The low voice of the partido-alto singer Clementina de Jesus was only disco… Read Full Bio ↴The low voice of the partido-alto singer Clementina de Jesus was only discovered outside her community when she was 62. Immediately acknowledged both nationally and internationally as a highly expressive singer, she still had time to participate in historic events like the Rosa de Ouro, Zicartola (at the Teatro Opinião), Noitada de Samba, and others. She has recorded and performed with artists of stature such as Nelson Cavaquinho, Turíbio Santos, Pixinguinha, João da Baiana, and many others. As a child, Clementina de Jesus listened to folkloric and religious music (jongo, partido-alto, ladainhas, etc.) sung by her mother. She remained an amateur for decades, participating in Carnaval blocos, and singing in church choirs and rodas de samba (samba get-togethers). After 20 years working as a maid, her career was launched in December 1964 by the classical guitarist Turíbio Santos at Kleber Santos' Teatro Jovem (Rio de Janeiro) in the show O Menestrel. A few months later, in 1965 when she was 63, Clementina de Jesus had her definitive public consecration after being featured in Hermínio Bello de Carvalho's musical Rosa de Ouro at the same theater. Performances, which also featured Araci Cortes, Paulinho da Viola, and Elton Medeiros, followed in Bahia and São Paulo. De Carvalho's first album was this live show, released in the same year as Rosa de Ouro, Vol. 1, followed by a second volume released two years later. On this album, Clementina de Jesus presented the virtually unknown genre of jongo with songs like "Benguelê" (Pixinguinha/Gastão Vianna) and "Boi Não Berra." She also performed sambas like "Sementes do Samba" (Hélio Cabral) and "Nasceste de Uma Semente" (José Ramos), and the lundu "Bate Canela." In August 1983 she was paid tribute by the Brazilian state government at Rio de Janeiro's Teatro Municipal. The gala event attracted many artists like Elizeth Cardoso, Beth Carvalho, Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira, João Nogueira, Paulinho da Viola, Gilberto Gil, Dona Zica, Dona Neuma, accompanied by the bateria (percussion section) of the Mangueira samba school. In 1985 de Jesus was decorated by the French government. Also known as Quelé (a corrupted use of her name) and as Rainha Ginga (Ginga Queen), she had her majesty truly expressed through this award.

In 1966 she represented Brazil together with Paulinho da Viola, Elizeth Cardoso, and Elton Medeiros at the Black Arts Festival in Dakar and Senegal. In the same year she performed at the Cecília Meireles Hall (in Rio) José Maria Neves' Missa de São Benedito, for tamba (Hélcio Milito) and voice. Also in that year she recorded her first individual LP, Clementina de Jesus. Together with Pixinguinha and João da Baiana, she participated in the album Gente da Antiga, produced by Odeon in 1968. In the same year she also appeared on the LP Mudando de Conversa, a recording of the show of the same name, along with Ciro Monteiro and Nora Ney, produced at the Teatro Santa Rosa (Rio de Janeiro). In 1970 she had another LP released, Clementina Cadê Você?, edited by the Museu da Imagem e do Som (Sound and Image Museum, Rio de Janeiro), with corimás, jongos, modas, and sambas. In 1973 she had thrombosis, but five months later recorded the LP Marinheiro Só, which had songs by Paulinho da Viola and adaptations of popular songs like "Fui Pedir Às Almas Santas," "Atraca, Atraca," and "Incelença." In that year she also participated in Milton Nascimento's Milagre dos Peixes, recording "Escravo de Jó" (Milton Nascimento/Fernando Brant). In 1982 she was paid tribute by the Lins Imperial samba school, with the play Clementina -- Uma Rainha Negra. In the next year she recorded with Doca and Geraldo Filme the LP Canto dos Escravos, in which she interpreted slave songs from Minas Gerais collected by the researcher Aires da Mata Machado Filho. In 1985 she recorded Clementina e Convidados, which had her composition "Laçador" (co-written by Catoni). The album also had as guests Clara Nunes, João Bosco, Roberto Ribeiro, Martinho da Vila, Ivone Lara, Adoniram Barbosa, and Carlinhos Vergueiro. De Jesus also performed live with Nelson Cavaquinho in São Paulo, upstate Rio de Janeiro, and in Curitiba, Paraná. Her last live performance was in 1987 at the Teatro Carlos Gomes (Rio de Janeiro).

Garças Pardas
Clementina De Jesus Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ouvi falar nas garças pardas
Mas pensei que era brinquedo
Nas florestas onde andei encontrei
Plantas que até tive medo –
Lá nas matas tudo é segredo!

Eu pensei e estou arrependido
Lá nas matas passei anos bem vividos

Eu vi garças pardas
Borboletas e um colorido tão sutil –

Que saudade que eu tenho
Das florestas do meu Brasil!

Overall Meaning

The song Garças Pardas by Clementina De Jesus is about the natural beauty of the forests in Brazil. The singer talks about hearing about the elusive garças pardas, which she initially thought was a toy. However, when she explored the forests, she found plants that were even scary, and discovered the vibrant and colorful wildlife of the Brazilian forest. She expresses a sense of regret, having spent many good years in the forest, and longing for the beauty of the forests - the garças pardas (a breed of heron), butterflies, and the subtle beauty of the colorful flora. The song celebrates the unique beauty of Brazil's natural resources while also acknowledging the value of preserving them.

The lyrics are an expression of the singer's deep love for nature and the importance of preserving the environment. It highlights the need to raise awareness about the biodiversity of the Brazilian forest and the need to protect it from deforestation and other ecological problems. Additionally, the song also suggests that we, as humans, must recognize the inherent value of nature that goes beyond its utilitarian use, and instead learn to appreciate it for its inherent beauty.

Line by Line Meaning

Ouvi falar nas garças pardas
I heard about the brown herons

Mas pensei que era brinquedo
But I thought it was just a toy

Nas florestas onde andei encontrei
In the forests where I roamed I found

Plantas que até tive medo –
Plants that even scared me

Lá nas matas tudo é segredo!
There in the forests, everything is a secret!

Eu pensei e estou arrependido
I thought and I regret

Lá nas matas passei anos bem vividos
There in the forests I spent happy years

Eu vi garças pardas
I saw the brown herons

Borboletas e um colorido tão sutil –
Butterflies and such subtle colors

Que saudade que eu tenho
How much I miss

Das florestas do meu Brasil!
The forests of my Brazil!