelas eram os olhos de Yansã
Yansã combs her soft hair as the full moon illuminates the river waters. Ogum dreams of Nanã's daughter and imagines the stars as Yansã's eyes
Na terra dos orixás, o amor se dividia
Entre um deus que era de paz
E outro deus que combatia
Como a luta só termina quando existe um vencedor
Yansã virou rainha da coroa de Xangô
In the land of the orixás, love was divided between a peaceful god and a god of combat. As the fight only ends with a winner, Yansã became the queen of Xangô's crown
Mas Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
Yansã is still looking for Ogum, who went to the sea
Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
Yansã continues to ask about Ogum, who is still at sea
Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
Yansã is yet to find Ogum, who remains at sea
Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
Yansã is still seeking Ogum, who is absent at sea
Yansã, cadê Ogum? Foi pro mar
Yansã is searching for Ogum, who went away to the sea
Contributed by Bella M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.