Born 27 January 1949, in Alagoas, Brazil, Djavan combines traditional brazi… Read Full Bio ↴Born 27 January 1949, in Alagoas, Brazil, Djavan combines traditional brazilian rhythms with popular music drawn from all over the american continent, Europe and Africa.

Born into a poor family in Maceió (capital of Alagoas, Northeast Brazil), Djavan formed the group Luz, Som, Dimensão (LSD - "Light, Sound, Dimension"), playing Beatles covers. In 1973 Djavan moved to Rio de Janeiro and started singing in local nightclubs. After competing in several festivals he gained attention and recorded the album A Voz, o Violão e a Arte de Djavan in 1976. The album included the song "Flor de Lis" which became one of his most memorable hits. Albums that followed included his other musical influence, African music, and additional hits followed like "Açaí", "Sina" and "Samurai", which featured Stevie Wonder's harmonica. His best known compositions are: "Meu Bem Querer", "Oceano", "Faltando um Pedaço", "Esquinas", "Seduzir", "Pétala", "Lilás", "A Ilha", "Fato Consumado", "Álibi", "Azul" and "Serrado".

His songs have been recorded by Al Jarreau, Carmen McRae, The Manhattan Transfer, and, in Brazil by Gal Costa, Dori Caymmi, Nana Caymmi, Lenine, João Bosco, Chico Buarque, Daniela Mercury, Ney Matogrosso, Dominguinhos, Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethânia, Johnny Alf, and other artists. The 1988 Epic Records single, "Stephen's Kingdom", featured a guest appearance from Stevie Wonder.

In 1999, his live concert double-volume album, Ao Vivo, has sold 1.2 million copies and the song, "Acelerou" became the Best Brazilian song of the year at 2000 Latin Grammy Awards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djavan

Água
Djavan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tudo que se passa aqui
Não passa de um naufrágio
Eu me criei no mar
E foi lá que eu aprendi a nadar
Pra nada
Eu aprendi pra nada

A maré subiu demasiada

E tudo aqui está que é água
Que é água

Água pra encher
Água pra manchar
Água pra vazar a vida
Água pra reter
Água pra arrasar
Água na minha comida

Água pra encher
Água pra manchar
Água pra vazar a vida
Água pra reter
Água pra arrasar
Água na minha comida

Água
Aguaceiro
Aguadouro
Água que limpa o couro
Couro até mata

Água
Aguaceiro
Aguadouro
Água que limpa o couro
Couro até mata

Água
Aguaceiro
Aguadouro
Água que limpa o couro
Couro até mata

Água
Aguaceiro
Aguadouro
Água que limpa o couro
Couro até mata

Água
Aguaceiro
Aguadouro

Água que limpa o couro
Couro até mata

Overall Meaning

The song "Agua" by Djavan expresses the idea of water being both a necessary source of life and a potentially devastating element that can destroy everything in its path. The lyrics speak about how the singer learned to swim in the sea, but this skill has become useless as the rising tide has flooded their surroundings. The repetition of "agua" throughout the song emphasizes the overwhelming nature of water and its power to both fill and ruin everything. The lines "água pra encher/água pra manchar/água pra vazar a vida" suggest the different ways water can affect human existence, often in negative ways such as flooding, staining, or leaking into one's life.

The song also touches upon the theme of leather and water. The lines "água que limpa o couro/ couro até mata" ("water that cleans leather/ leather can also kill") illustrates how water, while necessary for life, can also have lethal consequences. The use of leather as a symbol reinforces the idea of water having both positive and negative consequences in life.

Overall, "Agua" by Djavan is a poignant reflection on the complex nature of water and its place in human existence.

Line by Line Meaning

Tudo que se passa aqui
Everything that happens here

Não passa de um naufrágio
Is nothing but a shipwreck

Eu me criei no mar
I was raised in the sea

E foi lá que eu aprendi a nadar
And it was there that I learned to swim

Pra nada
For nothing

Eu aprendi pra nada
I learned it for nothing

A maré subiu demasiada
The tide rose too high

E tudo aqui está que é água
And everything here is water

Que é água
That is water

Água pra encher
Water to fill