Dona Ivone Lara (Yvone Lara da Costa, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 13, 192… Read Full Bio ↴Dona Ivone Lara (Yvone Lara da Costa, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 13, 1921 - April 16, 2018) was a Brazilian samba composer and singer.

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.

Unhas
Dona Ivone Lara Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Você, ah você
Crava as unhas no meu coração
(No meu coração)
E rasga, esfola, mata e depois larga (porque)
Você, ah você
Crava as unhas no meu coração
(No meu coração)
E rasga, esfola, mata e depois larga

Punhal envenenado afiou
Mas se desnorteou na hora de cravá-lo
Unhou as veias do meu coração
E com o salto da paixão
Danou-se a pisoteá-lo
(Porque)

Você, ah você
Crava as unhas no meu coração
(No meu coração)
E rasga, esfola, mata e depois larga (porque)
Você, ah você
Crava as unhas no meu coração
(No meu coração)
E rasga, esfola, mata e depois larga

Em termos de amor é infiel
Prova do sal e do mel
Para testar o sabor
Procede tal e qual o gavião
Que quando pica um coração
É pra esganá-lo de amor
(Porque)

Você, ah você
Crava as unhas no meu coração
(No meu coração)
E rasga, esfola, mata e depois larga (porque)
Você, ah você
Crava as unhas no meu coração

(No meu coração)
E rasga, esfola, mata e depois larga

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dona Ivone Lara's song "Unhas" describe a tumultuous and destructive relationship. The use of the phrase "crava as unhas no meu coração" (digging nails into my heart) symbolizes the pain and harm caused by the singer's lover. The repetition of this line emphasizes the intensity of the emotional and physical damage inflicted.

The lyrics further portray the lover as someone who wounds, tears apart, and kills the singer's heart, only to leave them abandoned afterward. This suggests a pattern of abusive behavior, where the lover inflicts pain and then departs without taking responsibility for their actions. The repetition of the phrase "porque" (because) emphasizes the question of why the lover acts in such a destructive manner.

The second verse metaphorically compares the lover to a poisoned dagger. It implies that although the lover may have initially sharpened their intentions to hurt, they ultimately hesitate when it comes to executing their plan. However, the consequences are still damaging, as they harm the singer's heart.

The lyrics also mention the lover's infidelity, suggesting that they seek out different experiences and relationships to test the flavors of salt and honey. The comparison to a raptor, specifically a hawk or falcon (gavião), highlights the lover's predatory nature. When they sink their claws into someone's heart, it is to overpower them with love, leaving them helpless and consumed.

Overall, the song paints a vivid picture of a toxic and tumultuous love affair. It explores themes of emotional and physical abuse, infidelity, and the complexity of human relationships. The repetitive structure and metaphors create a sense of intensity and unpredictability within the narrative.

Line by Line Meaning

Você, ah você
You, oh you

Crava as unhas no meu coração
You dig your nails into my heart

(No meu coração)
(In my heart)

E rasga, esfola, mata e depois larga
And tear, shred, kill and then let go

(porque)
(because)

Punhal envenenado afiou
Envenomed dagger sharpened

Mas se desnorteou na hora de cravá-lo
But got disoriented when trying to stab it

Unhou as veias do meu coração
Scratched the veins of my heart

E com o salto da paixão
And with the leap of passion

Danou-se a pisoteá-lo
It started trampling on it

(Porque)
(Because)