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.
Preá Comeu
Dona Ivone Lara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Falar com Deus
Que a folha do meu feijão
Preá comeu
Eu queria ir lá no céu
Falar com Deus
Que a folha do meu feijão
Preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Meu dinheiro era pouco
E eu quis aproveitar
Fiz a minha plantação
Pensando colher de montão
Mas fiquei desesperado
Quando a praga apareceu
Comeu todo meu feijão
Que tanto trabalho me deu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Mediante o prejuízo
Fiz promessa e oração
Pedi a Nossa Senhora
Que me desse proteção
Mas a praga insistente
No roçado se escondeu
E a minha plantação
Menino, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Eu queria ir lá no céu
Falar com Deus
Que a folha do meu feijão
Preá comeu
Eu queria ir lá no céu
Falar com Deus
Que a folha do meu feijão
Preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Preá comeu, preá comeu
The song "Preá Comeu" by Dona Ivone Lara is about a farmer who is facing a crisis in his plantation because a preá, a type of rodent, has eaten his bean plant's leaves. The farmer is desperate and wishes to speak with God in heaven to ask for help. He had used his limited resources to plant the beans, hoping to get a bountiful harvest, but the preá rodents have ruined all his hard work. The song is filled with pain and anguish as the farmer faces the reality of his situation. He reflects on how he and his family will suffer because of the loss of his crop.
As the song progresses, the farmer talks about making promises and prayers to seek protection from Nossa Senhora, the Virgin Mary. Unfortunately, the preá remains a persistent problem and has hidden itself in the plantation, causing further destruction. The farmer reflects in pain about the fact that the preá rodents have not only eaten his crops but also his dreams, hopes, and future.
The song's lyrics are an ode to the hard-working farmer and the difficulties they face due to uncontrollable circumstances. The preá symbolizes the various challenges farmers face that stand in the way of their livelihood, progress, and growth. While the song is about a simple farmer struggling with his plantation, its message resonates with anyone facing tough challenges in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu queria ir lá no céu
The singer wants to go to heaven
Falar com Deus
She wants to talk to God
Que a folha do meu feijão / Preá comeu
The preá (a type of rodent) ate the leaves of her bean plant
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Repeating that the preá ate her plants
Meu dinheiro era pouco / E eu quis aproveitar
The singer had a little money and wanted to make the most of it
Fiz a minha plantação / Pensando colher de montão
She planted her crops thinking she would have a huge harvest
Mas fiquei desesperado / Quando a praga apareceu / Comeu todo meu feijão / Que tanto trabalho me deu
But she became desperate when pests appeared and ate all of her beans that she had worked so hard for
Mediante o prejuízo / Fiz promessa e oração / Pedi a Nossa Senhora / Que me desse proteção
After suffering the loss, the singer made a promise and said a prayer to Our Lady, asking for protection
Mas a praga insistente / No roçado se escondeu / E a minha plantação / Menino, preá comeu
However, despite her pleas, the pests continued to hide in her field and ate her crops
Eu queria ir lá no céu / Falar com Deus / Que a folha do meu feijão / Preá comeu
Repeating the desire to speak to God about the preá that ate her bean plants
Preá comeu, preá comeu
Repeating that the preá ate her plants
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Yvonne Lara Da Costa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind