Her history is linked with the developing of important escolas de samba (samba schools) from Rio de Janeiro, such as Prazer da Serrinha and Império Serrano. Her repertoire is comprised of mostly romantic sambas inspired by rootsy African music. Until 2000, she recorded only these 5 LPs and one CD. Dona Ivone Lara is the godmother of the group of composers at Império Serrano and participates in the carnival parades every year.
Dona Ivone Lara was born in Rio de Janeiro. She graduated in nursing, with specialization in Occupational Therapy, and worked as a social worker until she retired in 1977. With this professional background, she worked in psychiatric hospitals, where she knew Dr. Nise da Silveira.
With the death of her mother when she was three, and of her father when she was twelve, Dona Ivone was raised by aunts and uncles and with them she learned to play the cavaquinho. She was exposed to samba music at the side of her cousin Mestre Fuleiro; she took singing lessons from Lucília Villa-Lobos and was praised by Dona Lucília's husband, the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos.
At the age of 25, she married Oscar Costa, son of Afredo Costa, the president of the Prazer da Serrinha samba school. At Prazer da Serrinha she met several composers who later became her partners in several compositions, among them Mano Décio da Viola e Silas de Oliveira.
Dona Ivone composed the samba Nasci para sofrer (Born To Suffer), which became the theme song of the samba school. When the samba school Império Serrano was founded in 1947, she began to parade in the ala das baianas (Wing of the Baianas) during carnaval parades. There she composed the samba Não me perguntes (Don't Ask Me),. Her consecration as a composer came in 1965, with Os cinco bailes da história do Rio (The Five Balls of the History of Rio) qwhen she became the first woman to become part of the ala de compositores (Wing of the Composers) of a samba school.
Retiring from nursing in 1977, she began to dedicate herself to her musical career. She continues to record and to perform before live audiences today. Among the interpreters of her songs are such singers and artists as Clara Nunes, Roberto Ribeiro, Maria Bethânia, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Paula Toller, Paulinho da Viola, Beth Carvalho, Mariene de Castro e Roberta Sá.
Mas Quem Disse Que Eu Te Esqueço
Dona Ivone Lara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do jeito que eu não queria
E manchou meu coração
Que tamanha covardia
Afivelaram meu peito
Pra eu deixar de te amar
Acinzentaram minh'alma
Afivelaram meu peito
Pra eu deixar de te amar
Acinzentaram minh'alma
Mas não cegaram o olhar
Saudade, amor, que saudade!
Que me vira pelo avesso
E revira meu avesso
Puseram uma faca no meu peito
Mas quem disse que eu te esqueço
Mas quem disse que eu mereço
Saudade, amor, que saudade!
Que me vira pelo avesso
E revira meu avesso
Puseram uma faca no meu peito
Mas quem disse que eu te esqueço
Mas quem disse que eu mereço
In the song "Mas Quem Disse Que Eu Te Esqueço" by Dona Ivone Lara, the singer expresses her pain and longing for a past love. She describes how her eyes betray her sadness, and her heart is stained with the cowardice of not being able to forget. Despite the attempts to convince herself to move on, her soul remains gray and downcast, but she refuses to let go of the memories of her past love. The lyrics convey the conflicting emotions that one can experience after a breakup, where the heart and mind are at odds, and it can be challenging to come to terms with the end of a relationship.
The verse "Puseram uma faca no meu peito, mas quem disse que eu te esqueço, mas quem disse que eu mereço" is particularly poignant as it portrays the singer's feelings of hurt and betrayal. She feels like her heart has been stabbed, but despite this, she can't forget her ex-lover. The second line suggests the pain of heartbreak as a form of punishment, causing the singer to wonder if she deserves the pain of loving someone who has left her heartbroken.
The song contains a universal message about the complexities of love and the emotions that can arise when a relationship ends. The lyrics and melody are soulful and moving and have made it a beloved song for generations of Brazilian music fans.
Line by Line Meaning
Tristeza rolou nos meus olhos
Sadness rolled down my eyes
Do jeito que eu não queria
In a way, I did not want it to
E manchou meu coração
And stained my heart
Que tamanha covardia
What a cowardly act
Afivelaram meu peito
They strapped my chest
Pra eu deixar de te amar
So that I stop loving you
Acinzentaram minh'alma
They grayed my soul
Mas não cegaram o olhar
But did not blind my sight
Saudade, amor, que saudade!
Longing, love, what longing!
Que me vira pelo avesso
That turns me inside out
E revira meu avesso
And twists my inside out
Puseram uma faca no meu peito
They put a knife in my chest
Mas quem disse que eu te esqueço
But who said I forget you
Mas quem disse que eu mereço
But who said I deserve it
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Herminio Carvalho, Yvonne Lara Da Costa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind